Urbana, IL  (KTRS)  Three attorneys have asked to withdraw from defending a man charged with kidnapping a University of Illinois scholar from China.

Tom Bruno and his sons, Anthony and Evan Bruno, say in a federal court filing that 27-year-old Brendt Christensen can’t afford to pay them. The attorneys and Christensen have agreed that he should have a court-appointed defense lawyer.

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Friday.

Yingying Zhang disappeared June 9, weeks after arriving at the central Illinois campus. Investigators believe the 26-year-old is dead, but her body hasn’t been found.