Apple Podcasts
Stitcher
Spotify
iHeartRadio
PandoraSubscribe to Forensic Tales podcast so you don’t miss an episode!
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.
Yingying Zhang was born on December 21, 1990 in China. She was the first in her family to graduate from college in 2013 and to go on to finish a master’s degree in 2016 in the field of agricultural sciences at Peking University.
Yingying was engaged to be married to her long-time boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou in October 2017. After graduation, she decided to come to the U.S. to begin her research on photosynthesis and crop productivity.
On June 9, 2017, Yingying had plans to meet with the property manager at an apartment complex to sign the lease to her new apartment. She told her boss she needed to take a long time to go sign her lease, but she would return to work once she was done.
Around 12:30 p.m. she left work to go sign the lease. Hours go by, and Yingying hasn’t returned to work as promised. People are starting to get worried about her.
At 9:24 p.m. one of her professor’s reported her missing to the University of Illinois police department.
Once Yingying was reported missing, the state police, FBI, and the university police got involved. The police offered up a $50,000 reward and the FBI offered an additional $10,000 for any information into her disappearance.
Shortly into the investigation, police learned that Yingying didn’t have a car and would have had to take a bus in order to get to the leasing office that afternoon. Police obtained surveillance footage at and around the bus stop Yingying was at.
Yingying is captured on surveillance footage getting on a bus at 1:35 p.m. at the corner of South Orchard Street and West George Huff Drive. She’s seen getting off the bus at 1:52 p.m. at the corner of West Springfield Avenue and North Matthews Avenue.
It’s at this stop that she missed her connecting bus, the bus she needs to get on to get to the apartment complex.
While Yingying waits for the next bus, a black Saturn Astra is seen driving past the bus station, then turned left, and circled back towards her. Yingying approached the passenger side, appeared to have talked to the driver for a few minutes, then she’s seen entering the vehicle. This is the last person to have seen or spoken to Yingying since her disappearance.
Once Yingying enters the car, the driver heads off heading northbound, and that is it.
Police learned that there were only 18 registered four-door Saturn Astra throughout Champagne county, Illinois. One of those drivers was a man by the name of Brent Allen Christensen.
Brent Christensen, born June 30, 1989, was a doctoral student at the University of Illinois. He had a bachelor’s degree in math and physics and a master’s degree in physics. He was currently married to Michelle, and had a girlfriend by name of Tara.
Police showed up to Brent’s apartment where they found a black 2008 Saturn Astra in his driveway. They also noticed his car had damage to the front hubcap, just like the vehicle seen in the surveillance footage.
Police questioned Brent about Yingying’s disappearance. He told police he never left his apartment the day she was seen getting into a black Saturn Astra. During police questioning, police discovered blood in several locations throughout the apartment. Blood was found on several walls and on a mattress.
Suspicious of Brent’s story, police left the apartment to go secure a search warrant for a forensic search to be done on the Saturn Astra.
On June 15, police and FBI executed a search warrant on the 2008 black Saturn Astra. The car was sent to the FBI Springfield Division main office for the forensic search to be done. This is also the second time police go to interview Brent about Yingying’s disappearance.
During this second police interview, Brent admitted that he gave “an Asian girl with broke English” a ride, but said he doesn’t remember her name. He said when the girl got inside his car, she started to freak out, dropping her off a few blocks from the bus station. He said he didn’t remember where he dropped her off.
Police showed Brent the surveillance tape showing Yingying get inside his Saturn Astra. He became defensive and said they couldn’t prove that he was the one driving.
FBI obtained additional search warrants for Brent’s cell phone and computers.
Brent’s girlfriend, Tara, agrees to wear a wire to tape conversations with Brent. She believed in his innocence and was willing to do what it took to find out who kidnapped Yingying.
By June 16, 2017, police were surveilling Brent and watching his every move 24/7. A few days later, Yingying’s father, aunt, and fiancé arrive in the United States from China to help in the search for her.
During one of the taped conversations between Tara and Brent, Brent stated he considered himself to be a serial killer.
Brent told Tara he’s been killing since he was 19 years old.
Brent admitted to Tara that Yingying was his 13th victim. He bragged that Ted Bundy wasn’t as good at killing as he was. Later that night, Brent admitted to kidnapping and murdering Yingying.
After hearing the taped confession, police arrested Brent on June 30, 2017.
Despite Brent’s admission that Yingying was his 13th victim, police found no evidence of any additional victims. Police believe Yingying was hi first and only kidnapping and murder victim.
On July 12, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Brent for kidnapping resulting in the death of Yingying Zhang. The judge denied bail in his case.
The trial began in June 2019, after several delays. Brent’s defense attorney, during opening statements, told the jury that Brent did kidnap and murder Yingying but should be spared the death penalty.
The prosecution argued that Brent was obsessed with serial killers. They alleged that Brent kidnapped Yingying at the bus station, took her back to his apartment where he chocked her, raped her, stabbed her, and beat her to death with a baseball bat. He then took her body inside the bathtub where he decapitated her.
After less than 2 hours of deliberation, on June 24, 2019, the 12-member jury came back with a guilty verdict.
Brent was sentenced to life in prison without parole, avoiding the death penalty.
Recent Comments