Brent Christensen

In late May, Yingying's family and loved ones, they came to the U.S.

to attend the trial.

How have you been doing in the United States now?

Brent Christensen goes on trial for his life in Peoria Federal Court.

The government is seeking the federal death penalty in a state where capital punishment has been abolished.

During the opening statement, a simple phrase that I repeated several times was, he kidnapped her, he murdered her, he covered up his crime.

Tara Bullis, she's a hero in the case.

I believe that she did an incredible job testifying.

I mean, you can imagine how hard that was for her during cross-examination as the defense asked her numerous questions and attacked her.

They said when he started dating Tara, that's when he linked sex and violence in his mind.

And maybe that's what propelled him to go farther down this path.

Maybe she was the catalyst that made him think about these things.

any claim that Tara Bullis led him to do this is preposterous.

The evidence shows that he was already making these plans long before he met Tara Bullis.

Her testimony was crucial, but it was what she did, recording conversations surreptitiously of Christian Sid that became the cornerstone of the case.

I want this.

I couldn't believe it.

She had to be back.

It was unbelievable.

Supernatural almost, I don't know.