PEORIA, Ill. (WAND) – Closing arguments could start as soon as Wednesday in the sentencing phase of Brendt Christensen’s trial.
Christensen himself declined to take the stand Monday. That’s as three relatives – including his mother and younger sister – elected to.
The defense’s questioning of Ellen Williams, Brendt’s mother, painted a picture of a history of mental illness in him and his family. Williams testified she herself struggled with depression and anxiety starting in the mid-1990s as a stay-at-home mother. She testified that led her to taking anti-depressants for almost two decades. Williams also said there’s a mental history in the families of both her and Brendt’s father.
Williams described Brendt as an easy child to raise, one who was smart, polite, and played sports and the piano. However, it was as a child when Brendt started to show signs of mental illness.
Williams said the earliest cases were what she called “night terrors,” where Brendt would wake up yelling in bed. She also said Brendt suffered at least one concussion playing sports like wrestling.
Then, in 2005, he came down with what Williams thought was just a fever. Williams left the teenage Brendt at home for a quick visit to a friend's home. When she got home, she said, she found her home’s street blocked by ambulances and police cars. Investigators told her Brent had gone out to their upstairs deck, jumped to the one below, and ran into a car in the street. He stayed overnight in a hospital; no drugs were found in his system.
Then, in 2008, Brendt fell off a roof he was working on. Williams said Brendt “shattered” his arms and would afterward complain of not being able to sleep. She said a doctor diagnosed him with PTSD.
When the prosecution cross-examined Williams, they asked why he didn’t get a psych referral or go to counseling after what happened in 2005. Williams said she thought it was all just from a bad fever. The prosecution also questioned Williams’ earlier testimony that Brendt “wouldn’t do well alone,” saying he had told his girlfriend in 2011 that he was a loner.
Williams described her love for Brendt as “unconditional… one that would never diminish.” She said, though, she thinks about Yingying Zhang’s family at least five times a day.
“It’s horrible. It’s sad. I feel bad,” Williams said.
Williams was asked about Brendt telling her he was innocent, before the defense admitted he killed Zhang as part of their case. She said Brendt was doing what he felt he had to at the time to protect himself.
If Brendt was executed, Williams said, “that would be horrible,” before pausing to wipe away tears.
“It would be devastating," she added.
Also taking the stand was Brent’s younger sister, Andrea Christensen. She described their parents’ relationship as “tense", and that their mother was often drunk. That included one instance, Andrea said, when she tried to drink a clear liquid from a coffee mug as a young child because she thought it was water. Her mother told her not to drink it because it was vodka.
Talking about Brendt, Andrea testified he never raised his voice, describing him as “extremely gentle.” She told how he once biked across town and used his allowance money to buy her a stuffed tiger she wanted, all to surprise her. She also said Brendt introduced her to movies, television shows, and music she might not have otherwise discovered.
When asked about Brendt’s arrest, Andrea said she felt shock, grief, and was very sad. She also said that she loved him and supported him and, despite the pain he caused the Zhang family, that “doesn’t change that".
Brendt’s step-father also testified. He said he met Brendt’s mother at a New Year’s Eve party for Alcoholics Anonymous members a few years ago, and that he only met Brendt once. He said they met in June 2016 – almost exactly a year before Brendt killing Yingying Zhang. Brendt’s step-father claimed Brendt thanked him for being in his mother’s life.
Witness rebuttals and other procedural steps are expected in court on Tuesday, before closing arguments are set to begin on Wednesday.
