Yingying’s Fund officially established to help international students, families
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
August 19, 2019
Yingying Zhang was smart, beautiful and kind. She was also always willing to help when she saw others were in need. That is what her family said about her Monday at the official establishment of Yingying’s Fund. It has been two years since Yingying went missing, and now to honor her memory, a permanent...
White supremacist propaganda surges at University during 2018-2019 school year
By Eunice Alpasan, Staff writer
August 8, 2019
A recent Anti-Defamation League report found white supremacist propaganda on college campuses increased 57% across six Midwest states during the 2018-2019 school year. The ADL reported 36 cases of white supremacist propaganda on campuses across Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakot...
Recovery of Yingying Zhang’s remains ‘has no certainty of success’
By Hannah Preston, Interim editor-in-chief
August 7, 2019
Yingying Zhang's family and their attorneys gathered Wednesday morning for a press conference at Beckett Law Office in Urbana to discuss what they learned about the conditions of their daughter's death following discussions between prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office and Brendt Christensen's...
Yingying’s Fund created to assist international students, families
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
August 6, 2019
To assist international students and their families who may be in crisis, an endowment called Yingying’s Fund will be established at the University. The announcement of Yingying’s Fund was made by the Illinois News Bureau on Monday, and an official announcement will be at a later date. Yingying’s Fund is an endowment honoring Yingying Z...
Memorial service for Yingying Zhang to be held Monday
By Hannah Preston, Interim editor-in-chief
July 31, 2019
A memorial service honoring the life of Yingying Zhang will be held Monday at First Baptist Church in Savoy at 1 p.m. Zhang’s family helped to plan to the service and will be in attendance. Both English and Chinese translations will be available, and the service will also include a Chinese choir....
Death in Champaign currently under investigation
By Hannah Preston, Interim editor-in-chief
July 29, 2019
An unresponsive male was discovered near an apartment complex in the 300 block of South State Street — two blocks from Campustown — on Monday morning, and Champaign police were dispatched to the area. Paramedics confirmed the male was deceased soon after arrival. Police are attempting to find...
Juror recounts day in the life of a juror in a capital punishment case
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
July 27, 2019
It has now been just over a week since the jury could not unanimously decide what the punishment of the kidnapper and killer of visiting scholar Yingying Zhang’s should be. It’s a life or death decision not many people think about having to make in their lifetime. However, for 12 people this decision...
Yingying Zhang’s family gives statements after her killer is sentenced to life in prison
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
July 18, 2019
At around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the jury asked the court what would happen if a unanimous decision can’t be reached. At around 2:35 p.m., the court was informed a verdict had been reached. After just over eight hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision in what the sentencing...
Verdict reached in Christensen trial
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
July 18, 2019
After about eight hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether Brendt Christensen should be sentenced to death or life in prison. Therefore, the court will be imposing a life prison sentence. Around 2:35 p.m. today Judge James Shadid read the verdict from the...
Jury presents two additional questions as deliberations continue in Christensen trial
By Samantha Boyle, News editor
July 18, 2019
As the jury continues deliberations, two questions have already come up. The jury started deliberating Thursday morning at 9 a.m. and sent the first question around 9:45 a.m. asking about what the information about the number of jurors who agree each mitigating factor will be used for. Judge James...
Jury has questions for court during deliberations for Christensen’s sentence
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
July 17, 2019
Since the jury started deliberations in Brendt Christensen’s sentencing, court reconvened to answer a few questions asked by the jury. The question was written down by the jury and brought out by a law clerk for both parties and the judge to look at and answer. Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, the jury’s...
Jury begins deliberations in deciding Christensen’s fate
By Samantha Boyle, News Editor
July 17, 2019
The closing statements in the case to find justice for Yingying Zhang were finished around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. It’s been 767 days since her disappearance. On Wednesday afternoon, the jury left the courtroom to begin deliberations on what the appropriate sentence should be for Zhang’s convicted...
