A day after defense lawyers admitted Brendt Christensen is guilty of killing Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, they called for a mistrial.

The request that was denied. Jurors heard directly from Christensen himself in an FBI interview recorded just days after her murder.

CGTN’s Dan Williams reports from Illinois on day two of the federal death-penalty trial.

Despite pleading not guilty, Christensen’s defense attorney told the court in opening statements that his client had killed 26-year-old Zhang, who went missing on June 9, 2017, in Urbana, Illinois.

The trial continued with the prosecution calling on expert witnesses. The recording of that interview was played to the court in its entirety.

In it, Christensen, admits that he picked up an Asian female in his black Saturn Astra, the same type of car that Yingying is seen getting into on surveillance footage.

But he said that was on a Saturday not the Friday when Zhang disappeared. He later admits that he may have mixed up his days.

In the recording, Christensen also said that he let the Asian female out of his car a few minutes later when she panicked after he took a wrong turn.

This trial has already provided some clarity over the tragic events of just over two years ago.

More details are expected next week with both the wife and girlfriend of Christensen expected to take the stand.