章莹颖案嫌犯将出庭受审 罪名成立或被判死刑
中国访问学者章莹颖在美失踪多日后,终于传来确切消息。据外媒报道,美国联邦当局逮捕并指控一名27岁男子,据称其绑架了伊利诺伊大学访问学者章莹颖。章莹颖于三周前失踪,目前据推测已经死亡。犯罪嫌疑人名为布伦特•克里斯滕森(Brendt Christensen),曾是该校物理系的一名助教。克里斯滕森将于当地时间3日上午10点首次出席联邦法庭的审讯。 FBI宣布已逮捕涉嫌绑架章莹颖男子 A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a visiting Chinese graduate student last seen June 9 on the University of Illinois campus, the US attorney's office for Central Illinois said Friday. Investigators with the FBI think the student, Yingying Zhang, 26, is probably dead, a news release from the attorney's office said. Brendt Christensen, 27, of Champaign, Illinois, will face a charge of kidnapping, the news release said. Christensen was under surveillance Thursday when agents overheard him saying he kidnapped Zhang, a criminal complaint says. Christensen said he took Zhang back to his apartment, the complaint adds. 美国联邦检察官办公室和FBI发声明称: "Based on this, and other facts uncovered during the investigation of this matter, law enforcement agents believe that Ms. Zhang is no longer alive." 警方披露更多案件细节 嫌犯曾为该校助教 The FBI says Christensen was driving the black Saturn Astra that was captured on security camera video picking up Zhang the afternoon of June 9. 据警方介绍,在接近章莹颖前,犯罪车辆一直在附近兜圈子(circling the area before approaching Zhang)。 随后,警方确定在香槟郡(Champaign County)共有18辆四门土星牌阿斯特拉车注册登记,而其中一辆车主为克里斯滕森。
犯罪嫌疑人起初表示,自己记不清了(he could not remember),然后改口称自己可能是睡了一天或打了一天游戏(either sleeping or playing video games all day)。 警察搜查了其车辆,并未找到或带走任何东西(did not locate or take anything from it)。 6月14日,警察对监控视频进一步分析发现嫌犯车辆有天窗,而且前排副驾一侧轮毂破损(had a sunroof and a cracked hubcap on the front passenger side)。 随后,警官返回了克里斯滕森住处,确认其车辆状况与监控录像中的车辆吻合。 6月14日,美国伊利诺伊州中部地区联邦法院批准在嫌犯车辆里寻找章莹颖失踪时身上的物件,包括痕迹证据。 此后,犯罪嫌疑人再次改口。 On June 15, Christensen admitted picking up Zhang, the complaint says, but he told the FBI that day he let her out just a few blocks away. Christensen claimed he made a wrong turn at some point and the woman panicked, then he let her out of his car a few blocks from where he picked her up. 2017年6月15日, FBI探员申请得到联邦搜查令,检查嫌犯持有的手机。 搜查发现在2017年4月19日嫌疑人曾经在Fetlife(一个特殊性癖网站)上访问名为“绑架入门”("Abduction 101")的论坛,并且还阅读了标题为“完美的绑架幻想”(“perfect abduction fantasy”)、“如何绑架”("planning a kidnapping")等帖子。 6月16日开始,当局开始监视克里斯滕森。6月29日警方监听到他在一段录音中说自己绑架了章莹颖,把她带回了公寓,并违反她的意愿,把她囚禁在自己公寓。 The criminal complaint also says a search of the suspect's car revealed the front passenger door, next to where Zhang would have been sitting, was cleaned to a "more diligent extent." 目前章莹颖仍下落不明,当警察数次询问克里斯滕森把章莹颖藏在哪里时,他都表示要找律师,并保持沉默。警方正极力搜集证据。 Christensen was a graduate student in the physics department and a teaching assistant until May, a University of Illinois professor told cnn. "Everybody is shocked by this," said Lance Cooper, an associate head for graduate studies in the department. "There were no flags, no discipline issues with him, no problem with his teaching, no problems with his coursework." Christensen's LinkedIn profile states he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 with bachelor's degrees in physics and math. Christensen described himself as a Ph.D. candidate at U. of I. since January of 2014, researching experimental condensed matter physics. Cooper said he didn't think Christensen would have had any academic interactions with Zhang, who came to the United States within the past two months. Cooper said Christensen mentioned in spring 2016 that he was married and that he and his wife were going to use the next year to decide what their plans were while he completed his master's program. David Meldgin, a teaching assistant in the physics department, said he had an office next door to Christensen for two years but they spoke only a few times. "He was a quiet person in meetings, but he always helped students who needed help." Meldgin said. "I'm really surprised." 嫌犯即将出庭受审 罪名成立或被判死刑 目前,美国联邦调查局已将相关情况告知了章莹颖的家人。获悉这一消息后,中国驻芝加哥总领馆随即联系章莹颖家人,对其表示深切慰问。总领馆对罪犯绑架和伤害章莹颖同学的行径表示强烈愤慨和谴责,要求美国司法部门将罪犯绳之以法,还章莹颖和家人以公道。 此外,伊大校长琼斯(Robert Jones)也发表声明表示: "This is a senseless and devastating loss of a promising young woman and a member of our community. There is nothing we can do to ease the sadness or grief for her family and friends, but we can and we will come together to support them in any way we can in these difficult days ahead." Christensen's first court appearance is at 10 a.m. Monday in federal court in Urbana. It is unclear whether Christensen, who is still in custody, has an attorney. 据华人律师王志东称,虽然伊利诺伊州法律没有死刑,但该案的起诉方是联邦,而不是伊利诺伊州。而以联邦的名义起诉,便可以绑架致死的罪名将罪犯判处死刑。这表示检方是在寻求对罪犯施以最严酷的刑法。 |