'Finding Yingying': Who is Brendt Christensen's ex-lover Terra Bullis? BDSM partner wore a wire for the FBI
Terra Bullis never once flinched before she wore a wire for the FBI. The woman had discovered that her boyfriend Brendt Christensen sexually assaulted and murdered a 26-year-old Chinese visiting scholar, Yingying Zhang. She didn't just stumble upon this information nor did it come to her from the police. It was Christensen himself who bragged about his brutal assault during a vigil led by Yingying's family, friends and volunteers.
At the time of the crime, Christensen was in an open marriage with his wife Michelle, and was in a BDSM relationship with Terra Bullis. In the latest documentary, 'Finding Yingying', Bullis reveals that Christensen walked the entire way of the rally bragging that the gathering is not for Yingying but to celebrate him. "These people are here for me," he had said. Bullis knew then and there that her boyfriend was the suspect that hundreds of people were looking for. The jury called her one of the most important witnesses in the case.
In her testimony in the documentary film, Bullis reveals that the entire time of the rally and the music concert after that, Christensen recalled the details of his horrific crimes. He confessed to her that he was behind Yingying's abduction and that "she was number 13". He used the notes app on Bullis' phone to write, "She is gone," erasing that and writing, "Forever".
Bullis' first thought was how can she help bring this man to justice. There was no thinking twice before wearing a wire for the FBI in order to get Christensen to confess on record. The FBI did not force, manipulate or pay her for wearing a wire. When they went to the vigil, it would have been two weeks since she started recording him. He confessed to her on tape about the victim – "She fought more than anyone I knew".
In court, when she was testifying, Christensen did not look in her direction even once. Bullis was strong throughout the time because "it did get scary".
'Finding Yingying' also documents a touching letter she read for Yingying's family. She had studied Mandarin in high school and had gotten in touch with the director Jiayan 'Jenny' Shi of the film to help her go about it. "Every time I was afraid, I thought about your love for Yingying. I would do everything I could for you," began the letter, which went on to express how it was love that helped her power through it all. Yingying's family thanked her all her help and called her "very brave".
All of this would make one curious about Bullis' whereabouts today in 2020, over a year since the entire ordeal.
Where is Terra Bullis today in 2020?
The case was very public in nature, which left Bullis fairly traumatized. According to a report in The News-Gazette, Bullis was so affected by the brutal nature of Christensen's crime and the following trial (she was questioned for more than 5 hours), that she testified in 2019 that she was no longer able to "work in a public environment". And that she "sought mental-health treatment". When she asked the FBI for financial aid, they gave her $7,000-$8,000.
If it were not for a braveheart like Bullis, who thought it was "necessary" to testify against her boyfriend, perhaps a predator like Christensen would still be running amock the streets looking for victims.
'Finding Yingying' will be available in virtual theatres on December 11, 2020.