Mother Of Man Who Killed Chinese Scholar Begs For His Life
The mother of a former University of Illinois student convicted of killing a Chinese scholar told the jury deciding his fate that it would be horrible if he is put to death.
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The mother of a former University of Illinois student convicted of killing a Chinese scholar told the jury deciding his fate that it would be horrible if he is put to death.
Brendt Christensen has shown very little emotion in this trial, but on Wednewsday, he broke down in tears and put his head down in his hand while his father also fought through tears in tears during his testimony.
A federal judge will allow jurors at the sentencing hearing of a former University of Illinois doctoral student to watch videos made by the mother and friends of the Chinese scholar he was convicted of kidnapping, torturing and killing.
Authorities say a Peoria man died after a 40-foot tree limb fell and struck him during a storm.
Brendt Christensen, who was found guilty Monday in the kidnapping and killing of Yingying Zhang, spoke about harming others months before he killed Zhang.
The remains of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen have been removed from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and are on their way to central Illinois.
Michelle Zortman described her ex-husband as a man with a bad drinking problem that derailed their marriage.
A central Illinois man who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of another man will likely spend the rest life behind bars after a judge sentenced him to 70 years in prison.
A federal prosecutor has shared with jurors grisly details of how they claim a former University of Illinois doctoral student kidnapped a visiting scholar from China, then brutally beat and killed her.
Opening statements are set for Wednesday in the death-penalty trial of a former University of Illinois graduate student charged with kidnapping, torturing and killing a visiting Chinese scholar, a case closely watched by Chinese students across the U.S.
A jury has been selected in the trial of a former graduate student accused of kidnapping and killing a University of Illinois scholar from China.
A lawyer for a Chinese family attending the U.S. trial of an ex-University of Illinois student charged with killing their daughter says he has been explaining to them how the American justice system works.
State climate experts say Illinois had the third wettest May on record and it was the sixth-consecutive month with above-average rainfall.
Bradley University posted a job opening for an Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion, however, the the job description stated the candidate "must be able to access non-ADA compliant building."
Angela Farnan has helped care for the tiniest patients in Peoria for more than 30 years, but when one mother said she could no longer care for her newborn, the pediatric intensive care nurse went above and beyond.
U.S. bishops are holding a retreat outside Chicago for "prayer and reflection" upon the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
Their son, Jose Ramirez, has also been charged in their deaths. The 21-year-old allegedly beat and stabbed them to death.
The bodies of Bradley University professor Susan Brill De Ramirez and her husband, Antonio Ramirez Barron were found near the Spoon River Bridge in Henry County, Ill., authorities said.
Authorities say a Peoria police officer fatally shot a 19-year-old man who fled from a vehicle after a traffic stop in the central Illinois city.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Peoria late Sunday alleges officers shot Edward Russell Jr. at least 17 times as he lifted a garage door at the family's Peoria home with both hands. He was a suspect in a bank robbery.
A 16-year-old male has been charged with murder for a shooting that left a Bradley University student from Chicago and a Peoria man dead.
Federal law enforcement officials on Thursday executed search warrants at three Caterpillar locations, including the corporate headquarters in Peoria.
Senior Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens was the first U.S. combat casualty since President Donald Trump took office in January.
After nearly a century in central Illinois, Caterpillar Inc. has abandoned plans to build a new headquarters complex in Peoria, and has announced it is moving its corporate offices to Chicago.
The U.S. Navy sailor who died over the weekend in a raid against al-Quaida has been identified as a sailor from Peoria.
Alex Bregman had a homer, two doubles and drove in two runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
Two rounds of storms swept through the area on Monday afternoon, prompting tornado and thunderstorm watches and warnings.
High-speed winds ripped through a row of townhomes, leaving dozens of people displaced and many others in the area still without power.
Homes were left damaged in Glen Ellyn and a recovery mission for a missing contractor is being conducted by search crews in Downers Grove as a result of Monday's severe storms.
The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series between playoff contenders.
Candidates for Chicago mayor may start circulating petitions on Tuesday for the election in February 2027.
The plans include arresting migrants in Ohio and quickly putting them on deportation flights to crisis-stricken Haiti, the internal documents indicate.
President Trump cracked jokes at the redo of the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Friday night, after an armed assailant upended April's dinner.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has purchased commercial spyware that can covertly take control of phones, collect messages, photos and location information.
A new lawsuit argues that Wisconsin's elections commission is wrongly blocking absentee voters from canceling their ballots and requesting new ones, with nearly 91,000 ballots already returned ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
East Chicago, Indiana is being placed on a precautionary boil water advisory starting Monday morning for planned installations that could affect water safety.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The food deserts on Chicago's South and West sides could spread even wider if seven Save A Lot grocery stores close.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
Carly Simon, the singer known for 1970s hits like "You're So Vain," announced she has Parkinson's disease and also was treated for basal cell carcinoma.
Paramount Skydance on Friday said it would delay the deal until as late as June 2027.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is the first film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge is 1 of roughly 30 theaters nationwide equipped to show it that way.
Brenda Fricker won an Academy Award for 1989's "My Left Foot," played the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2" and appeared in "A Time to Kill" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer."
Storm damage throughout the Chicago area was widespread on Monday, featuring flooding on the North Side and a roof being torn off a business on the South Side.
The aftermath of afternoon storms forced people in the townhomes near Dixie Highway and 171st Street in Hazel Crest to pack their things.
Rescue crews with at least half a dozen west suburban fire departments were seen diving headfirst into the sewer near downtown Downers Grove in search of two contractors who became trapped in the storm sewers.
New this year is a costume to make a fur-baby look like a fur-grandma. The chain is also bringing back its taco, dragon, shark and bat outfits among others.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, the existing geofenced no-ride zone for shared e-scooters will include Sheridan Road between Devon Avenue and Bryn Mawr Avenue.
Homes were left damaged in Glen Ellyn and a recovery mission for a missing contractor is being conducted by search crews in Downers Grove as a result of Monday's severe storms.
High-speed winds ripped through a row of townhomes, leaving dozens of people displaced and many others in the area still without power.
A Lisle, Illinois, man accused of causing a deadly boat crash on the Fox River this past weekend allegedly had a blood alcohol content level nearly three times the legal limit at the time.
Two rounds of storms swept through the area on Monday afternoon, prompting tornado and thunderstorm watches and warnings.
Crown Point police said the victim died on Sunday after being hit by the motorcycle on Saturday night.
While Mayor Brandon Johnson hasn't announced if he will run for re-election next year, he's boasting about lower vacancy rates for Mag Mile buildings and taking credit for the positive changes.
A Lockport foster parent said he lost his kids, job and home for months after a mix-up that landed his name on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
Record heat and major air quality issues created by wildfire smoke were key topics as some of the top climate leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago this week for the Aspen Institute's annual climate summit.
Police say a man and a woman were last seen speaking with the victim before the shooting.
Neighbors in the Avalon Park neighborhood said their community has been plagued by squatters, weeds, rats, and water leaks – all thanks to an abandoned home that's been sitting vacant for years.
Alex Bregman had a homer, two doubles and drove in two runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series between playoff contenders.
The son of Chiefs assistant coach Eric Bieniemy has been arrested and charged with a shooting that wounded his mother, Mia Bieniemy, according to authorities in Virginia.
Center fielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones and second baseman Jeff Kent were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Murakami hit a 385-foot, two-run homer in the bottom of the first that gave Chicago its first lead of the game. It was his first homer since May 27th.
The son of Chiefs assistant coach Eric Bieniemy has been arrested and charged with a shooting that wounded his mother, Mia Bieniemy, according to authorities in Virginia.
Chicago police issued an alert this past weekend about a string of ATM-related thefts on the city's South and Southwest sides.
Crash-and-grab burglars hit a Shell gas station on the cusp of Chicago's Lakeview and Lincoln Park communities early Monday morning.
A robber jumped through a drive-thru window at a McDonald's in Chicago's Belmont Cragin community early Monday morning.
Police believe a suspect in the deadly shooting at a food festival in Seattle was among those who were killed, as another suspect remains on the loose and a teenager is in custody.
