In a new interview, the father of convicted killer Brendt Christensen claims that the University of Illinois could have prevented the death of a young visiting Chinese scholar if it had taken proper action when her murderer sought help at the school’s mental-health facility. Christensen was sentenced to life in prison in July after a jury found him guilty of raping and decapitating 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, whose body still has not been found. Before Zhang’s murder in 2017, Christensen went to the counseling center, where he told a doctoral intern in a video-recorded session that he had at one point been “planning” a homicide and researching serial killers. “For him to even admit this is not just a cry for help, it’s a huge red flag,” his father, Mike Christensen, said. “Nothing happened.”

Two other staffers at the center met with Christensen, who noted that there was no immediate need to hospitalize him because he claimed he had no current suicidal or homicidal plans. The intern suggested that Christensen undergo an assessment to be placed with a specialized counselor, but he did not show up. “I’m angry that it could’ve been prevented,” his father told ABC News’ Bob Woodruff. The full interview will air on 20/20 on Friday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. EST. Zhang’s family, who flew in from China to attend the murder trial, has said they agree that action from the university’s counseling center could have saved her life. A lawsuit filed on behalf of her estate in June claimed the counselors acted with “deliberate indifference.”