(original title: Zhang Yingying case ｜ Zhang father, Zhang mother and fiance testify in court, Christensen lowers his head and wipes his tears)
Zhang Yingying, her boyfriend and parents. Source: U.S. federal prosecutor's Office
On Tuesday, July 9 local time, the sentencing trial of the disappearance of Chinese visiting scholar Zhang Yingying experienced another worrying day.
According to the Chicago news bulletin and local TV station wttw, on the same day, the jury heard the supplementary testimony of Zhang Yingying's ex boyfriend and fiance Hou Xiaolin. After that, Zhang Yingying's parents and friends testified in court for the first time with the help of translators. The scenes on the scene were moving.
When her father Zhang Ronggao appeared in court, he held the photo in his hand -- this was the group photo of Zhang Yingying when she separated from her family at the railway station before she left for the United States, and it was the last time she saw her daughter -- she witnessed and recalled that moment again. Her father, who had always shown a strong side before and after the case, could no longer control himself. He turned around and took a sharp breath, but he still couldn't help it, She began to cry.
A few meters away, Christensen, sitting in the dock, also shed tears for the first time. He grabbed a paper towel and wiped his eyes.
Boyfriend: deprived me of the most important person in my 30 years of life
Hou Xiaolin, who first testified in court, told the jury that the loss of Zhang Yingying had a devastating impact on him.
'for me, losing Yingying completely changed the trajectory of my life. (suspect) deprived me of the most important person in my 30-year life. " He said.
According to Hou Xiaolin's description, he intended to complete his doctoral degree, obtain a postdoctoral degree in the United States and return home with Zhang Yingying. They originally planned to get married in October 2017.
'she is an excellent table tennis player, 'he said.' she likes studying in the United States and hopes to do better research, contribute and learn different cultures. '
He also talked about the impact of his fiancee's death on her family, especially her parents. " His parents' knowledge level is not high, and his family is not rich. Yingying is everything for them, which makes them full of hope for the future. Now they have lost & lsquo; Future & rsquo;. They can't even eat or sleep. " He said her mother cried almost every day, which was' very worrying '.
Hou Xiaolin said that although he is also in grief, he has been trying to help his fiancee's parents continue to live, 'but so far he has not found her (body). How can we do it? Her parents' only wish is to find her and take her home. "
'They feel helpless, 'he said.' they blame themselves. But I will never give up the hope of finding her. "
Zhang YingYing and her boyfriend graduated in 2013. Source: U.S. federal prosecutor's Office
Zhang Fu: I don't know how to spend the rest of my life
Zhang Yingying's father, Zhang Ronggao, was the second to testify in court. After trying to restrain his strong emotions, he told the jury and the judge through an interpreter about the great blow to the family caused by his daughter's departure.
'she's a part of me. My life won't be complete without her, 'he said.' to be honest, I don't know how to spend the rest of my life. '
For fear of losing control, ye Lifeng, Zhang Yingying's mother, testified through a pre recorded video.
Before playing Zhang's video, the suspect Christensen, who had been sitting in the dock, began to turn red and seemed to be crying. He grabbed a paper towel and wiped his eyes. During the testimony of Zhang Yingying's family, he kept his head down or his eyes closed.
"She is a very good child," said Zhang Yingying's mother. "She is always mature and an excellent student. She will help with the housework without being asked and start doing her homework immediately. She said she would also provide financial assistance to students who are more in need. "
'how can I go on living?' She said, 'I really don't know how to continue.'
The mother also said that she was very satisfied with Zhang Yingying's fiance and looked forward to their marriage. " I really want to see her in her wedding dress, 'she said in tears.' now I can't go to my daughter's wedding anymore. I really want to be a grandmother. "
A female juror left the jury seat crying
A few minutes later, a female juror left the jury seat crying. The judge announced a 15 minute break.
After the trial resumed, the jury watched a video interview with Ms. Wu, a college friend of Zhang Yingying. She said in the video that Zhang Yingying loved her family very much. Her mother didn't want her to study abroad before, but wanted her to work in China.
She said that Zhang Yingying 'has strong self-discipline'. Although she 'looks very thin', she 'has strong independence and concept'.
'she never gave up her dream of studying abroad, 'she said,' she & lsquo; Almost always take the initiative to take care of others & rsquo;, She also invited herself to watch drama and skiing to try new experiences. She has positive energy. "
'To this day, we have not accepted this fact and recovered from our grief, 'she said.
That afternoon, FBI officials testified in court again to prove that Christensen had taken measures to obstruct the investigation and lied to investigators. In addition to the testimony, the jurors also heard recordings of Christensen's phone calls in prison. A few months after his arrest, he continued to claim his innocence. The prosecutor claimed that this showed his lack of regret for the killing. After being arrested, Christensen also called his wife to tell his girlfriend not to talk to anyone except their lawyer. He also told her to delete his reddit social account and comments.
On June 24, the defendant Christensen was convicted by a federal jury on three counts, including kidnapping to death. Now, the same jury will decide whether he should be sentenced to death. On the one hand, the prosecutor told the jury that the crime should be 'punished by death'. On the other hand, the defense lawyer tried to point out Christensen's mental health problems in order to avoid death by being sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.