The sentencing phase is underway for the man who kidnapped and killed U of I visiting scholar Yingying Zhang. The jurors who convicted Brendt Christensen will be sentencing him to either the death penalty or life in prison without the chance for parole. Opening statements were made by both sides. Prosecutors read a quote from Zhang’s journal written around the time she was killed that said “Life is too short to be ordinary,” emphasized the brutality of her death and Christensen’s lack of remorse. The defense focused on Christensen’s struggles with mental health issues, a failing marriage and addiction.
