On July 2, defense attorneys for Zhang Yingying suspect Christensen said they needed more time to review potential evidence before the sentencing trial, which was scheduled to begin On July 8. They want the court to rule out some of the evidence or postpone the sentencing to July 29.
The evidence allegedly includes several videos of Yingying Zhang herself, as well as video interviews with her home, school and seven of her friends. Defense attorneys claim they need more time translating the videos from Chinese into English and ask to postpone the trial until July 29 if they are allowed as evidence.
Judge Jim Shadid will rule on the defense's motion at a later date.
Motion filed by Christensen's defense attorneys.
"None of this evidence has been disclosed to the defense before," federal defense attorneys wrote in the motion. "The defence also stated in writing and at the hearing of the pending motion on June 27, 2019, that the video was Chinese and that an extension of the proceedings was necessary in order for the defence to have access to an independent translation of its contents."
While prosecutors only plan to broadcast about 30 minutes of footage for the jury, defense attorneys said the documents provided by the prosecution contained "about 60 gigabytes of information, including 27 folders made up of 143 separate documents." And because these are videos rather than written documents, the translation process takes more time.
Christensen's defense team said it takes about five hours to translate each hour of video.
"So a total of 85 hours of work is required," they said in the motion. "Given the professional commitment that all translators have identified, it will take about four weeks to complete the work."
On June 25, defense lawyers reportedly filed a motion with the court saying that Ms. Zhang's family had alleged christensen's refusal to help when testifying in court. Defense attorneys said "this is inaccurate testimony" that would leave the jury with the impression that the defendant refused to provide any assistance. The defense noted that within six months of Christensen's arrest, he agreed to plead guilty, provided the location of the victim's remains and was willing to accept a penalty of life in prison.
The statement of Zhang Yingying's family, forwarded by Wang Zhidong, a lawyer representing Zhang Yingying's family, said that we doubt the defendant's claim because he had lied many times in the past. Nothing prevented the defendant from pleading guilty.
According to the local media "Press Communiqué", the defense proposed the motion to pave the way for the next sentencing stage.
On June 24, local time in the United States, a 12-member grand jury unanimously found Christensen guilty of one count of murder and two counts of false statements in less than 90 minutes. Next, Christensen will face the death penalty or sentencing for life. The sentencing phase, which will begin on July 8, is expected to last around two weeks and is finally decided by a grand jury.
(Source: China News Network)
![Promoting the high-quality development of the regional economy with judicial strength - The Weidu District Court organized a seminar on the trial and enforcement of financial disputes[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)