PEORIA, Ill. (WAND)- Closing arguments in the sentencing of Brendt Christensen will begin Wednesday morning, Judge James Shadid told jurors Tuesday.
Prosecutors called their only rebuttal witness, FBI Agent Andrew Huckstadt, Tuesday morning; they played portions of recorded jail calls to answer testimony from defense witnesses.
First, prosecutors again played a recording of Christensen's ex-wife Michelle Zortman taken during the guilt phase of the trial, in which Zortman jokes about prosecution witness Terra Bullis passing out on the stand and being carried away on a stretcher.
Zortman has testified that she and Christensen were upset at the time of the call and had been crying. Prosecutors pointed to laughter during the exchange, but the defense argued that Zortman described it as nervous laughter.
Prosecutors also played a portion of a phone call between Christensen and his mother to cast doubt on testimony Christensen suffered from a lack of sleep.
"On average, I've been sleeping about 12 hours a day," Christensen said on the jail tape. "That seems pretty easy."
They played a portion of a recorded call between Christensen and his father Michael, who testified as well. In the call, taken days after Christensen's arrest, Michael Christensen expresses anger at statements made by Yingying Zhang's family.
"When you're exonerated ... I'd love to contact their dad and say I'm ashamed of him for not insisting that they look for another suspect," Michael Christensen said on the recording.
Christensen's defense pointed out that those excerpts are only a small portion of the recordings.
"We select what we believe is relevant for the case," Huckstadt said.
At 10:15, both sides said they were done presenting evidence. Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m.
