Brendt also had a masters in Physics but dropped out from his Ph.D. program and instead claimed that he was searching for employment. 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. Sep 2017 - Dec 20225 years 4 months. . He was convicted two years later. 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. I felt fine the next morning, as if it were all just a dream. Yingying Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, reads a statement in Chinese outside the federal courthouse in Peoria, Illinois, on Monday, June 24, 2019, moments after a 12-person jury found Brendt Christensen guilty of her kidnapping and death. ABC '20/20' brings into focus the kidnapping and murder of a Chinese scholar named Yingying Zhang who went missing on 9 June 2017. The horrific details of her death were made public when Brendt Christensen was caught on an audiotape, talking about how he killed Zhang and then disposed of her body, stating that her family would never find her. When we turn away from the face of the condemned, were in fact refusing to look at ourselves, to confront our culpability in systems of oppression, to recognize the glimmer of humanity in the darkest corner. Unfortunately, no. 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. Beckett said, after the trial, Zhang's family met with federal prosecutors on July 25, and were told what Christensen's defense attorneys had revealed about what he did with Zhang's remains. According to ABC 7, after Christensens trial, it was revealed that he told his lawyers that he put Yingyings remains in three separate garbage bags and placed them in a dumpster outside his Champaign apartment. Authorities think Zhangs body might be in multiple landfills, but thats never been determined for sure. Christensen, 30, abducted Zhang Yingying on campus in June 2017 before beating her to death with a baseball bat and decapitating her. Yet historically, the Middle Kingdom was not any more punitive than its Western counterparts, and recent surveys show a two-thirds support rate for the death penalty in China, roughly the same as those from the U.S. over the same time period. Ph.D., 2016, Xiamen University. According to ABC News, Law enforcement believes the bags were then taken to a landfill in Danville, Illinois. But it was too late to recover her body. Forever.. In a series of surveillance videosUIUC has more than 2,000 cameras on campusshe gets on a bus. The driver, to his credit, took me to my friends place. According to News Gazette, she testified that Christensen typed the following, showed it to her, and then deleted it: It was me. Zhang's body has never been found. Yingying's body has never been found. Her accusations were never presented to the jury. Christensen stated that he offered the Asian female a ride. After nine days of trial and less than two hours of deliberations, the jury found Christensen guilty. Beckett said, so far, no search has begun at the landfill for Zhang's body. After this, he allegedly disposed her personal items, around the Champaign-Urbana area. The judge has denied bail for Christensen. 13. Alpha was very healthy and energetic otherwise. While the countrys Criminal Procedure Law forbids extorting confessions or collecting evidence by illegal means, the regulations contain many loopholes and are poorly enforced. I eventually regained some mobility and dialed a friend. He told authorities that he was at home around the time in question. The prison, as Angela Davis and Gina Dent explained, is a border. Brendt Christensen, a former Ph.D. student at the same university, was convicted of Zhangs murder in 2019. She gets off the bus. Brendt had previous mental health issues as an ABC news report mentioned that in 2017, he had admitted to having homicidal intent after conducting researches on serial killers. WGN-TV reported that he raped and beheaded Zhang, and implied he had 12 other victims, but this was never proven. I could not move, could barely see or speak, but I was lucid. Police searched her apartment and found nothing. I too came to the U.S. for my Ph.D., and studied at the University of Chicago, a two-hour drive from UIUC, where many of my colleagues and friends work. My friends suggest that I was drugged. 10. 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. Experiences: -- Graduate student at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University (2012-2018) -- Lab technician at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (2010-2012) -- Internship at . (2021 Rerelease) 02.01. . Yingying Zhang Zhang; Zhonghua Gao (Contributorpp. "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. Beckett planned to address the development at a news conference beginning at 3 p.m. CST, but that news conference was later postponed. I stare at the slide for a very long time. However, soon, through the lenses of CCTVs, the police learned that the answer might be a lot closer to home than people thought. He then took her to his apartment, where he raped, choked, and stabbed her in his bedroom; then dragged her into the bathroom, and beat her to death with a baseball bat before decapitating her. Yingying Zhang is seen entering a black Saturn Astra on the east side of Goodwin Avenue in Urbana. She was even decapitated. 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 still not been found, authorities say. The defense was signaling to the jury that life in prison is already a very harsh sentence and sufficient punishment for this crime. Im surprised, though perhaps I should not be, by how little awareness there is. Of course Yingying's Charley Project casefile has the basics. Explore Scholarly Publications and Datasets in the NSF-PAR. I argued that its safer for me because Im tall. Police noticed that the Saturn in video footage had a sunroof and cracked front passenger hubcap, as did Christensens car, alleged the affidavit. Missing Since 06/09/2017. Its sadly ironic that prisons are called penitentiaries or correctional facilities, while theyre designed for neither repentance nor rehabilitation but segregation and retribution. He later advised, however, he must have been either sleeping or he was playing video games at his residence all day. He admitted the car belonged to him, the affidavit said. Now, among the familiar sight and through the familiar sound, I also see Yingying. In one recording, Christensen is accused of saying that Zhang fought him, and that he took her back to his apartment and held her there against her will last month, CNN reported. While capital punishment has little effect in deterring criminal behavior, in the era of mass incarceration, vocal support of the death penalty has become an effective tool for elected officials, including judges and prosecutors, to signal their tough stance on crime, hence appealing to the nations racist impulses and the publics thirst for vengeance. Its generally estimated to be in the thousands and accounts for 80 percent or more of state executions globally. Yingying Zhang is from a small city in South east China called Nanping (a prefectural city in the Fujian province). A large media contingent awaiting the start of the Yingying Zhang news conference at @Beckett6Steve's office in Urbana. Video showed her at an Urbana, Illinois, bus stop getting into a black Saturn vehicle, and, after that, she vanished without a trace. Thus, Zhangs family continues to mourn Zhangs death without even the smallest comfort of being able to lay her body to rest. Beckett said the defense team for her killer, Brendt Christensen, disclosed the location of Zhang's body as part of a failed immunity agreement. Christensen was convicted of kidnapping and killing Zhang at trial in June, and later was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. Yingying ZHANG | Cited by 11,350 | of Tsinghua University, Beijing (TH) | Read 163 publications | Contact Yingying ZHANG The song is Avril Lavignes Complicated. If I look back on the early aughts, when life revolved around school and heartbreak was about boys, Avrils voice will accompany those reels of memory. Beckett said Christensen's defense attorneys told federal prosecutors what he did with Zhang's body in November 2018, but the information was provided under a grant of immunity, so prosecutors could not disclose the information to anyone until after the trial. She knows how hard it is to raise a child. Yingying Zhang - update. We share the same feelings. The FBI approached Bullis, who was very confident about Brendts innocence. He was found guilty in the kidnaping, torture and murder of foreign student Zhang. April 27, 2022. The 26-year-old visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, disappeared June 9, 2017. A world safe and free means that no one is left behind. 37. Her son should say where my daughter is., Lifeng Ye, the mother of Yingying Zhang, cries out in grief as her husband Ronggao Zhang, far left, addresses the media after a jury found Brendt Christensen guilty of her murder. While the case was put to rest in court, the same cannot be said for Zhangs family who continue to live the loss of their daughter, as stated by them, was their pride and joy. Based on the statements made by Christensen to federal prosecutors in exchange for immunity, he butchered her body in three separate garbage bags and put them in the dumpster outside his apartment. A new documentary, Finding Yingying, premiered at film festivals last year to critical acclaim and is now available on streaming platforms. One of her favorite songs was The Rose, a hit in 1980 for American singer Bette Midler, reported The Chicago Tribune. WTTW-TVs Matt Masterson also reported on Wednesday that Christensen has not and will not file an appeal to his convictions. The political catastrophes in the first half of the 20th century brought a new urgency and understanding to human rights and the necessity of constraining state power. The music starts and a dam breaks in me. (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. Zhang's father said if his daughter's remains are ever found, her family plans to take her body back to China. Yingying majored in environmental engineering. The strange and twisted life of Brendt Christensen: claims to have killed over 12 people already, vows Yingying Zhang's body will never be found (June, 2019) . During the trial, several people, including Terra Bullis, testified against Brendt. To lure female victims into his car, Christensen claimed to be a police officer. The family of murdered Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang has finally learned what happened to the body of their beloved daughter. Yingying Zhang was born in 1990 in China and by the time she was 27, she had graduated with a Master Degree and had traveled to the United States to conduct research on photosynthesis at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prosecutors and Zhang's family had pushed for the death penalty, but a jury decision on that had to be unanimous. Among the hundreds of exhibits used in the trial, theres a 90-second clip. Ph.D. student at Unversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities. If someone is deemed prone to violence as a free man, then hes likely to become more so in prison, where violence is the norm. electronic edition via DOI; unpaywalled version; references . Brendt Christensen, a former graduate student, has been charged with kidnapping and killing her. 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. Publications. It was revealed that Brendt had dismembered her body and put it into separate garbage bags, which he kept outside his apartment only to be picked up by garbage trucks. Her body was never found. Five years ago in April 2017, Yingying Zhang arrived at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an international student and a visiting scholar to pursue her doctorate. Three months before he kidnapped, raped, and murdered Yingying, Christensen had sought help at the universitys counseling center, where he admitted to suicidal and homicidal ideations. "We condemn his brutal and malicious actions and we hope that he suffers for the rest of his life as he made Yingying suffer in the final moments of her life," he said through an interpreter. (Zhang Family Photo via AP, File) PEORIA, Ill. (AP) The Latest on the trial of man charged in slaying . Would UIUC be a safer place if some of its resources for policing and surveillance went toward mental health services and supporting international students? A bilingual memorial service for Zhang will be held on Friday in Savoy, Illinois. The attorney argued he had mental health issues and the case was essentially to set up the next phase of the trial, Christensens sentencing. One popular response claimed that the situation would have been better had Yingying been Black, Hispanic, or Muslim as these minority groups wield more political power in the U.S. than Asians, especially in a blue state like Illinois. Search For Terms: Berkeley host: Professor Dan Portnoy Research Summary. I was furious at my mother, who appeared oblivious to the cruelty and repeatedly defended the inhumane practice. As I was preparing to write this essay, I spent an evening at my favorite restaurant, where I ate dinner and sipped two glasses of wine by the bar. Read More: Where is Brendt Christensen Today? He also claimed he choked Zhang for 10 minutes as she fought for her life. He then confessed that he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the parts separately to reduce the chances of discovery. Thats because, not only was Christensen convicted in Zhangs death, but his lawyer revealed in court that he admits to murdering her. As the information was provided under immunity, prosecutors were not able to use or communicate that information to anyoneincluding her familyduring the criminal trial, according to a statement from the Zhang family released on Wednesday morning. Over eggs and coffee, we shared our impressions of criminal justice from growing up in China and how a life for a life was presented as axiomatic. She exited the bus and tried to flag down another one, but it continued past her without stopping. Her death was not random. Her boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou, testified that the family's only hope was that Zhang's body will be found so they can bury her in China. Zhang was observed on video walking to an intersection and standing at a bus stop. Claim Author Page. He seemingly boasted about choking, sexually assaulting, and beating Zhang to death with a baseball bat. Christensen stated that he brought Zhang back to his apartment, and otherwise held her in his apartment against her will, the affidavit alleges. Some documents remain sealed, including Christensen's medical and mental health records, and those of his entire family. I pursued physics, the same discipline as her killer. However, just three minutes later, the car returned, and Zhang was seen getting into it. Please let us bring Yingying home," Ronggao Zhang said. Citing Authors. Zhang went missing on June 9, 2017, as she was headed to sign a lease for an off-campus apartment in Urbana. Articles Cited by Public access. Dated June 1, 2017, it concludes with a line in English, Life is too short to be ordinary!. Do It Right 2021' . Verified email at umn.edu. On the right, a strapped gurney. Yingying never made it to the leasing office. When confirming details about Christensen, I googled his name and clicked on his LinkedIn profile. In that split second of irrational fear, I took solace in the fact that he is behind bars. 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. She said she was running behind, but would arrive about 2:10 p.m. At 1:35 p.m., she was observed on video boarding a public bus. Reactions: ShHolmz, altojack, MajorHoople and 8 others. 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. Then came the break in the case: The Saturn. Yingying Zhangs remains were never found. Beyond the immediacy of war, when is a state justified to kill? Speaking through an interpreter at Christensen's sentencing, Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, appealed to him to reveal where her body is so that the family can take her remains back to China. 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. It was also revealed that Christensen was photographed attending a rally for the victim. The case was dismissed. Nanoscale thermal transport. "A lot of news coverage of . My biggest concern is that the suspect wont get a severe punishment, Yingyings father says in the film. It took more than two years for Christensen to be convicted. One says that I might have had an allergic reaction, which is the version I swear to because the alternative is unthinkable. She loved to sing and was part of a band called Cute Horse. She arrived in the U.S. that April as a visiting scholar, her first time living abroad, and had planned to enroll in the Ph.D. program at UIUC that fall. Most of them would not have known the context behind my post. Im puzzled over this question to the judge, why the distinction was necessary. While a teenager in China, I had many fraught conversations with my mother about who should run errands after dark. For me, for myself, the result today seems to tell me that I can kill anyone and I can kill anyone with any kind of cruel method and I will not need to die for it, Yingyings partner of eight years speaks to the press after the verdict. The Terrifying Right to Remain Silent60 Days after Yingying Zhang's Disappearance. All Rights Reserved. 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. October 1, 2021, 7:30am. The affidavit filed after Christensens June 2017 arrest provides chilling details; it says that authorities examined Christensens phone and alleges that he accessed a website entitled Abduction 101 and sub-threads that were called things like perfect abduction fantasy and planning a kidnapping. He had also worked as a Physics class teaching assistant. I replay this clip and reckon that Im again at fault for over-intellectualizing. Dent explained, is a state justified to kill begun at the landfill for Zhang 's body over-intellectualizing. 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