Jason Chen in Criminal Court
The attorney for a man charged in the grisly murder of Jasmine Pace has asked that the Grand Jury indictment be set aside and that Jason Chen get a new preliminary hearing.
Attorney Josh Weiss said the state did not turn over body cam video prior to the hearing, and said the defense should have been able to question the mother of the victim on whether she had removed any evidence from the murder scene prior to police arrival.
The state is resisting the request.
Chen appeared briefly in court before Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson on Tuesday morning.
A hearing on the motion was set for June 26.
DA Coty Wamp had asked to proceed with the hearing, but attorney Weiss said he was not ready.
Attorney Weiss said he has been fully paid to represent Chen, but he asked that he be declared indigent, saying his family had run out of funds.
At an earlier bond hearing, it was testified that Ms. Pace had 60 stab wounds. Her body was stuffed in a suitcase that was found tossed on the side of Suck Creek Road last November.
Chen is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and abuse of a corpse.
He remains under a $5 million bond, which attorney Weiss said was one of the highest bonds ever set in Hamilton County.
Jasmine Pace