Detective Stephen Bulkley
A detective in the Jason Chen case told a Criminal Court jury he zipped open a suitcase in brush by the Tennessee River, felt body parts in a black garbage bag, and then called for the medical examiner.
As detectives on the scene by Suck Creek Road, the body turned out to be that of 22-year-old Jasmine Pace, who had been missing just over a week.
Chen is standing trial for first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the courtroom of Judge Boyd Patterson. A Nashville jury is deciding the case.
Detective Stephen Bulkley said police were led to the remote area off Signal Mountain Boulevard by tracing pings from Chen's cellphone.
He said they stopped at the first pullover and within 30 seconds spotted the suitcase. It was readily visible partly down the slope not far from the river.
The witness said, "All of the detectives talked about what to do. All of us felt we had found Jasmine Pace, but the suitcase was closed."
He said it was decided to take photos of the scene, then he pulled the heavy suitcase to a level area and unzipped it and felt inside. He stated, "I could feel a head, arms and a torso."
Then the medical examiner was called to the scene.
It was stated earlier that Chen had stabbed the victim 60 times at his small apartment on Tremont Street in North Chattanooga, then stuffed the body into the suitcase.
Defense attorney Josh Weiss claimed that Ms. Pace had seen calls to other women on Chen's cellphone, then attacked him in a fury with a wine bottle. He said Chen responded with the stabbing, then tried to cover the crime up. Attorney Weiss said it was a case of voluntary manslaughter, not first-degree, pre-meditated murder.
The jury was shown video of Chen making visits to the Signal Mountain Walmart and the North Market Street Walgreens to buy cleaning supplies and other items. Other video showed Ms. Pace's Chevy arriving at his apartment on the evening of Nov. 22, 2022, and of that vehicle later being driven from the apartment to 900 Mountain Creek Road. Police said Chen took an Uber or Lyft back to his home in a Toyota Prius.
In response to a question from a juror, Detective Zack Crawford said he did find wine bottles at the unit and there was a very small amount of glass shards.
He said he believed that the main attack on Ms. Pace was carried out on the bathroom floor.
Detective Crawford, answering another juror question, said Chen had an injury to his paw that he believed to be "knife slippage." He said Chen had tiny cuts on his feet.
Suitcase by the river