Man who killed a Chinese student from the University of Illinois is sentenced to life in prison

A federal jury has sentenced Brendt Christensen to life in prison for the kidnapping and death of a Chinese student from the University of Illinois two years ago, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Christensen, 30, had been convicted last month of kidnapping resulting in the death of Yingying Zhang, 26. Her body has never been found.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the death penalty, so Christensen received life in prison, John Milhiser, United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, told reporters.

“We respect the decision of the jury,” Milhiser said.

The verdict in June came as no surprise, after Christensen’s attorney said in opening statements of the trial that his client killed Zhang.

Zhang went missing in June 2017, when she was on her way to sign an apartment lease. She was last seen getting into Christensen’s car at a bus stop, according to court documents.

“We have missed Yingying tremendously in the past two years,” Zhang’s family said at his conviction. “Our wish has always been to find Yingying and bring her home, we’ll not give up.”