The attorney for the former University of Illinois doctoral student, has told jurors that the defense is admitting that their client kidnapped and killed a visiting Chinese scholar back in 2017.  He gave his opening statement on Wednesday, when he realized it was exceptional for a defense attorney to say that his client committed the crime.  He did state that 29-year-old Brendt Christensen was, “on trail for his life,” alluding that there is a possibility of a death sentence if he is found guilty of kidnapping and killing 26-year-old Yingying Zhang.  The defense agreed that Christensen kidnapped and killed Zhang, with the prosecution explaining how and why he did it.  Defense teams in death penalty trials often have the goal of ensuring that their client does not get the death penalty, rather than focusing on winning a not-guilty verdict.  Prosecutors during the case played a secret audio recording while the trial was being presented.  Christensen’s former girlfriend was wearing a wire, instructed by the FBI, and had the recording presented on Friday.  During the recording, Christensen was heard saying how eager to tell someone he was that he killed 26-year-old Zhang weeks before, describing how he choked and beat her, while describing how valiant in how she resisted.  Prosecutors say that Christensen had fantasized about killing someone for months, with him saying that killing Zhang was going to be his legacy.