216-228)Shanghai JiaoTong University Press (in . A grief stricken Lifeng Ye, second from right, the mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, is supported by a friend Lin Guiping and Yingying's brother Zhengyang Zhang, right . My mother forwarded many of these reports to me. However, was Zhang's body ever found? After a mistrial, Hernandez, 56, was convicted at a second trial in 2017. Christensen's defense attorneys admitted at trial that he killed Zhang, and focused on convincing the jury to spare him from the death penalty. A black sedan circles around the block and stops in front of her. HER BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. Students grouped together to find her, while the FBI was brought on to help the local police department. In a series of surveillance videosUIUC has more than 2,000 cameras on campusshe gets on a bus. The defense attorneys opening statement shocked everyone in the courtroom. The Chinese government closely followed Brendt Christensens trial, and the prosecution was determined to seek the death penalty. In June 2017, Yingying Zhang, a young scholar from China went missing from a bus stop near the University of Illinois.The entire encounter was caught on nearby surveillance cameras. They have since divorced. However, soon, through the lenses of CCTVs, the police learned that the answer might be a lot closer to home than people thought. With a confession on hand, the FBI arrested Brendt Christensen and charged him with the murder of Yingying Zhang. "There is nothing in the world that we want more than to find our daughter and bring her home. Zhang was observed on video walking to an intersection and standing at a bus stop. The spectacle at the scaffold routinely attracted larger crowds than any other public event. In the documentary "Finding Yingying," which is now playing in virtual theaters, director Jiayan "Jenny" Shi turns the attention to Ms. Zhang and her family. While a teenager in China, I had many fraught conversations with my mother about who should run errands after dark. Yingying Zhang was born on December 21, 1990 in China. Zhangs family reportedly provided the first gift for the endowment. The suspect, Brendt Christensen, pleaded not guilty and refused to give up information. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News) During the eight-and-a-half hours of deliberations, they asked the judge to clarify this question on the special verdict form: By whether Christensen is likely to commit more acts of violence, did it mean IN PRISON? But the Zhang family understands that the authorities are still considering an attempt to locate and recover Yingyings remains.. Steve Beckett, Zhangs family lawyer, Yingyings father, Ronggao ZhangIf, upon hearing this, later, In addition to this, a memorial stone with Zhangs name was placed on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Its clear from an affidavit in the case that authorities thought they had their man, but they needed more evidence to seek an arrest, especially because they did not know where Zhangs body was. I replay this clip and reckon that Im again at fault for over-intellectualizing. Yingyings grandfather is sitting next to him. 10. Zhang was remembered as intelligent and extroverted. It was found during a search of his Macon County jail cell. According to Bullis, who testified during Christensens trial, she felt very conflicted because she still cared for Christensen, but she also cared about what had happened to Zhang. (MORE: Man found guilty of killing visiting Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang) Mike Christensen believes Zhang's killing could have been avoided if counselors took action then and there. This is based on the information given by Christensens defense lawyers. Federal prosecutors have said Christensen posed as an undercover officer to lure Zhang, 26, into his car on June 9, 2017. Brendt Christensen, a former graduate student, has been charged with kidnapping and killing her. Three days before Christensens arrest, the Chinese government had just issued new rules aimed at curbing police abuse. Beyond the immediacy of war, when is a state justified to kill? Police searched her apartment and found nothing. The image was used in the missing person bulletin by the police and the FBI. Prosecutor Eugene Miller alleged that Zhangs blood was found on a bat that Christensen used to strike Zhang, as well as in other places in his apartment, according to WTTW-TV. WTTW-TVs Matt Masterson also reported on Wednesday that Christensen has not and will not file an appeal to his convictions. posted in All, Life Thoughts on 03/22/2021 by yingying 0 Comments. Audio and video recordings were played for a federal jury in the murder-kidnapping trial of Brendt Christensen on Friday --- including a recording of Christensen's chilling account of how he kidnapped and murdered Yingying Zhang, a promising young environmental engineer from China in June 2017. U. of I. Zhang's father said if his daughter's remains are ever found, her family plans to take her body back to China. My mother who lives in China believes that criminal suspects should be tortured till they confess, my 2017 self wrote, that innocent until proven guilty is a frightening flaw of the U.S. justice system., The post concluded with a hashtag, #help., I read the words now and am startled by the casual cruelty. Like every other institution in this country, the evolution of the death penalty in the U.S. is intertwined with slavery and codified with racism. Co-Author. It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingyings remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success, said Steve Beckett, attorney for the Zhang family, according to ABC. Since then, they've likely been covered by at least 30 feet of landfill. What happened to Yingying could never have happened in China, she insisted, echoing the talking points on state media that U.S. authorities were only paying attention to the case because China is strong. August 7, 2019 / 6:12 PM She stands by the bus stop beneath a tree. In fact, the details of how Zhang died, which came out during trial, were awful. My research interests include economic evaluations of complex (public) health interventions and personalized healthcare. In this security video from the B-4 parking garage on North Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, just after 2 p.m. Friday, Ms. Zhang is seen standing on the east side of Goodwin Avenue as a black Saturn Astra (unknown, According to the University of Illinois police. From Yangtze to Mars: The Fiery History of Chinas Space Program, The US Is Building Walls Around Science, and Were All Poorer for It. However, calls and texts to Zhangs phone went unanswered, and the worry heightened with time. Would UIUC be a safer place if some of its resources for policing and surveillance went toward mental health services and supporting international students? Im surprised, though perhaps I should not be, by how little awareness there is. Y Zhang, X Qian, Z Peng, N Yang. 29 Nov - Zhang Yingying and Wang Xiaofei's mother Zhang Lan seem to be butting heads when it comes to the mainland businessman, after the actress seemingly decided to declare that they are dating.. As reported on CTWant, the 26-year-old actress, who has been romantically linked to Wang for months and was even accused of being the third party in his previous marriage with Barbie Hsu, recently . As per Zhangs family lawyers statements, the contents of the dumpster were taken to Danville, where it was compacted twice. In 1988, Democratic nominee for president Michael Dukakis would see his candidacy doomed as he answered no to this debate question: If Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer? He lost to George H. W. Bush, whose team ran a series of attack ads, using the likeness of one Black criminal to stoke racial fear. Brendt Christensen, a former Ph.D. student at the same university, was convicted of Zhangs murder in 2019. She gets off the bus. Brendt claimed that he had dropped the girl off at a place that looked like a residential area, but could not pinpoint the exact location providing further cause for doubt. . Yingying Zhang (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhng Yngyng) (December 21, 1990 - June 9, 2017) was born in the city of Nanping, Fujian Province, to Ronggao Zhang and Lifeng Ye.Zhang has one younger brother, Zhengyang. However, even with massive searches and attractive cash rewards announced, the few leads the police got led to nothing. According to the affidavit, authorities allege that he admitted to driving around the UI campus when he observed an Asian female with a backpack standing at a corner appearing distressed. The judge has denied bail for Christensen. Brendt Christensen, 30, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the kidnapping and killing two years ago of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana . Nanoscale thermal transport. 37. If even one juror opposed, then the life sentence was applied. Body found later in a water tank at the top of the hotel, the coroner stated that she died by drowning. And thus, even though they said that the FBI is probably looking into it, they did state that it would be quite challenging a process. Yingying Zhang. A prosecutor told the court on July 5, 2017, that Christensen was recorded at a rally for Zhang by authorities and explained the characteristics of his ideal victim and, according to CNN, pointed out those in the crowd who matched them at a vigil he attended for the missing woman. The person helping authorities record Christensen was his then-girlfriend Terra Bullis. One of her favorite songs was The Rose, a hit in 1980 for American singer Bette Midler, reported The Chicago Tribune. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. The federal government was seeking the death penalty. To lure female victims into his car, Christensen claimed to be a police officer. Was her body ever found? The same jury who convicted him later split on the death penalty. She played in a band and had ambitions of becoming a professor in China. ABC reports that Bullis testified that she Christensen seemed excited and proud when he discussed killing Zhang. The only emotion I sensed during those hours of paralysis was an eerie calmness akin to closure, like I had spent my entire life treading the edge of a cliff and finally had to surrender to the air. Im puzzled over this question to the judge, why the distinction was necessary. According to News Gazette, she testified that Christensen typed the following, showed it to her, and then deleted it: It was me. There, a young woman in a black dress and boots is shredding her voice to the beat. Shell never be found.. After her education, she planned on marrying her fianc and eventually returning to China to become a teacher. With Zhang reported missing, there was a massive uproar in the university. Main text. Zhang's family said they believe the best thing to do at this point is allow federal, state, and local authorities to determine the feasibility of recovering her body. Powered by. "We hope it will be a solemn place of reflection to all who visit, a place to remember the joy Yingying brought to her family and to everyone she met during her life," her father said. That summer was a particularly low point in my strained relationship with my mother, and I had turned to social media for validation of my moral superiority. As per Zhangs family lawyers statements, the contents of the dumpster were taken to Danville, where it was compacted twice. Without a body, prosecutors based their case on DNA evidence found at Christensen's apartment, and the defendant's own boasting of having killed Zhang in a conversation with his girlfriend. It creates and reinforces a binary: us versus them, good versus evil, the deserving versus the unwanted. At present, Brendt Christensen is a federal prisoner serving his life sentence at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman II, in Florida. First published on August 7, 2019 / 6:12 PM. The fund had already amassed more than $30,000 by Wednesday morning. (AP/AAP) Zhang's mother, Lifeng Ye, cried . But I also knew the real point of tension between us in relation to this case had nothing to do with criminal procedure. According to this unsealed motion, he was placed on suicide watch and isolated from the general population for several months. Clothing/Jewelry Description A pink and white flannel long-sleeved shirt over a white shirt, jeans, white shoes, and a . . A grief stricken Lifeng Ye, second from right, the mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, is supported by a friend Lin Guiping and Yingying's brother Zhengyang Zhang, right . "An attorney whos been representing the family is evidently holding a news conference this afternoon in Urbana to discuss information the government provided the family following trial based on statements Christensen made to his attorneys late last year and prior to trial," a spokesperson for the attorney's office said in a statement. Authorities interviewed Christensen who allegedly told authorities that, between 2 and 3 p.m. on June 9, 2017, the day that Zhang disappeared, he could not initially recall his whereabouts. We share the same feelings. She was observed speaking with the driver through the passenger window for about one minute, before entering the car. The same power structures undergird the institutions tasked with holding her killer accountable. To date, Yingying Zhang's remains have never been found. Court records that had been sealed during the trial of Brendt Christensen, who was convicted in her death, were just turned over to the I-Team. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. Lifeng Ye, mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, cries out in grief as her husband, Ronggao Zhang, left, addresses the media after a jury found Brendt Christensen guilty . Joined Aug 8, 2019 Messages 18 Reaction score 210. At the time of my disagreement with my mother, a former Ph.D. candidate in physics at the same university had been apprehended and charged with the kidnapping and death of Yingying. According to his lawyers, Christensen placed her butchered body in three separate garbage bags, which he tossed in a dumpster outside his Champaign apartment before disposing of her personal items among trash receptacles around the Champaign-Urbana area. Its loss can never be repaid. I work in in the Team for Economic Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment (TEEHTA). As the FBI listened on, Brendt revealed a terrifying truth to his girlfriend. Berkeley host: Professor Dan Portnoy Research Summary. It just adds to the tragedy, Miller said, because Zhangs family doesnt have her body back. However, soon, through the lenses of CCTVs, the police learned that the answer might be a lot closer to home than people thought. Some documents remain sealed, including Christensen's medical and mental health records, and those of his entire family. About. Thats because, not only was Christensen convicted in Zhangs death, but his lawyer revealed in court that he admits to murdering her. Cultural difference makes for a convenient excuse to validate the self and exoticize the other. They also found evidence of a part of the car being cleaned extra thoroughly, which hinted towards Brendt hiding something. The drive from the airport is the longest distance in the world. "If you have any humanity left in your soul, please end our torment. At 2 p.m., a black Saturn Astra, driven, police say, by Christensen was observed on video passing Zhang at the bus stop and then circling back to her location, according to the affidavit. its incredibly painful, Bullis said in court, according to CBS Local. As the case progressed, public discourse in China shifted from critiquing the skills of U.S. law enforcement to questioning the logic of its justice system. He could have been a colleague, a classmate, someone I encountered at a conference: a white guy who takes whiteness and manhood for granted, who uses nonchalance to mask his insecurity, who can act polite but will never see me as his equal. In 2017 she went missing on her way to sign a lease, and after missing a bus. The remains of Yingying Zhang, a Chinese scholar at University of Illinois who was murdered in 2017, could be in a landfill in central Illinois, according to multiple reports, though her body has . By the time they provided that information, it was almost 18 months after she would have been placed in the landfill, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller, ABC reported. On June 9, 2017, Yingying had left to catch a bus to go view an apartment to rent and was never seen alive again. I was too heavy! I joke with my friends. After nine days of trial and less than two hours of deliberations, the jury found Christensen guilty. I saw the film for the first time in the fall of 2020, after a summer of protests for Black lives was met with raging police brutality. Since Zhang was last seen in the video entering the car, said the news release issued by authorities, the FBI, the University of Illinois Police Department and the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement have worked around the clock to locate Ms. Zhang and to investigate her disappearance., Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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