Kidnapping suspect plans to plead not guilty

One of the defense attorneys representing Brendt Christensen, the 28-year-old man charged with kidnapping a Chinese scholar in Illinois, said his client planned to plead not guilty and will seek a jury trial, according to Fox News.

"Our number one concern right now in this case is that the public will jump to conclusions, and that's easy to do," Anthony Bruno told Fox News on Friday.

He said that even in a high-profile case, Christensen's legal rights would guarantee a fair trial because it could mean life or death for their client.

"There is nothing to be surprised about (by) this decision," said Wang Zhidong, an attorney representing Zhang's family members. "If the suspect pleads guilty at this point, the judge will impose the sentence without trial."

Wang also confirmed that Anthony Bruno's father, Thomas Bruno, one of the defense attorneys representing Christensen, is deputy mayor of Champaign, Illinois, and has been on the Champaign City Council since 1997.

"I think when Bruno decided to defend Christensen, he should believe that there is no conflict of interest between his public position and personal business," said Wang. "And the prosecutors should agree with it."

Wang said that because Christensen faced the federal charge, Bruno's political position in Champaign has little relevance to the case.

"The concept of deputy mayor here is very different from China," Wang said.

Christensen was arrested on June 30 on a charge of kidnapping Zhang Yingying, a 26-year-old visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Zhang has not been found, and authorities believe she is dead.

On July 5, Christensen was ordered held without bail by the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Urbana.

During the court hearing, the prosecutors revealed that Christensen attended a vigil for Zhang on June 29, where he made statements about the characteristics of the ideal victim and described how Zhang fought and resisted when he brought her back and imprisoned her in his apartment.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Christensen studied physics at the University of Wisconsin, then went on to graduate school at the University of Illinois, the same college that Zhang was attending.

During Christensen's time at the university, he also worked as an instructor and was well-rated by other students and professors.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 14; it could be waived if the grand jury returns an indictment before then.

Wang Linyan and Zhang Ruinan in New York contributed to this story.

China Daily