No bond for Illinois abduction suspect
Man, 28, charged with taking Chinese scholar
CHICAGO — Hundreds of people gathered outside a federal courthouse Monday as the suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first appearance since being arrested last week.
During the nine-minute hearing, 28-year-old Brendt Christensen acknowledged to the judge that he understood his rights but did not say anything else. U.S. Magistrate Eric Long ordered Christensen held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body hasn’t been found.
Long ordered Christensen to return to the court in Urbana on Wednesday to determine bond. A preliminary hearing was set for July 14, but that would be waived if a grand jury returns an indictment before then. The federal kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to a U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman.
Zhang, who received her master’s degree in environmental engineering in China last year and hoped to eventually land a professorship and help her family financially, went missing on June 9. Her father traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search.
Authorities announced that they believed she was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle. Authorities charged Christensen on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that he’d kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.
Authorities say Zhang was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped. The video shows a woman authorities have said is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles southwest of Chicago.
Since then, details have emerged about Christensen and the events leading up to Zhang’s disappearance.
According to authorities, a website that hosted an “Abduction 101” forum linked Christensen to the kidnapping of Zhang. The federal complaint says Christensen’s phone was used April 19 to visit that website, Fetlife.com, including to view threads titled “Perfect abduction fantasy” and “planning a kidnapping.”