A federal judge has denied a request to delay sentencing for a former University of Illinois student convicted in the kidnapping and murder of a visiting Chinese scholar.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports the judge Wednesday ruled against Brendt Christensen's defense team. Jurors last week convicted Christensen in the 2017 killing of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang. His sentencing is to begin Monday, when jurors will decide if he will receive life in prison or the death penalty.