Jinyan Zhao

Jinyan Zhao testified for the prosecution on Day 50 about Lingzi Lu's life and the effect of her death on the family. Under Aloke Chakravarty's questioning, she explained that she and Lu treated each other as aunt and niece. She recalled helping Lu settle in the United States, spending holidays together, and Lu's graduate studies at Boston University and ambitions to work on Wall Street. She described Lu as lively, determined, and studious.

Zhao then described learning of Lu's death, funeral arrangements, and the family's decision to bury her in Boston. She discussed her own difficulty with the loss and the voicemails she retained. Her account of Lu's parents' grief included their statements to her and her own impressions; she believed their devastation prevented them from attending court. She distinguished some personal observations from information supplied by Lu's parents and professor, and expressed uncertainty about a California photograph's location and date.

Her examination included a memorial-book cover, four photographs, and a translated video of Lu's father's memorial speech. The court admitted the photographs and video, and the video was played. David Bruck preserved the defense's previous motion concerning the exhibits while expressly stating no objection to the four photographs. The defense declined to question Zhao.