Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #9 *Arrest*

[Raptors001]

Haven’t followed this case in quite a while, could anyone fill me in on why this is a federal case? TIA

Internet, mutlistate electronic equipment, foreign national student (international) .

Used multi state information (internet) to learn on how to kidnap, killing international student with that info, used cellular phone (multi national equipment.

Is my guess

 

[kittythehare]

It is simple, he killed, and still wants to kill (follow girl home) ... would you let him go free ?

I wouldn't.

Nobody is suggesting he didn't do it or should go free.

BUT, connecting the times his phone was out to her time of death is making no sense at all.
Nobody knows when she died is the truth.
He could well have her bound and gagged in his bedroom when he checked his messages.
A phone being immobilised and re-mobilised-,his, is not evidence of a killing or a time of a killing.
Bottom line is FBI didn't put the resources they should have into locating YY, dead or alive or her belongings including her phone.
They had one job, they failed.
TB handed them the case.
They failed to find YY or her remains.
They failed and it doesn't matter a flying whatever whether he gets to roll up his sleeve or rots in a prison cell for the rest of his days after that.
YY is missing.
Where is she and why weren't more efforts made to either find her or encourage search efforts from the general public or the Chinese communities that are living locally?

 

[kittythehare]

I hear ya. This defense team has got to be the 3 stooges of the lawyer world. Asking TB if he was drunk. Why did she advise him to drink water?
Seriously?? They should go to jail with BC!!

Reason for that is that defense needed for him to be drunk at the vigil so they could arge he was talking rubbish when he made his 'confession' to TB.
They even used words to the effect that BC 'embellished' his words for TB due to drunkenness.
She destroyed that nicely for him because she testified that she drank what he did and it ws heavily watered down alcohol, insufficient in quantity to cause drunkenness and associated exaggerations.

There's not 3, there's 5 and they have dragged this case out for 2 years when the fix was in from the start.
The entire CourtListener file is evidence for that.

They prolonged the agony for her family, simple country people from another continent for 2 full years.
Yeah he's entitled to a defense, but they're not entitled to cause further hardship for a suffering family, not morally and not ethically.
It's been farcical cruel and sadistic and they should be ashamed to practice law in this way.

 

[Niner]

Friday, June 21st:
*Trial continues (Day 8) (@ 1:30pm CT) - IL - Yingying Zhang (26) (missing on June 9, 2017, Urbana; not found) - *Brendt A. Christensen (28) indicted (6/30/17) on kidnapping (Federal charge) resulting in death of Yingying & 2 counts of giving false statements to FBI. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP. Trial started 6/3/19 with jury selection & took until 6/11/19 to pick a jury. Trial should last about a week & a half (was 5 weeks previously). Opening statements expected to start 6/12 Wednesday morning. Judge expects a verdict between June 21 and June 24. If there ends up being a sentencing phase, judge believes it would start on July 8 so the 4th of July wouldn't interfere with the process. 12 jurors & 6 alternates. (7 men & 5 women).
Jury Selection Days 1 to 7 (6/3/19 to 6/7/19) & Trial days 1 to 6 (6/2/19 to 6/19/19) reference post #545 here:
Still Missing - IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #9 *Arrest*
6/19/19 Day 6: State witnesses: FBI Forensic Examiner Amanda Bakker. Terra Bullis (ex-gf of BC). Prosecutors play secret FBI recordings done with BC & TEB. Trial continues to 6/20.
6/20/19 Day 7: State witnesses: Terra Bullis. (Prosecutors continue playing secret FBI recordings including one from vigil for Yingying). FBI Special Agent Greg Catey (specialist in cell phones). FBI Special Agent Andrew Huckstadt (played jail phone call between BC & his wife). Closing arguments expected Monday (6/24) morning. Prosecution expected to rest their case tomorrow morning (6/21), followed by defense's case, including testimony from Christensen's wife.

 

[kittythehare]

Brendt Christensen Trial: Ex-girlfriend testifies about wire recording made at vigil for Yingying Zhang

 

[kittythehare]

I actually did a search for this, delighted to find what I thought would be decent reporting.
I was deluded.
Did a child write this?
Is this the best they can do, just lettin' off steam here before I let them know first hand.
Appalling, and I subscribe.
The Latest: Girlfriend: Christensen Seemed Proud of Killing

 

[kittythehare]

Zhang Yingying’s accused killer laughed about murder, girlfriend says
slightly better.

 

[kittythehare]

LIVE: The trial of Brendt Christensen, Day 7

 

[kittythehare]

‘She is Gone’: Christensen Bragged About Zhang’s Death, Former Girlfriend Says
probably the most comprehensive.
Note defense are saying it did not happen in the way he describes in the tapes.
It happened okay, but in a 'nicer' manner. ???!!!

 

[kittythehare]

this
(Back to the serial killer conversation, I skipped over a note) BC explains that there was one killer who targeted prostitutes at truck stops, because BC says those types of people "aren't missed (AA)
Aaron Eades on Twitter

 

[altojack]

‘She is Gone’: Christensen Bragged About Zhang’s Death, Former Girlfriend Says
probably the most comprehensive.
Note defense are saying it did not happen in the way he describes in the tapes.
It happened okay, but in a 'nicer' manner. ???!!!

BC killed her. It matters not a jot how a killing takes place. It happened and there's no 'nicer' manner where murder is concerned.

 

[altojack]

Caught up at last! Phew. Housework to do and other court dates to check.

Thanks kitty and the others who have been doing such a great job of pushing those tweets and reports through. You're all stars.

 

[kittythehare]

Caught up at last! Phew. Housework to do and other court dates to check.

Thanks kitty and the others who have been doing such a great job of pushing those tweets and reports through. You're all stars.

Your sanity is always missed here 'altojack!
No thanks needed, just channeling ire and rage into something that might be useful.
Appalled at the lack of comprehensive coverage in national and Intl media about this Federal case.
Just about 3 journos doing all the work...
Mega story when it broke... now, so little interest ...

 

[kittythehare]

1. Beyond his ex-wife, the defense will only be calling a couple of other witnesses before they rest their case today. Federal defender Elisabeth Pollock estimated their case will take less than a full day.
   
   0 replies0 retweets0 likes
   
2. 
   Matt Masterson‏ @ByMattMasterson 6m6 minutes ago
   Michelle Christensen (now Zortman) will likely testify to some extent about her ex-husband's drinking problems. The defense has already said Michelle tried to limit Brendt's drinking.
   

 

[CUlocal]

any dog kennels in close proximity to his address?
#GraspintAtStraws

Yes. There are two of them not far from his apartment.. One is Kennelwood research kennels, and there's also Pet Palace boarding kennels on Rt. 10 near Bondville.

 

[kittythehare]

Today's mistrial request has been submitted already. How efficient is that , at taxpayer's expense?
Brendt Christensen's defense team filed a motion this morning seeking a mistrial (or a limiting jury instruction) regarding Christensen's claim that Zhang was his 13th victim
They claim that the government had previously conceded there is no evidence Christensen had killed anyone before Zhang, terming his statement about that to be "braggadocio."
Despite that, FBI Special Agent Andrew Huckstadt testified that it's possible Christensen was telling the truth, it's just the FBI has not yet found and corroborating evidence
That testimony is in direct contradiction to the government’s position in its response to the motion in limine that the statement was only 'braggadocio,'” Christensen's federal defenders wrote in their motion this mornin
"The government’s improper conduct in having both (FBI Special Agent Anthony) Manganaro and Huckstadt suggest that Mr. Christensen may have in fact killed someone other than Ms. Zhang requires a mistrial," the defense claims.
This isn't the first time this trial the defense has sought a mistrial. We'll see if U.S. District Judge James Shadid deals with this before the defense begins calling witnesses (matt Masterson) and I got the email too which makes me shudder at this stage
Docket for United States v. Christensen, 2:17-cr-20037 - CourtListener.com
I have to say the govt is not helping their case by failing to send his DNA to crime bases until March this year!
#TheyHadOneJob #FindYingYing

 

[kittythehare]

Yes. There are two of them not far from his apartment.. One is Kennelwood research kennels, and there's also Pet Palace boarding kennels on Rt. 10 near Bondville.

Thanks CU for responding.. would these kennels be open, can the dogs be seen and could 'stuff' be thrown into them to eat without many people noticing, do you think?

 

[kittythehare]

The mother is very, very sensitive, and even the sight of the defendant could lead to an emotional reaction," said Steve Beckett, the family's lawyer in Urbana, on WDWS on Friday morning.
"My impression of the family is that they have a real quiet dignity," Beckett said. "They're not educated, sophisticated people. They're from an agricultural region in southeast China, but they're just really wonderful folks. And of course, what happened to their daughter is just a tragedy."
LIVE: The trial of Brendt Christensen, Day 8

 

[CUlocal]

I worked at Pet Palace 20+ years ago and at that time the dogs were not in any way accessible to outsiders.
As for Kennelwood, I really don't know, but I doubt it. It's a nutrition based research kennel last I knew.

 

[dm92]

Which just makes me sick.

Tenaglia was quoted in a News-Gazette article last summer saying that Michelle was initially very cooperative and helpful, but as time went on, she became less so. Also, I think in Bullis’ testimony, she details how BC was saying that Michelle wouldn’t sleep with him in the days after the car was seized by the FBI, but after a little while began sleeping with him again. She didn’t divorce him until September of 2018, so it seems she was the last one to finally accept the fact that he had done it.

Odd, considering she was the one to open the marriage, was scared and told him to quit drinking after he drunkenly told her he idolized serial killers, and asked Tenaglia about getting a restraining order against her husband in the days after the car was seized....