INDEPTH: CECILIA ZHANG
Timeline
CBC News Online | May 12, 2006
May 12, 2006:
Min Chen, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of nine-year-old Cecilia Zhang, will spend 15 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. At the parole hearing in a Brampton court, Crown lawyers had asked for parole eligibility in the 17- to 20-year range. Chen's lawyers asked for 12 years.
CBC STORY: Zhang killer receives 15 years without parole
May 9, 2006:
Min Chen pleads guilty to second-degree murder in the death of nine-year-old Cecilia Zhang. Chen was charged with first-degree murder.
CBC STORY: Student pleads guilty to killing 9-year-old Cecilia Zhang
May 1, 2006:
The judge in the trial of Min Chen, the man accused of abducting and killing Cecilia, meets with Crown and defence lawyers and later announces that the trial will be put off until May 9. John Rosen, Chen's lawyer, says there was a "logistical reason" for the delay.
CBC STORY: Cecilia murder trial delayed
June 6, 2005:
The preliminary hearing for Min Chen, the man charged in Cecilia Zhang's murder, begins in Brampton, Ont. The judge imposes a publication ban on all details; such a ban is common for preliminary hearings in criminal matters. The hearing is expected to last 15 days.
CBC STORY: Hearing begins in Cecilia case
July 23, 2004:
Police release the woman who was arrested on the same day as Min Chen, Cecilia's accused killer, and say she will be treated as a witness in the case.
CBC STORY: Woman arrested in Cecilia Zhang case won't face charges
July 22, 2004:
Police in Brampton, Ont., announce Min Chen, 21, a visa student from Shanghai, China, has been arrested in the murder of Cecilia Zhang and charged with first-degree murder.
CBC STORY: Chinese student charged with murder in Cecilia Zhang case
April 1, 2004:
The Peel Regional Police force takes over the Cecilia Zhang murder investigation, with the co-operation of Toronto police, because Cecilia's body was found in their jurisdiction.
CBC STORY: Peel police take lead in Cecilia's murder case
Neighbour Julie Chen places flowers outside the Zhang home in Toronto, Monday, March 29, 2004. (CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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March 28, 2004:
Police confirm the remains found the previous day are those of Cecilia Zhang. Police Chief Julian Fantino urges the killers to consider surrendering early because the police "don't intend to give up." Homicide Inspector Rick DeFacendis asks for the public's patience in a case that he said will be difficult to solve. Neighbours adorn the steps of Cecilia's home with flowers and candles in an outpouring of grief and support for the family.
CBC STORY: Police confirm Cecilia Zhang's body found
CBC STORY: Toronto mourns murdered girl
March 27, 2004:
A hiker in a ravine in Mississauga, Ont., near Toronto, finds Cecilia Zhang's remains.
February 2004:
About 4,000 taxicabs display Cecilia's photo in an attempt to gain more information.
Jan. 22, 2004:
Police rule out money as the motivating force in Cecilia's case. The reward fund, which had stood at $165,000, drops to $65,000 as many reward donations pegged to expire on the Chinese New Year are cancelled. Raymond Zhang nonetheless offers $200,000 for his daughter's safe return, saying he'll mortgage his house to pay the reward.
CBC STORY: Cecilia's family increases reward for abducted girl
Dec. 23, 2003:
Toronto police urge Cecilia's abductors to come forward with a ransom demand.
CBC STORY: Police urge Cecilia's captors to deliver ransom demands
Dec. 2003:
Chinese police join in what has become a global search for Cecilia.
Nov. 12, 2003:
Police announce that Cecelia's parents are not suspects in the case and release videos of Cecilia and copies of her schoolwork.
CBC STORY: Parents of missing girl say they have 'lost everything'
Nov. 1, 2003:
Cecilia's parents appear on America's Most Wanted to an estimated 10 million viewers. Investigators receive 13 new tips after the show airs.
CBC STORY: Police hope U.S. TV show helps them find Toronto girl
Oct. 27, 2003:
Toronto police announce a $50,000 reward for the safe return of Cecilia. A reward fund set up by Cecilia's neighbours contains $15,000.
CBC STORY: Police probe phone call to Cecilia's home
Oct. 26, 2003:
Cecilia's mother issues an open letter to three Chinese-language newspapers, begging for her return. "I don't seek retribution and I won't bring this to the courts. I am begging you, release my Cecilia," writes Sherry Xu.
CBC STORY: Abducted girl's mom issues plea in Chinese
Oct. 25, 2003:
Cecilia's neighbours set up a special fund for reward donations for anyone who give tips leading to her safe return.
CBC STORY: Reward offered for abducted Toronto girl
Oct. 24, 2003:
Cecilia's parents appear publicly for the first time since her abduction, making a plea for her safe return.
CBC STORY: Parents beg for their daughter's life
Oct. 22, 2003:
Police make a strong statement, stressing that they think Cecilia is still alive, but don't believe her abduction was a random occurrence. "There is nothing that convinces us that this is a random attack by a predator, nothing to this point in the investigation," said Toronto police Deputy Chief Mike Boyd at a media briefing. The media speculate that Cecilia was taken because kidnappers hoped to extort a ransom from her parents.
CBC STORY: Child's abduction wasn't random act, say Toronto police
Oct. 20, 2003:
Cecilia's parents discover their daughter is missing when they enter her bedroom to wake her for school. A window on the house appears to have been tampered with. The morning Cecilia disappears her mother's cellphone rings twice, but nobody is on the line when Sherry Xu answers. The calls were later traced to two different pay phones in the Brampton and Mississauga area.
CBC STORY: Search continues for missing girl
1998:
Cecilia and her parents move to Toronto from Jiangsu province in China.
March 30, 1994:
Dong-Yue Cecilia Zhang is born to parents Raymond Zhang and Sherry Xu.
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