A trail of blood ran for almost a quarter of a mile from the spot where Ji was left in a heap on the pavement to his apartment, where he was found dead hours later.

Ji's family members were not in court Thursday.

"The only hope is to see justice be done, it's the only consolation," said Rose Tsai, an attorney for Ji's parents.

After the hearing, Tsai referred to the dozens of strangers from the Chinese community who feel connected to Ji's story. "The victim's family can always count on the support of the Chinese community here in Southern California," Tsai said.

"We know it takes time for the justice to finally arrive. Sometimes this kind of case can last for years. However, we still hope the court can close this case as soon as possible, since Ji's family has suffered a lot," a Los Angeles resident told China Daily.

Ji is the third USC student to be murdered in the past three years.Qu Ming and Wu Ying, both 23-year-old engineering students at the USC, were shot and killed on April 11, 2012, while sitting in a parked car near the campus.

Security concerns from students and the public have been on the rise since then. USC'sdepartments of public safety and emergency planning launched a mobile safety app last November to strengthen safety on and off campus, especially for the international students. Thefree downloadable app, calledLiveSafe, letssmartphone users contact emergency responders around the campus.

USC has organized an online social media group to provide supports to Ji's family by keeping Chinese students posted by the case progresses and upcoming court schedule and encouraging Chinese students to attend as many hearings as possible.

Zhang Chi contributed to this story.

cindyliu@chinadailyusa.com