Former UW Student Could Be First Person Given Death Sentence In Illinois In 15 Years

An Illinois jury is deliberating whether to give a former U-W student the death penalty for a 2017 murder.  Brendt Christensen was found guilty of kidnapping and killing a Chinese student at the University of Illinois.  Prosecutors told the court Christensen raped, stabbed, choked, beat and ultimately decapitated 28-year-old Yingying Zhang.  He could become the first person given the death sentence in Illinois in nearly 20 years because the case was tried in federal court.