Jury picked in case of missing scholar

A jury was selected Tuesday in the trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing missing visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying.

"Seven men and five women were finally picked as jurors for the trial this morning," Wang Zhidong, a Chicago lawyer who has been helping the Zhang family, told China Daily on Tuesday.

The 12 jurors all appear to be middle-aged (between the ages 40 and 70), and all or almost all of them appear to be white, according to local media Central Illinois Proud.

The suspect, Brendt Christensen, a 29-year-old University of Illinois (UI) graduate, could face the death penalty if convicted. Besides the charge of kidnapping resulting in death, he also faces a capital murder count, as well as two counts of making false statements to the FBI.

Four men and two women were also selected as alternate jurors. They will sit in during the entire trial and fill in for a regular juror if necessary.

If the jury unanimously finds Christensen guilty, there will be only two possible penalties: life in prison or death. According to US federal law, the jury will decide if the death penalty applies in the case.

"Zhang's family understands that the decision is now in the hands of the jury," Wang said. "They choose to believe in the American criminal justice system and believe that the jury will bring the justice she deserves."

Federal judge James Shadid in Peoria, Illinois, instructed all 18 jury members to refrain from talking about the case with anyone and from viewing or reading any news coverage about it. He also told jurors to return Wednesday for opening statements.

The jurors were told that they could expect about a week to two of evidence and testimony, with a verdict expected between June 21 and 24, according to centralillinois proud.com, a news website.

If a guilty verdict is reached, Shadid said he believes the sentencing phase of the trial would begin on July 8 and would be expected to last about two or three weeks.

Prosecutors say Christensen tricked or forced 26-year-old Zhang into his car in June 2017. He has pleaded not guilty. Zhang was last seen on June 9, 2017. Her body has never been found.

At the same time, the administrator for Zhang's estate filed a lawsuit against two social workers at UI, whom Christensen admitted previously to have seen for a counseling session three months before Zhang was last seen.

Christensen admitted during the session to having substance abuse problems with alcohol and prescription drugs and was experiencing suicidal and homicidal thoughts.

He was, however, allowed to continue working at UI, and the lawsuit claimed the two workers "acted with deliberate indifference to defendant Christensen's known risk of harm to others at the university".

Christensen is also named in the lawsuit.

Wenzheng Kong in New York contributed to this story.