The trial of Brendt Christensen, the U.S. man accused of kidnapping and murdering Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, has entered its second week.
On the fourth day of the trial, the prosecution presented proof that Christensen had repeatedly searched online and wrote about kidnapping and sexual crime fantasies.
Christensen is also reported to have kept track of news coverage on Zhang's disappearance, according to testimony from FBI, local media reported on Friday.
He repeatedly read posts on the site about kidnapping and rape fantasies, according to Chicago's PBS outlet WTTW on Monday. Meanwhile, the Chicago Sun-Times cited FBI Senior Forensic Examiner William O'Sullivan as testifying that before the crime was committed, Christensen researched the minds of serial killers.
On April 16, 2017, he was reported to have googled "serial killer list America" and visited a Wikipedia page on the list of serial killers ranked by the number of victims, downloading four images of bound and gagged women onto a hidden directory, News-Gazette reported on Monday. During the interrogation, Christensen's defense lawyer pointed out that the browsing history only accounted for a small portion of his entire history.
The defense also said that Zhang's DNA was not found in the bathroom of Christensen's home, and attempted to discredit the wiretapped recording in which he described in gruesome detail how he brought Zhang to his apartment, hit her on the head with a baseball bat, tried to choke her, stabbed her and finally decapitated her.
The FBI is investigating the claim by Christensen that Zhang was his 13th victim, even though no evidence has been found to indicate he was telling the truth.
The prosecution's evidence presentation is scheduled to be completed this week. The defense will then summon its witnesses. At least two witnesses will testify, including Christensen's wife, the defense lawyer said.
The trial's conviction phase is expected to be completed by June 28. If Christensen is found guilty, he faces the possibility of a death sentence.
