The Ivy League Murder

Summary

The Ivy League Murder – A 48 Hours Summary

Introduction

“The Ivy League Murder,” a gripping episode of CBS News' 48 Hours, delves deep into the tragic and complex case of Kevin Jiang, a Yale graduate student whose untimely death shocked the New Haven community. Hosted by award-winning correspondents, the episode meticulously unravels the series of events, investigative challenges, and ultimate resolution that marked this high-profile case.

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Background of the Case

Multiple Shootings in New Haven

The episode begins by outlining a disturbing pattern of shootings in New Haven over a few months:

• December 11, 2020: The first shooting on Huntington Street resulted in multiple gunshots fired into an occupied residence. Fortunately, no one was injured, but .45 caliber casings were found at the scene.

• January 15, 2021 and February 5-6, 2021: Three more similar incidents occurred, all involving .45 caliber ammunition and a sighting of a dark-colored SUV in the vicinity.

David Zoeski, a lead detective, explains, “The common denominator was the caliber of the gun that was used. .45 caliber casings were located at all four of those scenes” (00:40).

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The Murder of Kevin Jiang

The Crime Scene

On February 6, 2021, tragedy struck when Kevin Jiang, a 26-year-old Yale graduate student, was found dead in his Prius at Lawrence and Nicholl Street. The specifics of the crime were harrowing:

• Victim: Kevin Jiang, originally from Chicago, an Army veteran, and a passionate student at Yale’s School of the Environment.

• Incident Details: Multiple gunshots, including close-range rounds, resulted in Kevin’s death. Eight .45 caliber casings were recovered from the scene.

David Zoeski describes the scene: “Kevin's body was still on scene covered in a white shell. We could see gunshot wounds to his upper body and to his head. And you could see stippling on the left side of his head” (04:33).

Personal Life and Victim Profile

Kevin was deeply loved by his family and community. He was engaged to Zion Perry, a fellow scientist from MIT and Yale, known for their genuine and heartfelt relationship. As Zoeski notes, “He was so in love with Zion. He really loved her” (03:12).

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Early Investigation Challenges

Linking the Crimes

Initial investigations struggled to find a connection between Kevin’s murder and the previous shootings. Although all incidents involved the same caliber of ammunition and a similar vehicle type, no direct link was apparent.

David Zoeski remarked, “Kevin was the only person murdered and detectives didn't know why” (10:57). Theories ranged from random road rage to a targeted attack, but evidence remained inconclusive.

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Breakthrough: The Connection to Kinshin Pan

Identifying the Suspect

A significant break came when another incident occurred at an Arby’s near the Best Western where Pan, the suspect, had been spotted. The discovery of .45 caliber shells matching those from Kevin's murder linked Pan to the crimes.

Detective Zoeski explains, “The casings matched the one at the homicide, but Kevin was the only person killed” (10:49). Further evidence included:

• GPS and Surveillance Footage: A dark SUV was traced to Kinshin Pan, revealing his attempts to mislead investigators by disabling GPS systems and making large cash withdrawals.

• Forensic Evidence: DNA from Pan was found on the gun and ammunition at the Arby’s, as well as on Kevin’s hat and the SUV’s gear shift (40:10).

Manhunt and Arrest

Pan’s parents inadvertently aided the investigation by providing transportation that led detectives closer to Pan. Despite initial setbacks, Pan was eventually located and apprehended in Montgomery, Alabama, possessing significant amounts of cash and multiple SIM cards used to obfuscate his activities.

David Zoeski notes, “He did his best to mislead us. And now we knew that this wasn't a random incident, that he was targeted” (32:11).

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Conviction and Sentencing

Legal Proceedings

After a thorough investigation, Kinshin Pan pled guilty to Kevin Jiang’s murder on February 29, 2024, in exchange for 35 years in prison without parole. The court proceedings were emotionally charged, with poignant statements from Kevin’s family and Pan’s brief admission of guilt.

Stanley Miranda, the Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney, stated, “Overwhelming evidence” led to Pan’s conviction, despite the murder weapon itself never being recovered (41:27).

Sentencing

During sentencing, Pan remained silent as Kevin’s loved ones shared their grief. Zion Perry, Kevin’s fiancée, poignantly expressed, “May God have mercy on you, and” signaling a hope for closure despite the limited sentencing.

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Impact on the Community and Family

Grieving and Aftermath

Kevin’s death left a profound impact on his family and the broader Yale community. His mother, Linda Liu, spoke heart-wrenchingly about the loss: “I am left alone by myself. I will never see Kevin smile again” (42:43).

Detective Hubbard shared her emotional experience visiting Kevin’s grave, feeling his presence and urging, “I want you to carry on. Don't be sad that I'm gone. Just keep going” (43:11).

Unresolved Questions

Despite Pan’s conviction, the absence of the actual murder weapon leaves lingering questions about the full extent of the crime and Pan’s motives. The community grapples with the loss of a beloved, genuinely kind individual whose life was abruptly ended.

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Conclusion

“The Ivy League Murder” episode of 48 Hours masterfully captures the intricate details and emotional gravity of Kevin Jiang’s case. Through comprehensive reporting and compelling interviews, the episode highlights the relentless pursuit of justice by dedicated law enforcement and the enduring sorrow of those left behind. This narrative not only outlines a harrowing crime but also underscores the resilience of a community striving to find closure and honor the memory of a bright young man.

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Notable Quotes:

• David Zoeski (00:40): “The common denominator was the caliber of the gun that was used. .45 caliber casings were located at all four of those scenes.”

• Natalia Melman Petruzella (03:08): “He was so in love with Zion. He really loved her.”

• Kevin Jiang (28:51): “It was just an innocent, innocent guy.”

• David Zoeski (32:49): “He did his best to mislead us. And now we knew that this wasn't a random incident, that he was targeted.”

• Zion Perry (30:31): “He gave me a lot of joy. He's very thoughtful, warmer boy, taking care of me. And I miss him.”

• Pan at Sentencing (43:17): “Your Honor, what I'm thinking about is my action and the horrible consequences. I feel sorry for what my actions caused and for everyone affected.”

This structured and detailed summary provides a comprehensive overview of the episode, ensuring that both the factual progression of the case and the emotional undertones are effectively conveyed to those who haven't listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Wondery subscribers can listen to this podcast ad free right now. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app. Today you start dealing with a series of shootings that's a little out of the ordinary. Take me through that.

[David Zoeski]

The first shooting occurs on December 11, 2020 at Huntington street in New Haven. There's a report of five gunshots in the area. The residents were struck multiple times. The house was occupied, but nobody was hit. When police responded, they located multiple.45 caliber cell casings at the scene. There's a second shooting that occurs January 15th, 2021. The third shooting occurred February 5th. A fourth incident occurred on February 6th. It's another residence. It was occupied, but nobody was hurt inside. There were five rounds that were shot into. It was occupied. Fortunately, nobody was hit. The residents were struck multiple times by gunfire. Nobody was injured. Patrol officers located one.45 caliber located mult casings.45 caliber.45 caliber shell casings were located at the scene.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Four shootings over a few months. Do they have anything in common?

[David Zoeski]

The common denominator was the caliber of the gun that was used.45 caliber casings that were located at all four of those scenes. And in the last two shootings, there was a description of a dark colored SUV.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Our officer is concerned that at some point someone is going to get hurt.

[David Zoeski]

Yes.

[Kevin Jiang]

8:30 Saturday night, residents in the East.

[David Zoeski]

Rock neighborhood heard the distinct sound of gunfire. On February 6th at around 8:30pm we get the report of a person shot at Lawrence and Nicholl street in New Haven. That person was later identified as Kevin Zhang and was pronounced deceased on the scene. We located eight.45 caliber cell casings. There were a few 911 callers that saw a dark colored SUV flee the area. A sense of shock and sadness has.

[Kevin Jiang]

Settled on the Yale University community after.

[David Zoeski]

The Saturday night shooting death of grad student Kevin Giang.

[Kevin Jiang]

What's up, everyone?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Welcome to another episode of Fitness with Kevin.

[Kevin Jiang]

I'm Kevin.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

It still doesn't feel real. You know, like, it still doesn't feel real.

[David Zoeski]

He's such a cutie.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

He was just very happy person, very genuine soul.

[Kevin Jiang]

The victim was a student at Yale's.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

School of the Environment.

[Kevin Jiang]

Originally from Chicago, he was an army vet who posted on Facebook just a week ago his joy in getting engaged.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Oh, wow. He was so in love with Zion. He was just like, oh, Zion this and Zion that. Like everything was about Zion. He really loved her. So you guys walk up to the scene. What do you see?

[David Zoeski]

Kevin's body. He was laying on his right side. His Feet were on the stop line here, and his head was towards the first line of the crosswalk. And then we see the casings. There's a shell casing by the bottom of the S and a few feet from the P. And then there were six more spread out by the first crosswalk line. We could see gunshot wounds to his upper body and to his head. There were some shots that were up close range.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

There was something personal about this.

[David Zoeski]

Yes. We'll use Facebook as a tool to try and get a little bit background on an individual who they're friends with.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And so you're going down the list of names. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

[David Zoeski]

And then you're like, whoa, there's our connection. Ann Marie Green reports the Ivy League murder.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

It was a cold night in February 2021 when lead detective David Zoeski and his colleague Stephen Cunningham arrived at the crime scene.

[David Zoeski]

The patrol officers had already been out there canvassing the area. They were knocking on doors, looking for anyone that might have seen anything or heard anything. The crime scene detectives were starting to locate all the shell casings.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

26 year old Yale graduate student Kevin Jeong was lying in the street, shot eight times.

[David Zoeski]

His body was still on scene covered in a white shell.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

When you saw the body, what did you see?

[David Zoeski]

What we could see were gunshot wounds to his upper body and to his head. And you could see stippling on the left side of his head.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Stippling is a burn pattern caused by gunpowder exploding from a weapon fired at close range. About 100ft down the street, there was.

[David Zoeski]

A Prius just parked in the middle of the road with his hazards on.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

They quickly discovered the Prius belonged to Kevin. Crime scene detectives noticed a peculiar bit of damage that suggested it had been hit from behind.

[David Zoeski]

There was an impression that was left on the back bumper that looked like a license plate holder.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

So this is like a fender mender. It's not a violent crash?

[David Zoeski]

No, there's not much damage.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

One witness told detectives she heard the sound of an accident and went to the window to look.

[David Zoeski]

When they look out, they see Prius come to a stop and put his hazards on. They see a dark colored SUV pull up behind it and then reverse back towards the intersection. They see the operator, the Prius, walk out and approached the SUV most likely to see how they were exchange insurance information. When the operator gets to the black suv, they hear a round of gunshots and they see the muzzle flash from the gun from the driver's side of the suv.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Another witness heard the first round of gunshots and went to her window.

[David Zoeski]

When she looks outside, she sees a subject wearing all black standing over another individual who's laying on the ground. She hears another round of gunshots, and she can see the muzzle flash from the gun as he's firing.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

She sees someone standing over another person, which means the victim is already down and they're still shooting.

[David Zoeski]

Yes.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

What did you think?

[David Zoeski]

There's a little bit more to it. It seems a little bit more personal when you have someone that's laying on the ground and not moving. What would cause someone to continue firing at them?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The detectives were able to confirm these accounts when they got a look at video from a neighbor's security system.

[David Zoeski]

It was located on the inside of a window facing outward.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Because most of the frame is a reflection of the interior of the house, we've zoomed in to focus on what's happening on the street. A warning. This may be difficult to listen to.

[David Zoeski]

We hear the collision between the two cars. And then that's when you see Kevin's Prius pull into frame and the SUV pulls up behind him and then reverses out of frame. You see Kevin exit his vehicle and then walk out of frame to approach the suv. You then hear two gunshots, a scream, and then six more gunshots.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Moments later, the video shows the SUV driving off into the night. Can you make out any details when it comes to the suv?

[David Zoeski]

Unfortunately not. You could kind of get the idea of the potential make and model of it with the tail lights, but you couldn't discern any identifying features.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Investigators soon felt the dark SUV and the.45 caliber shells recovered at the scene pointed to a potential link to those earlier shootings. Around the area that police had been investigating. Four times over a two month span, someone fired shots into family homes. The fourth incident occurred just one hour before Kevin Jeong's murder.

[David Zoeski]

We had detectives in the bureau looking into each of the incidents to see if there's any more of a connection to link them.

[Kevin Jiang]

Two bullets came in through this window and ended up in this wall.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Paul and Nyri White's home was the target of the third shooting.

[Kevin Jiang]

We had just finished dinner. I had a fire going.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Nyri, a schoolteacher, headed upstairs to take a shower. Paul, an educator with degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Columbia University, was sitting downstairs.

[Kevin Jiang]

All of a sudden, something comes through this window. Then a second bullet came through. You heard the pop and the glass going everywhere with that one.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Paul shouted a warning to Nyree.

[Kevin Jiang]

Get down. Someone's shooting.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And then I heard bang, pop again. And I turn and I literally saw the Frame of the door just splintered. And then she yells back at you, right?

[Kevin Jiang]

That someone shooting upstairs.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

It was over in a matter of moments and no one was injured. Do you feel lucky? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, Absolutely. Detectives interviewed the whites and the occupants of the other houses.

[David Zoeski]

There didn't seem to be any connection between them.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And none of them, investigators say, had any connection to Kevin Zhang. But the shell casings from all the shootings would later tell a different story.

[David Zoeski]

When the casings are sent to the lab, they all came back as matches to the casings found at the homicide.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The casings matched, but Kevin was the only person murdered and detectives didn't know why.

[David Zoeski]

It could have been a road rage incident that turned a little too violent.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Or was Kevin Zhang targeted?

[David Zoeski]

The car accident was deliberate to get.

[Kevin Jiang]

Him out of the vehicle. Possibly seemed like it was planned.

[David Zoeski]

And if he was specifically targeted, what could have happened in his life to drive someone to do this?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

I'm Natalia Melman Petruzella and from the BBC. This is Extreme Peak Danger, the most beautiful mountain in the world. If you die on the mountain, you stay on the mountain. This is the story of what happened when 11 climbers died on one of the world's deadliest mountains, K2. And of the risks we'll take to feel truly alive.

[Kevin Jiang]

If I tell all the details, you won't believe it anymore.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Extreme Peak Danger. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Kevin Jiang]

He was hip hop's biggest mogul.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The man who redefined fame, fortune, and the music industry.

[David Zoeski]

The first male rapper to be honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sean Diddy Combs.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Diddy built an empire and lived a life most people only dream about.

[Kevin Jiang]

Everybody know ain't no party like a Diddy party. So yeah, that's what's up.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But just as quickly as his empire rose, it came crashing down.

[David Zoeski]

Today I'm announcing the unsealing of a three count indictment charging Sean Combs with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution.

[Kevin Jiang]

I was up and I hit rock bottom. But I made no excuses. I'm disgusted. I'm so sorry.

[David Zoeski]

Until you're wearing an orange jumpsuit, it's not real. Now it's real.

[Kevin Jiang]

From his meteoric rise to his shocking fall from grace from law and crime, this is the rise and fall of Diddy.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Listen to the rise and fall of Diddy. Exclusively with wonder. It was late when detectives Zoeski and Cunningham left the crime scene. On February 6, they went to Kevin Jiang's home looking to find a family member to notify about what had Happened. His mother, Linda Liu, came to the door. It's gotta be the hardest conversation.

[David Zoeski]

It is. They always are.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Hi, mom. Happy birthday.

[David Zoeski]

You want to be direct and upfront and make it clear, as horrific as it is for them. So we explained to her that he was shot and killed in the area of Lawrence and Nicholl street in New Haven.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Can she even comprehend that?

[David Zoeski]

She's absolutely devastated. She falls to the ground crying.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The detectives wanted to know everything about Kevin and why he may have been targeted. That night, Linda began to tell them about her son.

[David Zoeski]

It was just the two of them, and he was actually supporting her. She told us that he was a grad student at Yale University and was in the Army National Guard.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Kevin was deeply religious. He and his mother were part of the congregation at Trinity Baptist Church. Pastor Gregory Hendrickson knew them both and says that Linda, a divorced single parent, got Kevin through a tough childhood where he was often bullied. She was very committed to sort of seeing him come through, and eventually he thrived on the other side of that. I think he had a sense of honoring his mom by, as she had cared for him when he was a child, caring for her as she was getting older. Kevin bought this house in 2019, and Hendrickson says he invited his mother to come live with him. She was living alone. She was living on the other side of the country. She didn't have a lot of family support around her, and he wanted her.

[David Zoeski]

To come and be with him.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

During his studies at Yale, police also learned that Kevin had recently gotten engaged to his girlfriend of a year, Zion Perry. She posted the proposal on Facebook. This was just one week before he was murdered. He was so in love with Zion, you could tell he didn't even have to really say too much. Naja Hubbard, who served with Kevin in the Army National Guard. Oh, my gosh. So I remember one time he was on the phone with her, and I was like, wow. Like, you could hear the genuineness and his love to towards her. And I was like, wow, I hope I find someone like that. Zion Perry grew up in Pennsylvania, where she was an honors high school student. The couple met In January of 2020, when Zion was still an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, mit. He said, you know, I met her at a Christian retreat, and she's very.

[David Zoeski]

Kind, and we enjoy talking and just.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Have great conversations together. Then she came to do her PhD at Yale. They clearly shared a lot in common.

[David Zoeski]

They both loved nature.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

I mean, Zion's a scientist. He was studying molecular biophysics and biochemistry. So you know he was studying in the school of the environment. They're both brilliant and hardworking students, and yet they didn't feel like their accomplishments were what defined them at the deepest level. Zulewski and Cunningham then interviewed an emotional Zion. She told them she and Kevin had spent the day together.

[David Zoeski]

They had gone ice fishing and had dinner at her house. And then he left her house around 8:30 that night.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Kevin didn't get far. His Prius was struck by the dark SUV just two blocks from Zion's house, close enough for Zion to hear the gunshots that followed.

[David Zoeski]

She remembers hearing the gunshots, but she thought there was a good five or ten minutes after he'd left to when she heard the gunshots. So she didn't think he was anywhere near the area and didn't think twice about him potentially being involved in any way.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Did she have any idea who would have done something like this at that point?

[Kevin Jiang]

I don't know nothing that she told us that she. She could think of.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

After speaking with Zion detectives were no closer to figuring out why Kevin would be a target.

[Kevin Jiang]

Seemed like just an innocent, innocent guy.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Did you think this was gonna be a tough case, though, that night?

[David Zoeski]

Yes, we had a little bit, but there wasn't a lot to go on.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

I just had somebody drive through my yard here.

[Kevin Jiang]

How you doing?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But just 15 hours after the shooting.

[Kevin Jiang]

What are you doing back here?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

They got a huge break.

[David Zoeski]

Little did we know that we'd get the phone call the next day.

[Kevin Jiang]

I just got in here accidentally, and I got.

[David Zoeski]

And it was like, okay.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Wow. News of Kevin's murder spread among his loved ones and closest friends. I was at home, and I actually got a phone call from another soldier. And she was saying, I know you guys were close. And her voice cracked. And she told me that he had passed away. And I was, like, not comprehending what was going on. So I text him, and I was like, answer your phone, please. And obviously, he never answered me. Lt. Hubbard reached out to Captain Jamila Aye. And if sharing the news about Kevin wasn't tragic enough, someone posted the chilling video of his murder online. And his fellow soldiers now saw and heard Kevin's final moments alive. To this day, I can still hear him. Yeah, yeah. Him screaming. I was like, why did I listen to that? Detectives Zoezki and Cunningham were back at their desks in headquarters, struggling for answers and leads to pursue. Day two. You get a phone call?

[David Zoeski]

Yes.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The call from a sergeant at nearby North Haven Police department was urgent.

[David Zoeski]

Two incidents that happened in North Haven the night before and then earlier that morning.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

It began with a 911 call from a local scrap metal yard around 9pm, less than a half hour after Kevin was killed. I'm a security guard at Sims Metal Management.

[Kevin Jiang]

I just had somebody drive through my yard here.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

They didn't know where they were going.

[Kevin Jiang]

So I've been chasing them around the.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Yard and they just pulled way in.

[Kevin Jiang]

The back off the property.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

It's like a black minivan, SUV type of thing. Police body cameras were rolling when Sgt. Jeffrey Mills and Officer Marcus Artize spotted that vehicle stuck on snow covered railroad tracks not far from the rear exit of the Sims scrap metal yard. They approached the driver.

[Kevin Jiang]

What are you doing back here though? I just got it here accidentally and I got stuck.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Is there any way to get us stuck here?

[Kevin Jiang]

The only thing I can do is call your tow truck. Okay, cool. Thanks.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The motorist was 29 year old Kinshin Pan from Malden, Massachusetts.

[Kevin Jiang]

Okay. Do you have your driver's license on you?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Yes.

[Kevin Jiang]

Registration?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

His driver's license and criminal background were clean. During the encounter, Sgt. Mills noticed a yellow jacket on the passenger seat. He also saw a blue bag and a briefcase in, in the backseat, but not much else.

[Kevin Jiang]

He took a wrong turn, he got lost and he thought the jeep was probably chasing him, the security guy.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Because Sergeant Mills hadn't heard about Kevin's murder, he wasn't particularly concerned. So it's nothing you think?

[Kevin Jiang]

Yeah, he's.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

He doesn't look like he's trying to scrap anything.

[Kevin Jiang]

I mean, no. I've been on the tracks I don't know how many times with vehicles that were, you know, called in as suspicious or whatever, but kids go back there. People always come down there, according to the security guard, and they turn around in the front lot and they leave because they missed the highway or something.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Did he look nervous?

[Kevin Jiang]

He wasn't nervous at all. He was perfectly calm.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

So what do you recommend I do?

[David Zoeski]

I mean, if I can get it off the track, I prefer to drive it myself.

[Kevin Jiang]

It was just like, oh, sorry, I got stuck on the tracks. Can you help me get off?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

So how about you get a hotel for the night? We'll have the tow truck drop you off the hotel, you pay for a.

[Kevin Jiang]

Credit card and you can arrange picking up the car in the morning. Okay, let's get the hotel then.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Yeah, let's do that.

[Kevin Jiang]

If it is difficult, that's probably the safest thing to do.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Okay.

[Kevin Jiang]

Okay. The tow truck came. It took a little work, but it got it off the tracks. He gave Mr. Pan a ride back to Best Western. And I cleared the call like any other call.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But hours later, there was another call.

[Kevin Jiang]

To 91 1-Feb. 7, around 11am Hello?

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Can I help you?

[Kevin Jiang]

This is the police department.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Hello. I work at Arby here in North Haven. We found a gun and probably like 10 boxes of bullets.

[Kevin Jiang]

An employee found a couple of bags on the grass at the north entrance here. When they brought them in, there were three bags. This one, that one, and this. Got it. Took a better look at the bags that it came in. And here's a blue retail bag with the Massachusetts logo on it and a small leather black briefcase. And it instantly hit me. These are the bags that were in Mr. Pond's car the night before.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The Arby's was right next door to the Best Western where Penn was dropped off. And by then, Mills had heard about the murder in New Haven. What's going through your brain at that.

[Kevin Jiang]

Point, knowing that New Haven had a homicide? They were looking for a dark colored GMC suv. Now we've got a firearm. And then Officer Bianchi shows me a yellow jacket that was in it. And the suspect was wearing a yellow jacket, jacket. And when we got here, I went in to the front desk and spoke with the attendant there and asked if bucks on Pan had checked in, which they checked in and said, yes, he did, and he hasn't checked out yet.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

That's when Mills alerted New Haven Homicide about Pan. Do you immediately think there might be a connection with the homicide?

[David Zoeski]

There's a very good chance the vehicle matched. And the items that were left behind at the Arby's restaurant, it included a.45 caliber handgun. And that matched the casings that were up the scene.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Zulewski immediately sent detectives to meet Mills at the Best Western.

[Kevin Jiang]

So we got a key, went to room 276. We knocked on the door, we entered the room. The room was clean, nothing in it. It didn't appear that anybody stayed in it for the night. At first we were like, oh, we lost them.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

New Haven police sent investigators, including Detective Joe Galvin, to track down Pan. Galvin went to Malden, Massachusetts, where Pan lived with his parents and was a graduate student at mit right outside of Boston.

[Kevin Jiang]

Very affluent homes. There was no one there when we knocked on the door. So the day after the homicide, we were unsure if maybe the family was on vacation out of state, out of the country.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But police were also worried.

[Kevin Jiang]

Were they given the heinous act that occurred in New Haven the day before? Were they potentially kidnapped by their own son? Were they victims of another horrible crime.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

You don't believe in ghosts. I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either, until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada as we journey through terrifying and bone chilling stories of the unexplained. Search for Hunt to Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America. But when a social media fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection.

[David Zoeski]

Claudine Gay is now gone. We've exposed the DEI regime and there's much more to come.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

This is the Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's on the Media. To Listen, subscribe to on the Media wherever you get your podcasts. With Kenshin Pan and his parents missing from their home, Detective David Zaweski turned to his computer, searching for Pan.

[David Zoeski]

The first thing I want to know is who he is and if there's any connection between him and Kevin. I see that he has a Facebook page.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

What was his page like?

[David Zoeski]

There was not much activity at all. His last post was back in 2016 and he had a few photos with some other students, but that was it.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Is that when you first found out that he's an MIT grad student?

[David Zoeski]

Yes, that was the first time we got the connection between him and mit. So I check his friends list to see if Kevin is in there.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Is he?

[David Zoeski]

Kevin is not listed, but I do notice that Zion Perry is listed.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Zion Perry, Kevin's fiance who also went to mit.

[David Zoeski]

Now we have a connection. I got in contact with her. She explained that they had met at MIT back in 2019 and they were more associates than friends.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Nothing romantic?

[David Zoeski]

No. She said that they never dated, they never had any romantic relationship. The last time she spoke with him was May of 2020. He reached out to her through Facebook messenger to congratulate her on graduating. He asked to FaceTime with her and she politely declined it.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

She must have been wondering why you asked me so many questions about this guy. What'd you say to her?

[David Zoeski]

She was and that's when I told her that he was a person of interest in this, and she was completely shocked. He was barely a part of her life, and why he would have been involved with this in any way.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

What did she have posted on her page?

[David Zoeski]

The last things that she had posted were the engagement between her and Kevin. Oh.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Oh, yes. Yes, definitely. Wow. This is so pretty. Wow. Wow. Are you starting to formulate a theory about the case? It goes a little beyond possible road rage.

[David Zoeski]

Yes, it did seem like there was a secret obsession of Pan's going on behind the scenes that Kevin wasn't aware of and that Zion wasn't aware of.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The next day, Zion Perry joined Kevin's mother, Linda Liu, and father, Ming Shen jiang, and nearly 700 people on a virtual vigil for Kevin. Zion addressed the mourners. One day I will get to see Kevin again. Yet in heaven, and when everything is made right. I thank Ms. Liu and Mr. Jiang for raising such a fine young man and for bringing him into the world. He gave me a lot of joy. He's very thoughtful, warmer boy, taking care of me. And I miss him.

[Kevin Jiang]

He's a nice boy.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Everybody likes him.

[David Zoeski]

Thank you.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Thank you. You are that week. Pastor Hendrickson eulogized Kevin at his funeral. We come to you today remembering Kevin, grateful for his life, grieving over his loss. Zion read a poem Kevin wrote to her. It began, if this world falls apart, it will be all right, because we have each other's hearts. A medical officer also trained to operate tanks, Kevin was buried with full military honors just two days before his 27th birthday on Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, Detective Galvin, a member of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Connecticut, along with Supervisor Matthew Duffy and Deputy Marshal Kevin Perrault, were utilizing their vast resources to urgently gather intelligence on panic.

[Kevin Jiang]

MIT graduate, not socially active. Degree in computer science. Grad student in artificial intelligence.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Lawyer William Geraint.

[Kevin Jiang]

Very smart.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Genius.

[Kevin Jiang]

Genius. Socially not a genius.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The marshals discovered Pan had three active phones. And they noticed that in the months before Kevin was killed, Pan was using one of those phones to contact car dealerships.

[Kevin Jiang]

He would tell them all the same thing. He said he's going for a test drive. I believe he said he's going on a camping trip.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Investigators were able to match the date of Pan's test drives with each of the.45 caliber shootings in New Haven, including Kevin's murder. It was all part of a plan. Investigators say they believe that Pan likely fired shots into those homes to ultimately mislead them, hoping they would think Kevin's murder was Just another random shooting.

[Kevin Jiang]

He planned it and he knew we'd be looking at these other things. Yeah.

[David Zoeski]

He did his best to mislead us. And now we knew that, yes, this wasn't a random incident out there, that he was targeted.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

They also discovered that not long after Kevin's murder, Pan called his parents and they made a cash withdrawal of about $1,000.

[Kevin Jiang]

They had tremendous assets somehow from Shanghai, access to large sums of money, several million dollars.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The marshals zeroed in on Pan's parents and picked up a ping on their phone at this North Carolina gas station.

[Kevin Jiang]

Our task force founded on. On the ground.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The cell phone was crushed like a.

[Kevin Jiang]

Car ran over it.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Three days later, investigators caught up with Pan's parents driving near Atlanta, Georgia.

[Kevin Jiang]

Georgia State police pulled him over.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

He's not in the vehicle? Nope. Police told them they suspected their son had killed someone. Were they shocked?

[Kevin Jiang]

No.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

They weren't shocked that their son was being investigated in connection with a cold blooded murder.

[Kevin Jiang]

They may have been, but they didn't. They didn't lead on to us at all. They didn't lead on to us at all. The father said our son called, said he was in Connecticut and needed help. He asked us to bring cash. Then once we picked him up in Connecticut, he took the wheel. And then they take this very long drive down south.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Van's father didn't say why his son was heading in that direction.

[Kevin Jiang]

And he says he's quiet, acting weird, doesn't really say what's going on. They make it down to Georgia, he pulls over and he gets out of the car and walks away. He said no words to them, just walked away from the car. That was their story.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Pan's parents agreed to be photographed. Pan's mother declined to answer any questions without an attorney, but she later volunteered that her son walked away from her and his father and likely killed himself. The marshals were skeptical.

[Kevin Jiang]

We knew after talking to the parents that they would go to jail for him. Knowing the degree that the parents were helping him and his resources, his intelligence, we had to take a different approach on it. We needed to focus in on the parents because they probably would lead us to him. They would go to the ends of the earth to help support and hide him.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And what does that mean?

[Kevin Jiang]

Patience.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And they would need plenty of it. Weeks went by without an arrest. They wondered if they missed something and if their murder suspect had outmaneuvered them. What do you think of Pan's plan to mislead investigators? See more of the evidence at 48Hours.com UFO lands in Suffolk. And that's official. Said the News of the world. But what really happened across two nights in December 1980 when US servicemen saw mysterious lights in the forest near RAF Woodbridge and claimed to have had a close encounter with an actual craft? Encounters, a new podcast available exclusively on Wondery, takes a deep dive into one of the most famous and still unresolved UFO encounters to ever take place in the uk Featuring shocking testimony from first hand witnesses. Hosts, journalist, podcaster and UFO researcher Andy McVillan. That's me. And producer L. Scott take us back to the nights in question and examine all of the evidence and conflicting theories about what was encountered in the middle of a Snowy Suffolk Forest 40 years ago. Are we alone? Encounters as a podcast which is going to find out. Listen to Encounters exclusively in AD free on Wondry Plus. Join Wondry plus in the Wondry app or in Apple Podcasts. Five weeks pass without a solid lead on the MIT studio student wanted for Kevin Zhang's murder. U.S. marshals are leading a nationwide manhunt this morning for the man charged in the murder of a Yale grad student. You give me a real sense of the pressure.

[Kevin Jiang]

Yeah, because this became so high profile so fast, it was just heightened.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Then the manhunt for Pan suddenly heated up. Police said his mom told them she suspected her son killed himself. But they noticed his parents had a lot of banking activity.

[Kevin Jiang]

We start to see large sums of cash being withdrawn. How much at that time was about 5,000, 10,000. That's a large sum of money that someone could use to get out of the country. They still have family in China.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And then Pan's parents rented a car.

[Kevin Jiang]

They start traveling south again.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But the vehicle's GPS system the marshals were tracking went dark. Did they turn it off?

[Kevin Jiang]

It was disabled.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

By then, investigators said they knew that their son had disabled GPS systems in several cars he drove in the run up to Kevin's murder.

[Kevin Jiang]

Counter tactics. Counter tactics.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

At one point, surveillance cameras at this Georgia mall recorded Pan's father purchasing a computer.

[Kevin Jiang]

Now, this is during COVID so everybody has their masks on. We see the father walk in, and probably about 10 minutes later, we see an individual fitting the description of the son. So the story of the suicide out in the woods, that's not true. So from there, the parents end up traveling back north. Once they're in Connecticut, the GPS comes back on. We felt the clock was really ticking.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

And it ticked away for nearly two more months until May 4, 2021, when Pan's parents drove off for a third time. But there was a difference.

[Kevin Jiang]

They were traveling with another couple.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

What do you think the deal was with the other couple?

[Kevin Jiang]

Make it appear that it's a regular trip. No big deal. We're just going on a trip to meet some friends. We're not here to help our son.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Pan's parents and their unwitting companions were eventually placed under surveillance at a North Carolina hot where marshals interviewed a clerk after the Pans checked out.

[Kevin Jiang]

At one point, Tin Shinpan's mother came to the clerk's desk late at night and asked to borrow his phone.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Here is a picture of Pan's mother making the call that broke the case wide open.

[Kevin Jiang]

After she used his phone, she deleted the number from his phone.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Were you able to find that number?

[Kevin Jiang]

Yes.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

The marshals tracked the phone to this boarding house near Alabama State University in Montgomery. So you guys are closing in?

[Kevin Jiang]

Yeah. They went out there with a small army, around 20 guys. They ended up finding his room and they knocked on it. And he just came out and said, I'm who you're looking for. He had approximately $20,000 cash on him. He had his father's passport. Father's passport. And he had multiple communication devices on him. So seven SIM cards. Seven SIM cards and. And a computer.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Penn was arrested for the murder of Kevin Zhang and brought back to Connecticut. He maintained his innocence, but a judge ordered him held on a 20 million dollar bond.

[Kevin Jiang]

You huge relief.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

His case was delayed by the pandemic, but investigators had amassed a trove of evidence. Remember that license plate imprint on Kevin's car? Police say it matched the plate on the bumper of the SUV Pan was driving when Kevin was rear ended. And forensic tests revealed that Pan's DNA was on the gun and ammo found outside Arby's. And Kevin's blood was also on Pan's hat and the gear shift of the SUV Pan was driving the night Kevin was murdered. Was there anything missing?

[Kevin Jiang]

The murder weapon.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Turns out the gun recovered at the Arby's was not the gun that was used to kill Kevin. Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Stacey Miranda.

[Kevin Jiang]

Who knows where that murder weapon ended up.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

But the there was so much other evidence that Pan's lawyer, William Gerais, recommended he cut a deal.

[Kevin Jiang]

Overwhelming evidence.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Overwhelming evidence. On February 29, 2024, three years after Kevin's killing, Pan pled guilty to his murder in Exchange for serving 35 years in prison without parole.

[Kevin Jiang]

And had he not and stuck on the railroad tracks, this still might not be a solved case. We might not know who did this. Bring out Pan, please.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

At his sentencing in April, Pan sat silently as Kevin's loved ones and friends described their loss. By court order, the camera was fixed on him. Some of Kevin's mother's remarks were read by a family friend. I was dreaming that Kevin will have a few beautiful children after getting married. This beautiful and joyful dream is destroyed. I am left alone by myself. I will never see Kevin smile again. Then Kevin's mother decided to speak to charge the mother.

[Kevin Jiang]

Pen.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

35 years in prison is too short and to light. Pan never explained why he killed Kevin, but the only time he looked up was when Zion Perry rose to speak. I wanted to address Pan specifically. Although your sentence is far less than you deserve, there is also mercy. May God have mercy on you, and.

[Kevin Jiang]

May he have mercy on all of us.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Then Pan briefly addressed the court.

[Kevin Jiang]

Your Honor, what I'm thinking about is my action and the horrible consequences. I feel sorry for what my actions caused and for everyone affected.

[David Zoeski]

I fully accept my penalties.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Court is going to impose the agreed.

[David Zoeski]

Upon sentence of 35 years.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Finally, Judge Harmon passed sentence, and Pan was led away in handcuffs. Did you ever consider charging his parents?

[Kevin Jiang]

We couldn't charge them because we couldn't prove that they knew when they picked.

[David Zoeski]

Him up that he was.

[Natalia Melman Petruzella]

Had committed a murder. So they might be lucky that they didn't find themselves charged as well, 100%. We reached out to Pan's parents for comment, but did not hear back. Now Kevin's friends are left to wonder what Kevin, a man of deep faith, might have thought about his killer. Do you think Kevin would have forgiven Pan? Yes, I do. Without a doubt. Yeah. The officers visited Kevin's grave after they spoke to 48 hours. Lt. Hubbard recalled her first time there when she says she felt Kevin's presence. And did something happen? It's just like wind blew, you know? Did you feel like it was him? I felt like it was definitely different as it's like a piece, kind of like. I want you to carry on. Don't be sad that I'm gone. Just keep going. Ken Shin Pan is scheduled to be released in 2056 when he is 65 years old. Join me Tuesday for postmortem from 48 hours, where we'll dive even deeper into today's episode and answer your questions about the case. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick [e-mail] survey.