Grand jury indicts suspect in kidnapping case, does prosecutor say Zhang Yingying is dead?

On July 12, local time (13th Beijing time), the U.S. Department of Justice website announced that the U.S. federal grand jury decided to formally indict Brent Clark, the suspect suspected of kidnapping Chinese visiting scholar Zhang Yingying. Brendt A. Christensen, the preliminary hearing originally scheduled for the 14th has been cancelled, and the next court hearing is scheduled for 3 pm on July 20. The indictment provided by federal prosecutors released more details of the case. At the same time, prosecutors still believed that Zhang Yingying was dead. Regarding the decision to prosecute and the above conclusion, Zhang Yingying's family expressed both relief and sadness.

The grand jury decided to formally indict the suspect in the Zhang Yingying case

On the afternoon of June 9, local time in the United States, Zhang Yingying, a Chinese student, lost contact while out on business. On June 30, local police announced the arrest of Brendt Christensen, a suspect suspected of kidnapping Zhang Yingying, and charged him with kidnapping. The federal court held two hearings on the suspect on July 3 and July 5, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 14 to decide whether to formally charge the suspect with guilt.

Previously, lawyer Wang Zhidong, who provided legal aid for the case, said in an interview with the Major Crime Team that according to the procedures of the American judicial system, if the prosecutor convinces the grand jury, the grand jury may conduct a preliminary hearing before the court. Make a decision to prosecute, in which case the scheduled preliminary trial will be cancelled. Lawyer Wang also speculated that in Zhang Yingying's case, it is more likely that the grand jury will decide to prosecute.

On July 12, local time, the U.S. Department of Justice website announced that the federal grand jury decided to formally indict the suspect in the Zhang Yingying case. The charge was still kidnapping. The preliminary trial originally scheduled for July 14 has been Cancel. The announcement issued by the federal prosecutor's office stated that the suspect will continue to be detained while awaiting trial, and if convicted, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. At the same time, in this document, prosecutors still believe that Zhang Yingying is dead. The FBI and local police are still investigating this case. The detectives also confirmed the above information from lawyer Wang Zhidong.

The indictment reveals new details about the text messages Zhang Yingying sent before her disappearance

The U.S. federal prosecutor announced the indictment on behalf of Patrick Hansen and FBI Special Agent Sean Cox, Some new case details were disclosed:

First of all, the suspect used a Motorola mobile phone and a black Saturn Astra car in the crime. Evidence obtained from the two tools showed that the suspect carried out further crimes. Criminal violation.

Secondly, the indictment stated that at approximately 1:39 pm on June 9, Zhang Yingying sent a text message from her mobile phone to a manager of an apartment building in Urbana. In the message, Zhang said she would meet with the apartment manager later to sign the lease, and she expected to arrive at 2:10 p.m. Based on her prior reservation, the apartment manager sent Zhang a text message at about 2:38 p.m., but received no response.

The content released by the prosecutor also shows that the law enforcement agencies investigating Zhang Yingying’s disappearance believe that Zhang may be dead. This determination is based on facts stated in documents provided to the court, as well as other unpublished facts discovered during the investigation.

The prosecutor said that once found guilty, Christensen will be sentenced to life imprisonment, but at the same time the prosecutor reminded the public that the prosecution is only an accusation, and the defendant will not be charged until proven guilty. is innocent.

Zhang Yingying’s family is both relieved and sad

After learning of the grand jury’s indictment and the conclusion that Zhang Yingying was dead, legal aid lawyer Wang Zhidong said that Zhang Yingying’s family was “both relieved and sad.” .

"At this moment, Zhang Yingying's family is extremely anxious and in pain, and begs for help from all walks of life to find Yingying as soon as possible. At the same time, Zhang Yingying's family is pleased that the federal grand jury decided to formally indict, and thanks the police and prosecutors for their tireless efforts I would like to thank our compatriots in China, the United States and around the world for their concern for Yingying and her family," said lawyer Wang Zhidong.

The defendant Christensen’s lawyer, Thomas Bruno, said in an interview with the media that if the grand jury indicts him and is convicted, the defendant will be sentenced to life imprisonment. But he declined to comment further on the case.

Severely punish the criminals and comfort Zhang Yingying’s spirit in heaven!