Death penalty sought over Chinese scholar's kidnapping

APD NEWS

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US government on Friday filed a notice of intent on the website of the Department of Justice to seek death penalty against the man charged with kidnapping resulting in death of visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying.

Brendt Christensen, 28, was charged with kidnapping resulting in death of Zhang in June.

Brendt Christensen.

Zhang’s kidnapping resulted in her death, and because of that “a sentence of death is justified,” the Justice Department said.

The notice has further provided several reasons for why the death penalty is called for in Christensen's case, including because he allegedly tortured or physically abused Zhang before killing her.

The visiting Chinese scholar went missing from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign since June 9, 2017, after being seen getting in a black Saturn Astra car. The police tracked down Christensen and arrested him on June 30.

In October, a federal grand jury indicted Christensen on a charge of kidnapping resulting in death, according to the US Department of Justice.

He was also charged with making false statements to the FBI after he told them he had picked her up in his car and dropped her off.

(CGTN)