A short deliberation by jurors in Peoria resulted in Brendt Christensen being found guilty of kidnapping, raping, and murdering Yingying Zhang. It took under 90 minutes for the decision. Reports indicate there will be a break of at least a week before the sentencing phase begins. The death penalty is a possibility despite Illinois no longer having capital punishment because Christensen was convicted in federal court. Zhang was a student at the University of Illinois. The crimes occurred in June of 2017.
