Jury Takes Less Than Hour To Find Jason Chen Guilty Of 1st-Degree Murder

A Criminal Court jury deliberated less than an hour on Monday afternoon before finding Jason Chen guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the savage killing of 22-year-old Jasmine Pace at his North Chattanooga apartment.

The jury will return to court on Tuesday at 10 a.m. to determine whether Chen should get a life sentence or life without the possibility of parole. A person convicted of first-degree murder in Tennessee must serve 51 years before parole eligibility.

The defense had sought a verdict of either voluntary manslaughter or second-degree murder, saying the UTC computer science student acted out of "passion" and not pre-meditation.

District Attorney Coty Wamp told jurors, "I ask that years later you not remember this as the Jason Chen trial, but as the trial for Jasmine Pace. She is not just a name in an autopsy record."

She said the defense had completely backed away from its opening statement that alleged Ms. Pace became angry over finding that Chen had called other young women and that he had not shackled her until just before he wrapped her lifeless body in garbage bags. She said there was no evidence found on the allegation that Ms. Pace went after Chen with a broken wine bottle.

DA Wamp said Chen's calls to other young women via the Tinder app came after the murder, along with his joining in a group Call of Duty video game. She said, "After he engaged in actual physical violence, he got on to get some more."

The district attorney said the defense's first witness, Courtney Brewer, who lived just below Chen "was a great witness. I wish I had called her."

She said Ms. Brewer's testimony that she was awakened by a female's scream at 2:11 a.m. was seven minutes before Ms. Pace left a "pin drop" (telling her location) on her mother's phone. "She knew then she was in danger of some kind," DA Wamp said.

The witness said she later heard footsteps going toward the front of the apartment. DA Wamp said, "That was Jasmine trying to get out the door, but Chen stopped her. She said he then bound her in a fetal position with handcuffs on one side and shackles on the other side before proceeding to stab her 60 times with a butcher knife.

The prosecutor said the evidence showed that the attack on Ms. Pace started in the bathroom, then Chen dragged her body to the bedroom, where she was placed on one side and "bled out."

She said the fact that the shackle was broken showed that Ms. Pace tried to fight back. She was much smaller in size than Chen at 5'2" and 98 pounds.

DA Wamp said evidence from the medical examiner also showed that the victim was still alive during all the blows from the knife. It was testified she may have lived some five minutes after the attack began.

She said Chen went to great lengths trying to conceal the crime, including sending text messages from his phone to Ms. Pace's phone after she was dead. In one he asked, "Hey, are we still on for dinner tonight?"

Attorney Amanda Morrison said the actions of Chen were "disgusting and unacceptable," but he said there was no proof of pre-meditation.

Earlier Monday, Chen announced in open court that he would not testify. The defense told Judge Boyd Patterson that it had no more proof after calling three witnesses.

The victim's body was found stuffed in a suitcase along Suck Creek Road just over a week after her disappearance. Her right arm was handcuffed to her right ankle, and the other arm was shackled at the elbow to the other ankle.

The jury was chosen in Nashville and brought to Chattanooga. Testimony started last Monday and continued through Saturday before resuming Monday morning.

Paul Moyle also prosecuted the case.