Brendt Christensen, Accused Of Murdering Chinese Scholar YingYing Zhang, Heads To Trial
The man charged with murder in the 2017 death of Chinese scholar Ying Ying Zhang is going to trial.
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The man charged with murder in the 2017 death of Chinese scholar Ying Ying Zhang is going to trial.
Prosecutors are trying to prove Christensen kidnapped and killed 26-year-old Yingying Zhang in 2017. The trial was originally scheduled for September 2017. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Pedro Flores took the witness stand last week to testify about his wildly lucrative business partnership with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Pedro Flores told the jury that the brothers had face-to-face meetings with Guzman and another Sinaloa cartel leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, in Mexico in 2005 to begin negotiations for the cartel to use the pair's successful drug-dealing network covering Chicago, New York, Detroit and other large cities.
Opening statements are set to start Tuesday in the high-profile trial of alleged Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
The delay from a previously scheduled November trial was sought to give his lawyer more time to prepare.
A Cook County jury has convicted Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder, 16 counts of aggravated battery, and acquitted him of one count of official misconduct in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014.
After a jury convicted Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder and aggravated battery charges, his lead defense attorney said he expected the jury to convict the Chicago police officer of at least some charges.
Jason Van Dyke: fast facts
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke's murder trial for killing Laquan McDonald is over for the week after four days of the defense presenting evidence.
A woman who called 911 about Laquan McDonald hours before he was shot and killed said he had asked to borrow her car even though she'd never met him, but said he never acted aggressively, and "seemed like he was a nice young guy."
Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's defense team will be presenting evidence for a third day on Wednesday, though it's still unclear if the officer will testify on his own behalf in the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Defense attorneys for Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke showed jurors a 3D animation showing a recreation of the first few shots the officer fired at Laquan McDonald four years ago, in an effort to bolster his claim the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald was a justified act of self defense.
Van Dyke's defense team began presenting its case on Monday, and three witnesses testified about encounters with McDonald long before the shooting.
At the Jason van Dyke trial today, it may have sounded more like Laquan McDonald was on trial.
Defense attorneys started presenting evidence today at the murder trial of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, charged in the 2014 shooting death of Laquan McDonald.
Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's defense attorneys will begin presenting evidence on Monday, following four days of testimony from witnesses for the prosecution in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald.
After four days of testimony, prosecutors rested their case Thursday against Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, and his defense will begin presenting its first witnesses on Monday, seeking to convince jurors Van Dyke was justified when he shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014.
A forensic pathologist told jurors Laquan McDonald died of 16 gunshot wounds, before detailing each individual wound as she testified about the autopsy at Officer Jason Van Dyke's murder trial.
Officer Jason Van Dyke returns to court today for a final pretrial hearing, before jury selection begins tomorrow on first-degree murder charges in the death of Laquan McDonald.
Van Dyke wants the trial moved because of all the publicity; meantime, his face is plastered all over the Chicago Tribune as part of his interview with the newspaper.
For the first time since he shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald nearly four years ago, CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke is speaking out publicly, in a Chicago Tribune interview a week before his murder trial is set to start.
When Hadiya Pendleton walked into Harsh Park on an unassuming January afternoon five years ago, she could have never known the decision to hang out with friends would mean she would soon become the face of Chicago's gang violence problem.
Jurors convicted Micheail Ward of first-degree murder Thursday in the 2013 slaying of honor student Hadiya Pendleton, a say after a separate jury convicted getaway driver Kenneth Williams.
Jurors have begun deliberating first-degree murder charges against Micheail Ward, the alleged gunman in the 2013 slaying of honor student Hadiya Pendleton, one day after a separate jury convicted getaway driver Kenneth Williams.
Residents in Chicago's South Loop say a new business is too noisy and too many of their customers are hanging out after leaving the restaurant and bar. The owner of Reserv said he's trying to keep the peace and keep his business open.
Police are investigating after a hidden camera was found inside the bathroom of a marijuana dispensary in southwest suburban Worth.
More than a million people are expected to attend the 54th annual Fiesta del Sol, which kicked off Thursday in the Pilsen neighborhood.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
A man and a woman were found shot and killed inside a car on Thursday evening on the University of Chicago campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission voted on Thursday to publish a report outlining details of the investigation that led to state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Chicago) to resign his post earlier this month.
Voters in Chicago will have a chance to decide in November if the city should go after the federal government for money spent dealing with the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown and Operation Midway Blitz.
The Secret Service said a member of Vice President JD Vance's detail is under investigation for "compromising operational and information security."
The House on Thursday voted to direct President Trump to end the war with Iran, after four Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke the president over his handling of the conflict.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission on Thursday will decide whether to release a report that led to the resignation of state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) over reported allegations of sexual harassment.
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.
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 north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
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.
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."
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Residents in Chicago's South Loop say a new business is too noisy and too many of their customers are hanging out after leaving the restaurant and bar. The owner of Reserv said he's trying to keep the peace and keep his business open.
Police are investigating after a hidden camera was found inside the bathroom of a marijuana dispensary in southwest suburban Worth.
People in Madison, Wisconsin, held a vigil Thursday night for a man who was shot and killed by a police officer. Corey Ruiz’s family has hired prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is demanding the shooting be investigated for potential excessive force.
A small plane crashed in Puget Sound in Washington state while making an emergency landing off the San Juan islands.
Police are investigating after a hidden camera was found inside the bathroom of a marijuana dispensary in southwest suburban Worth.
More than a million people are expected to attend the 54th annual Fiesta del Sol, which kicked off Thursday in the Pilsen neighborhood.
Mexico has requested criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration.
Residents in Chicago's South Loop say a new business is too noisy and too many of their customers are hanging out after leaving the restaurant and bar. The owner of Reserv said he's trying to keep the peace and keep his business open.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
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.
Chicago has been feeling the heat this week, with highs in the 90s the past five days, but officials are making moves to cool off some of the hottest parts of the city, specifically Chicago Park District fieldhouses where many turn to keep cool.
Gene Rush survived throat cancer, but he didn't survive a trip to the Porter County Jail over 4th of July weekend. His family said jail staff failed to provide lifesaving medical care.
The biggest stars of the WNBA are arriving in Chicago for this weekend's All-Star Game, but before that, dozens of kids took to the court to learn from some former pros on the South Side.
Patrick Kane, 37, signed a two-year, $16 million contract to return to the Blackhawks on Thursday, according to the team.
Chicago's Colin Rea (7-7) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five in five innings.
Chase Meidroth went 4 for 4 while he and Andrew Benintendi had a pair of run-scoring singles apiece and Anthony Kay pushed through five innings for his first win in more than a month as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2.
The Liberty erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
A man and a woman were found shot and killed inside a car on Thursday evening on the University of Chicago campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Madison's chief of police says an officer in Wisconsin's capital city shot and killed a man who had injured him with a knife while resisting arrest.
Three men have been convicted of a string of violent robberies targeting liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago in 2023 and 2024.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.
