The Pin at Apartment 210

Summary

Dateline NBC: The Pin at Apartment 210

Release Date: April 22, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Dateline NBC, titled "The Pin at Apartment 210," host Blaine Alexander delves into the harrowing true-crime story of Jasmine Pace, a young woman whose disappearance led to a relentless family-led investigation and ultimately a shocking conviction. This detailed account captures the emotional journey of Jasmine's family as they navigate despair, determination, and the pursuit of justice.

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Jasmine Pace's Background and Disappearance

Jasmine Pace, affectionately known as Jazzy, was a vibrant 22-year-old from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Balancing college studies with a job at her family's construction company, Jasmine was known for her sweet demeanor, love for reading, and active social life. On November 23, 2022, Jasmine vanished under mysterious circumstances, sparking immediate concern among her family and friends.

Notable Quotes:

• Katrina Pace (Jasmine's Mother) [03:04]: "She loved her family. She put everything she had into being there for everybody else."
• Gabby Pace (Jasmine's Half-Sister) [01:23]: "A couple of days go by and I hadn't heard from her."

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The Family's Investigation

Struggling with the sudden loss of their matriarch, Granny Pace, and Jasmine's unexpected disappearance, the Pace family embarked on a personal investigation. Their efforts included tracking Jasmine's digital footprint, accessing her phone records, and even breaking into locations they believed held clues. Their relentless pursuit demonstrated both their desperation and unwavering love.

Notable Quotes:

• Blaine Alexander [02:45]: "How far would you go for your family, for the people you love most in the world?"
• Katrina Pace [05:17]: "She's 22. She's on your phone plan. Who is she talking to? Like, let's unravel this."

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Discovery at Apartment 210

Following a cryptic pin sent by Jasmine at 2:18 AM on the night of her disappearance, the family traced her location to Apartment 210. Ignoring police warnings, they forcibly entered the apartment, uncovering disturbing evidence: Jasmine's personal belongings organized meticulously, indicating someone else had tampered with her life. This unauthorized intrusion would later have significant legal repercussions.

Notable Quotes:

• Katrina Pace [12:35]: "I'm more so just numb to everything that at first you feel just so much anger."
• Gabby Pace [19:17]: "At first they said, no, we haven't seen that girl. No, we haven't seen that girl."

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The Role of Jason Chen

Jason Chen, a man Jasmine had been casually dating, became the prime suspect. Through meticulous tracking of his movements and inconsistencies in his alibis, the Pace family and law enforcement zeroed in on him. Jason's background revealed previous troubling behavior, including hacking incidents targeting his former roommate, raising suspicions about his involvement in Jasmine's disappearance.

Notable Quotes:

• Detective Zach Crawford [30:38]: "We homed in on the day after Jasmine disappeared."
• Ryan Barrett (Former Roommate) [32:17]: "Insane. I just. He had done a lot of crazy things to me. But murder was not what I was expecting them."

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The Arrest and Trial

Jason Chen was arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder. The trial was a tense affair, with prosecutors presenting overwhelming evidence of premeditation, including the discovery of Jasmine's body with 60 stab wounds and her disposal in a suitcase. Defense attorney Josh Weiss contested these claims, arguing self-defense and disputing the timeline of events.

Notable Quotes:

• Prosecutor Paul Moyle: Highlighted the brutality and calculated nature of the crime.
• Josh Weiss (Defense Attorney) [39:36]: "Jason Chen is guilty, but he's not guilty of the crime that he's charged with."

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Prosecution and Defense Arguments

The prosecution emphasized the premeditated aspects of the murder, showcasing the evidence of extensive planning and the violent nature of the crime. They dismantled the defense's claims of self-defense by presenting forensic evidence that contradicted Jason's statements. Conversely, the defense portrayed Jason as a victim of an escalating argument, lacking intent for murder.

Notable Quotes:

• Katrina Pace [38:35]: "He's on social media on Tinder, hitting on girls, and Jasmine is dead in his apartment. Which really says everything you need to know."
• Detective Zach Crawford [27:17]: "This showed an extremely large amount of volume of blood. The Largest that I had seen to that point in terms of blue star reaction in my career. I vividly remember looking at Sergeant Emory and Detective Seich, and we all said, we have homicide."

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Conviction and Sentencing

After a compelling trial, the jury swiftly convicted Jason Chen of first-degree premeditated murder. The sentence handed down was life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Jasmine's family found a semblance of closure, though the emotional scars remain profound.

Notable Quotes:

• Lester Holt [42:20]: "We the jury, find the defendant, Jason Chen, guilty of first degree premeditated murder."
• Katrina Pace [42:42]: "I assumed that they were going to find Jason guilty, but that it might be over a period of hours or days. What we now know is that we had done our job."

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The Family's Perspective and Impact

Jasmine's family played a pivotal role in ensuring justice was served. Their determination not only led to the discovery of vital evidence but also highlighted the challenges families face when law enforcement avenues are insufficient. The emotional toll on the family was immense, but their perseverance ensured that Jasmine's legacy was honored.

Notable Quotes:

• Gabby Pace [43:35]: "The world needed to hear that. They didn't just need to look at her as a victim of a crime. They needed to look at her as like this most blessed person that would have just shown random acts of kindness to anybody."
• Katrina Pace [43:55]: "She put everything she had into being there for everybody else. She always put herself last. I mean, she got joy out of doing for others and being a loving, compassionate, kind, warm human being."

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Conclusion

"The Pin at Apartment 210" serves as a poignant reminder of the lengths to which love and determination can drive a family seeking justice. Through unwavering resolve and collaboration with law enforcement, Jasmine Pace's family not only uncovered the truth behind her tragic demise but also ensured that her memory lives on as a beacon of kindness and resilience.

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Notable Moments and Quotes Overview

• Family’s Desperation: "When you're desperate, you just don't stop moving." – Katrina Pace [02:52]
• Breaking into the Apartment: "Terrified of what you're about to find?" – Gabby Pace [02:10]
• Realization of the Pin: "It was scary. I think that that's when I think fear really set in." – Katrina Pace [18:50]
• Trial Dynamics: "Jason Chen is guilty, but he's not guilty of the crime that he's charged with." – Josh Weiss [39:45]

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Final Thoughts

This episode underscores the profound impact a family can have in the face of tragedy. Jasmine Pace's story is a testament to the strength of familial bonds and the pursuit of truth, even when faced with overwhelming odds.

Transcript

[Lester Holt]

A true crime story never really ends. Even when a case is closed. The journey for those left behind is just beginning. Since our DATELINE story aired, Tracy has harnessed her outrage into a mission.

[Blaine Alexander]

I had no other option. I had to do something.

[Lester Holt]

Catch up with families, friends and investigators on our bonus series after the Verdict. Ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with strength and courage.

[Blaine Alexander]

It does just change your life. But speaking up for these issues helps me keep going.

[Lester Holt]

To listen to after the Verdict, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

Or@Dateline premium.com hey everyone, it's Jenna Bush Hager from Today with Jenna and friends reminding you to check out my podcast Open Book with Jenna. In this week's episode, I sit down with New York Times best selling author Jasmine Guillory to talk about her latest novel Flirting Lessons. How she made the leap from being a lawyer to becoming a full time writer and the joy she finds in creating stories with the happily ever after. You can listen to the full conversation now by searching Open Book with Jenna wherever you get your podcasts tonight on dateline.

[Katrina Pace]

She loved her family. She put everything she had into being there for everybody else.

[Gabby Pace]

A couple of days go by and I hadn't heard from her.

[Jackie White]

She called me and she's like, have you heard Jasmine's missing.

[Blaine Alexander]

What was it about that post that stood out to you?

[Katrina Pace]

The photos? That's not something she would put out there of her in lingerie.

[Jackie White]

I pulled up her phone record. She has not made any phone calls since Tuesday night. And someone has been resetting her passwords.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

Her family catapulted the investigation.

[Katrina Pace]

They took matters into their own hands.

[Ryan Barrett]

We could see the pin drop from Jasmine's phone.

[Gabby Pace]

We found a way in the apartment.

[Katrina Pace]

Apartment complex, he said, I heard a scream that was so startling that I wrote the time down.

[Blaine Alexander]

So this was right next door?

[Katrina Pace]

Exactly.

[Blaine Alexander]

Are you thinking Jasmine could be inside?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes. We forced the door open. Terrified of what you're about to find?

[Lester Holt]

Could a family's all out effort to find their missing daughter actually derail their fight for justice? I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Blaine Alexander with the pin at apartment 210.

[Blaine Alexander]

How far would you go for your family, for the people you love most in the world?

[Katrina Pace]

When you're desperate, you just don't stop moving.

[Blaine Alexander]

Especially if one of them was in trouble. This family went to the ends of the earth.

[Jackie White]

What can we do?

[Blaine Alexander]

And the edge of the law can't.

[Lester Holt]

Investigate anything in there that you found.

[Blaine Alexander]

They'd only find out later, if they had gone too far. Chattanooga, Tennessee, 2022. Just two days before Thanksgiving, Jackie White and her family were heartbroken. The family matriarch, Granny, had cancer, and the prognosis wasn't good.

[Katrina Pace]

It was hard, and the cancer had metastasized. It went from, hey, let's figure out what's wrong too. She's gonna die very soon.

[Blaine Alexander]

That fast?

[Katrina Pace]

Yes. So it was really quick. It was really unexpected.

[Blaine Alexander]

The family all gathered at the hospital, including Jackie's cousin, Jasmine Pace. Jazzy, as the family called her, adored Granny. How was Jasmine during all of that?

[Katrina Pace]

She kept it together because that's what we do in my family. We're strong for each other. But when I got there, she was outside alone having her breakdown. So she was devastated. I mean, devastated. Absolutely devastated. Everyone had their own moment with her, and she passed as soon as I started praying.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jackie grieved with her cousin Jazzy. The two worried about their moms. Granny had raised them both. So they made plans for the family to gather on Thanksgiving just two days away. Jazzy helped lead the charge.

[Katrina Pace]

She offered, you know, I can bring stuff. Our moms are not going to want to have Thanksgiving, but Granny will haunt us if we do not. She's like, we have to get everyone together, even if we're all in pajamas and crying.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Katrina Pace]

So that was the plan, to kind of recoup the day in between and figure it out, and then I'll get back together on Thanksgiving.

[Blaine Alexander]

The day before Thanksgiving, Jackie texted Jazzy to see how she was holding up. And you got a response?

[Katrina Pace]

I did.

[Blaine Alexander]

Saying what?

[Katrina Pace]

I just need some time alone after everything that happened.

[Blaine Alexander]

Was that a normal response from her.

[Katrina Pace]

For an emotional event? Yes. I think my whole family's that way. We kind of retreat inwardly and like to process alone. So I thought maybe that's what was happening.

[Blaine Alexander]

But then Jazzy texted to say she was spending Thanksgiving with a friend instead.

[Katrina Pace]

Of the family and said, you know, I'm going to South Carolina with Emma for her family's Thanksgiving. I just need some time away from everyone.

[Blaine Alexander]

After everything that happened, Jackie couldn't believe it.

[Katrina Pace]

Her not coming to Thanksgiving, it upset me. I mean, I'm like, girl, be here, you know? And I tried to call her on Thanksgiving, and it went straight to voicemail.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jazzy's half sister, Gabby Pace, also found it strange, especially when she got this Snapchat from Jazzy, a photo with the message, baby, I'm good. What did you think?

[Gabby Pace]

Odd, because they were old pictures. It didn't look like the most recent Jazzy.

[Blaine Alexander]

By that Friday morning, worry started to creep in. Jazzy's mother, Katrina realized nobody had actually spoken to Jazzy in three days, since the night granny died when she couldn't.

[Katrina Pace]

Reach her on the phone. By the day after Thanksgiving, it was like, no, something's wrong. She's not picking up the phone. She's not checking on me.

[Blaine Alexander]

She knows her daughter.

[Katrina Pace]

She does. And it's very unlike Jasmine to not be there for everyone.

[Blaine Alexander]

Her mom called Emma, the friend Jazzy said she was visiting.

[Katrina Pace]

Emma actually told her, my family's not in South Carolina, so I don't even know where that came from.

[Blaine Alexander]

And there was more. Jazzy wasn't with her on Thanksgiving, and.

[Katrina Pace]

That'S when it was like, panic stricken.

[Blaine Alexander]

She knew something wasn't right.

[Katrina Pace]

And she's like, what do I do? And I said, She's 22. She's on your phone plan. Who is she talking to? Like, let's unravel this.

[Blaine Alexander]

The search for Jazzy would force the family to go places and do things they never imagined.

[Jackie White]

What can we do at this point?

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, I'm not saying it sounds like you all went into full investigation mode.

[Katrina Pace]

Mm.

[Jackie White]

You know it's not her. We know it's not her.

[Katrina Pace]

And from that moment on, it was just digging. Like, where is she spending money? Who's she talking to?

[Gabby Pace]

You're terrified of what you're about to find.

[Blaine Alexander]

November 26, 2022. It had been four days since family and friends last saw Jasmin Pace. It was totally unlike Jazzy to disappear like that. Her family started tracking her down.

[Katrina Pace]

It's 2022. Everyone has an electronic footprint. There are clues everywhere.

[Blaine Alexander]

Especially they figured for a bright and fun 22 year old who was normally in constant touch. What was she like?

[Katrina Pace]

Sweet memes. Sassy. Shut up. So easy to talk to. She had a lot of friends, definitely kind of an old soul. She liked to read. And as social as she was, she.

[Blaine Alexander]

Was a homebody too, and also outdoorsy. She liked walking along the banks of the Tennessee River. Family friend Brianna Edge had known Jasmine since she was born.

[Jackie White]

She always wanted to be where the adults were. She could be five, six years old, and Jasmine wanted to know what was going on, be part of it.

[Blaine Alexander]

As she got older, Jazzy wanted to be a part of the family business too. She started working at her mom and stepdad, Scott's construction company.

[Katrina Pace]

She was still in college, but worked for that company. So it was all day, every day on the phone with them.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jazzy had always been been someone they could lean on in times of crisis.

[Katrina Pace]

Her number one, I would say, was her family.

[Blaine Alexander]

Now, Jazzy might be the one in crisis. Her family kicked into high gear. Not only were they determined to find her, they were tech savvy. They went to the Verizon store and pulled Jazzy's phone records. One call in particular caught their attention. It happened on the day granny died. A 71 minute call to a number they didn't recognize. The next day, her phone turned off. They couldn't ping her location, but they thought of something else.

[Katrina Pace]

Every car has a computer mostly after 2015 now, and so we would be.

[Gabby Pace]

Able to track her car location through that. But in order for us to be able to do that, we had to log in through her email. So we had to transfer her phone number over to a new phone to be able to access all of that stuff.

[Blaine Alexander]

Once they got into Jazzy's email account, they found out that the passwords to her bank and social media accounts had been changed. It sounds like you all went into full investigation mode.

[Katrina Pace]

Mm. I think that idea was out there of let's use what we can.

[Blaine Alexander]

By now, the family had accessed Jazzy's car. Apparently since the last time the family saw her, her car had been to two locations and it was still at one of them. Mountain Creek Road. Jazzy's mom and stepdad raced over. Gabby arrived shortly after. And there it was in the parking lot. Jazzy's suv. But no sign of Jazzy. Jazzy's mom called the police. Hello. And before long, a patrol officer showed up. Body cam rolling. So what's going on exactly? That's mom Katrina on the left, stepdad Scott on the right. They told the officer everything they'd learned so far.

[Gabby Pace]

She's been missing for four days.

[Jackie White]

So Tuesday night at 11:27, she left our house and went to a house on or a place on Frazier Avenue. Wednesday it left Fraser Avenue, came right here.

[Gabby Pace]

Hadn't been moved.

[Jackie White]

Hadn't been moved. Since I pulled up her phone record, she has not made any phone calls since Tuesday night.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay.

[Jackie White]

No data has been used. Cuz I had her phone line transferred to a new device so I could track Track her stuff. And someone has been resetting her passwords. You know it's not her. We know it's not her.

[Blaine Alexander]

Just then, while the family stood in the lot, Jazzy seemed to emerge. A racy photo popped up on her Facebook account.

[Katrina Pace]

That's when I got scared.

[Blaine Alexander]

You saw that post?

[Katrina Pace]

I did. I felt like that's someone that wants to humiliate her. That's not something she would put out there of her in lingerie on social media.

[Jackie White]

What can we do at this point?

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, I'm not saying it's not weird circumstances, because that definitely is. I can get her listed as missing. Jazzy's mom wanted more. She asked them to pull any security footage from that parking lot, see if.

[Jackie White]

She actually drove this car here.

[Blaine Alexander]

I know the courtesy officer that does work here, but as far as this time of night, I don't imagine I'd be able to get anything until tomorrow.

[Jackie White]

Can we try?

[Blaine Alexander]

As Jazzy's family waited on that security footage, her mom remembered that long call Jazzy made the day granny died. When she didn't recognize the number, she had called Jackie, who was helping from home.

[Katrina Pace]

So on the phone with me, I mean, she pulled up her Verizon and started scrolling through, and she said the last person she was on the phone.

[Blaine Alexander]

With, it's this number Jackie got right to work. While still on the phone with Jazzy's mom. She ran the number through one of her mobile payment apps.

[Katrina Pace]

And I put it in cash app, and I said, jason Chen, do you know that person? She said, yes, and she hung up on me.

[Blaine Alexander]

Katrina knew Jassy had been casually seeing a guy named Jason Chen for a few months. Maybe he could help find her.

[Jackie White]

Hello?

[Blaine Alexander]

So there Jason, right in front of police. Katrina called him.

[Jackie White]

No one has seen or heard from her since Tuesday night.

[Blaine Alexander]

What would he have to say?

[Lester Holt]

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[Blaine Alexander]

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[Lester Holt]

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[Jenna Bush Hager]

Hey, everyone, I'm Jenna Bush Hager from the Today show and I'm excited to share my podcast Open Book with Jenna. It is back for season two. Each week, celebrities, experts, friends and authors will share candid stories with me about their lives and new projects. Guests Like Rebecca Yarros, Kristin Hanna, Ego Wodom, and more. Like a good book, you'll leave feeling inspired and entertained. Join me for my podcast, Open Book with Jenna. Listen now on Apple Podcast.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jasmine Pace's parents were busy tracking her digital footprint, trying to determine her movements since they last saw her. They learned she'd had a phone call with Jason Chen, a guy she'd met on a dating app. The two had been casually dating for a few months and had gone on a trip to Chicago together. Now Jazzy's mom was on the phone with him.

[Jackie White]

And you seen. Last time you seen her was Saturday.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jason told Katrina he hadn't spoken to Jazzy since that Monday, but she knew that wasn't true.

[Jackie White]

And you hadn't talked to her since then. Hang on one second. Hang on one second. I just muted him when I come in. He just lied. He talked to her for 71 minutes. He would remember that.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jazzy's mom pressed him.

[Jackie White]

Hey, Jason. And I have it on here where she talked to you for 71 minutes Tuesday afternoon while her granny was in the hospital.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jason said he did remember talking to Jazzy that day. He'd simply forgotten. For police, it wasn't much to go on. I can document putting him as a suspect. We. We don't.

[Jackie White]

Okay. I'm just letting you. Please document it.

[Blaine Alexander]

Katrina pushed them to do more.

[Jackie White]

Could we possibly go to a local business that's. You have to pass to get these apartments and ask them to pull up footage so we can see if she's driving or detect.

[Lester Holt]

But they're not just going to pull it up.

[Jackie White]

I understand that, but I can't just not.

[Blaine Alexander]

I understand. I understand. I'm just. I'm trying to explain to you the extent of what I can do. Eventually, the officers left. If police wouldn't follow the leads, the family would.

[Katrina Pace]

When you're desperate, I think that's what you do. You just don't stop moving. It's like you're trying to lean into anything you can that you think is gonna bring you some kind of answer.

[Blaine Alexander]

They went to the address they had for Jason, but all they found was an abandoned house. Frustrated, Jazzy's mom went back through Jazzy's texts from that night, and suddenly Katrina realizes she has a text on her phone.

[Katrina Pace]

Mm. She sees the pin drop and realizes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, she sent a message.

[Katrina Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

At 2:18am on the night she disappeared, Jazzy had sent her mother a pin with her location on it. Katrina was grieving Granny's passing and never saw it. How shocking was that for her.

[Katrina Pace]

It was scary. I think that that's when I think fear really set in.

[Blaine Alexander]

You could tell immediately that a message like that was a cry for help?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

No other explanation?

[Gabby Pace]

I mean, there was no. For 3:00 in the morning or 2:00, whatever time it was, that pin led.

[Blaine Alexander]

Them to yet another apartment complex. The family made their way into the.

[Gabby Pace]

Building, just started knocking on every single door.

[Blaine Alexander]

What are people telling you?

[Gabby Pace]

At first they said, no, we haven't seen that girl. No, we haven't seen that girl. And we almost gave up on knocking on the doors because we were coming to dead ends.

[Blaine Alexander]

So you're just trying to narrow down which floor, which apartment?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes. And then finally we realized that her PIN drop had coordinates to it. So then we would walk near every door and down the hallway, just brushing up against the side of the wall, trying to get as close to the coordinates as we possibly could.

[Blaine Alexander]

Finally, they got the perfect hit. Apartment 210. You knock on the door?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

What happens?

[Gabby Pace]

Nobody answers.

[Blaine Alexander]

So they knocked on the next door, apartment 212. A couple answered. The family asked if they'd seen anything. Seen? No, the couple said, but they had heard something.

[Katrina Pace]

He said, I heard a scream that was so startling that I wrote the time down. So he went and got the paper. And I want to say it was in three to four minutes of that pin drop that he heard that scream.

[Blaine Alexander]

The neighbors clocked that scream at 2:15am, just three minutes before Jazzy dropped that pin. They said it sounded like it came from next door, apartment 210. Are you thinking Jasmine could still be inside?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

She could need help?

[Gabby Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jazzy's mom was fearless, maybe even a little reckless.

[Katrina Pace]

She went down and got her credit card out of her car. And they got in. They popped the lock with the credit card.

[Blaine Alexander]

The family slowly made their way into the small one bedroom apartment. Right away, something caught Katrina's eye.

[Gabby Pace]

They had found my sister's to go bag, like a night bag that she takes to go and stay places as.

[Blaine Alexander]

You guys continue looking around the apartment. What else did you see?

[Gabby Pace]

In the desk drawer, they found my sister's credit cards and her driver's license all stacked up neatly in a pile.

[Blaine Alexander]

Also on the desk, a notebook. They opened it and saw a name, Jason Chen.

[Gabby Pace]

And then we proceeded to call the police.

[Blaine Alexander]

For the second time that night, police met the family. The officer told them an investigator had already already been assigned to the case.

[Lester Holt]

So I've talked with the investigator.

[Blaine Alexander]

That was news to the family, who said they'd not been contacted by anyone.

[Lester Holt]

But as of right now, there's nothing more that we can do. All the details yet?

[Jackie White]

Yeah, that, like, we've got the phone.

[Lester Holt]

Numbers where they're talking to us. You going to let me speak?

[Katrina Pace]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

So there's nothing more that we can do right this second to figure out where she's at. Now, if you have phone numbers or other information, I can put it in the report and then I can forward that along to the investigator. But she's the one that has made the call that she's not responding out here tonight.

[Blaine Alexander]

The police issued a warning. Do not go back into the apartment. Thanks for finding this.

[Katrina Pace]

Yes. Let us take it from here. We had no confidence whatsoever in the police because up to this point, it was like, we can't be. It's a holiday weekend. How'd you get my number? She's fine. She's posting on social media.

[Blaine Alexander]

So at this point, you're like, it's up to us?

[Katrina Pace]

Absolutely.

[Blaine Alexander]

Did your family go back?

[Katrina Pace]

Absolutely. Because what have you guys done for us this far? Anything we thought could be a clue to help us find her. We were chasing that.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jasmine Pace's loved ones had done all they could and maybe more than they should to find her. They'd broken into an apartment, then defied police instructions and gone in again. What was it like to just be inside that apartment?

[Gabby Pace]

Very anxious, because even though you know that you're in the right direction, you're terrified of what you're about to find. You have no idea what you're going to find, and you don't want to find certain things. So it's just a lot of anxiety, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of, you know, being scared.

[Blaine Alexander]

They didn't find anything new, but they were convinced Jazzy had been there. What's more, they were sure Jason Chen, the guy Jazzy had been seeing, lived in the apartment. His name was on the notebook, and a neighbor confirmed it. Jason was the son of Chinese immigrants who owned a restaurant. The family lived 30 minutes outside of Nashville, but Jason moved to attend the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where he majored in computer science. That's where Ryan Barrett met him in the summer of 2020.

[Ryan Barrett]

Initially, we were the first two people at the dorm, so we spent about the first three or four days just us together, really, just getting to know each other, just figuring out general interests that we both like, you know, playing video games.

[Blaine Alexander]

Ryan says he and Jason became good friends, that he was fun to be around. What was his demeanor like?

[Ryan Barrett]

More quiet guy, but he was pretty funny. He'd always kind of come in with those, you know, little jabs at everybody.

[Blaine Alexander]

The two got along so well. They became roommates and even landed jobs at the same place, a soap company.

[Ryan Barrett]

Summertime was great. I mean, we were going. We spent 4th of July together at the park downtown.

[Blaine Alexander]

Now, Jazzy's family was convinced Jason had something to do with her disappearance. They took everything they'd gathered that could be used as evidence. Jazzy's driver's license and credit card, the cell phones and a tablet, and gave it to the police. And they didn't stop there. They had their family lawyer reach out to the district Attorney general asking for help.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

I received a phone call from my supervisor. He called and said that we were going to come in and assist our missing persons unit with the Jasmine Pace Missing Persons investigation.

[Blaine Alexander]

Detective Zach Crawford headed to the apartment. When you got in there, how did you find the apartment? Was it clean? Was it messy?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

I would say that it was a clean apartment. It appeared that things may have been slightly out of place in terms of where they were located. And you could smell a little bit of a cleaning product inside of the apartment.

[Blaine Alexander]

It smelled like it had possibly been recently cleaned.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Correct.

[Blaine Alexander]

Considering everything that, you know up until this point, when you smell something like that, does that raise your antenna? Do you pay attention to that?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Yes, it's something that is notated. Along with smelling it, you're also looking for potential sheen on the floor to see if a. If this was a crime scene location, if anything had been altered in terms of cleaned up, wiped, or anything like that.

[Blaine Alexander]

Then he noticed something just on the.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Right of the futon on the floor, on the hardwoods. I saw what appeared to be blood transfer in the form of a hill print on the floor. Blood transfer on the floor.

[Blaine Alexander]

When you say blood transfer, you mean like a bloody footprint?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Essentially a bloody footprint.

[Blaine Alexander]

So the crime scene unit comes in, what do they do?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

They first document the scene by photographs and video. We asked for certain items to be collected that we observed in our walkthrough. I also asked for Blue Star reagent to be applied to that scene. Blue Star reagent is a forensic tool that will show the presence of wiped, cleaned, or invisible blood to the naked eye that could give further details of how much blood we are dealing with.

[Blaine Alexander]

What do they find?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

So we requested during the application of the Blue Star to be present upon first spray, it illuminated essentially a third of the living room area.

[Blaine Alexander]

What did this show?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

This showed an extremely large amount of volume of blood. The Largest that I had seen to that point in terms of blue star reaction in my career. I vividly remember looking at Sergeant Emory and Detective Seich, and we all said, we have homicide.

[Katrina Pace]

I got a call at work from Katrina. Hey, get here to the police station now. They're calling us in. They have an update. So we rushed there, and they told us, seeing what we believe to be the crime scene, there's so much blood that was lost that it was not survivable. So this is no longer a missing person's case. This is a homicide. So that's a strange thing, because I think in the back of your mind, we still were like, well, are you 100%? It was her blood. You know, maybe she did somehow survive it. You're telling me she's gone, but we don't have her.

[Blaine Alexander]

You still had hope. At this point.

[Katrina Pace]

I think maybe we wanted to cling to that. I mean, we all accepted what they were telling us. Yes, we know that this person you loved died, and we know it was pretty brutal, but we don't really know what happened after that.

[Blaine Alexander]

It would now be Detective Crawford's job to find out. I mean, is your next step find Jason Chin?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Every morning brings a fresh, new energy. And no matter what the day holds.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

We come to the Today show for all of it.

[Lester Holt]

We get the best start to the day because we started together. Watch the Today show weekdays at 7am on NBC. Now they had the final answer.

[Katrina Pace]

Or did they?

[Lester Holt]

Nothing has more suspense than a Dateline mystery. And no one wants to wait to find out what happens next. That's why everyone needs Dateline Premium, where listening is is always ad free. You get the whole story and nothing but the story. Or do you? Yes, actually, you do. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Dateline premium.com citizens. Since we each upgraded to Xfinity in our homes, the WI fi has been booming. It's fair to say our town has officially become a boomtown.

[Blaine Alexander]

Mayor, will I be able to drop into multiplayer gaming battles with low lag?

[Lester Holt]

The lag won't be an issue. But your questionable skills may be.

[Jackie White]

And what if I have hundreds of.

[Blaine Alexander]

Devices on the WI Fi?

[Jackie White]

Purely hypothetical.

[Lester Holt]

Seems like a lot. But sure, hundreds of devices all booming together with the Xfinity Gateway. Yes, friends and neighbors with Xfinity, the WI fi is booming.

[Blaine Alexander]

Restrictions apply. Detectives searching for missing Jasmine Pace found so much blood evidence, they knew they had a homicide on their hands. What they didn't have was a body or a suspect in custody. It was now Their mission to find both.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

There's multiple avenues that are happening. Evidence that we're finding at the crime scene location is providing further follow up. We also have search warrants being conducted on the phone records of Jason Chen.

[Blaine Alexander]

They homed in on the day after Jasmine disappeared. Jason's phone records revealed he went to Walgreens and Walmart. And security footage showed someone resembling Jason buying cleaning supplies.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

He was wearing a very identifiable hat. It was a red and white hat called Anything Goes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Once Jason Chen left his apartment on November 23, he never went back. Detectives continued to track his phone. Ultimately, where did you find Jason Chen?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

We ended up locating him in Nolensville, Tennessee at his parents address.

[Blaine Alexander]

So he comes down, what happens?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

He was wearing items of clothing that were consistent with what we observed him wearing during different stages of the investigation.

[Blaine Alexander]

What does that tell you?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

It gives us further details of confirming that it's Jason Chen in the video footage we see.

[Blaine Alexander]

So to be clear, when you found him at his parents house, he was wearing the same hat that he was wearing when he went to go buy those cleaning supplies?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

Correct.

[Blaine Alexander]

Was that surprising to you?

[Detective Zach Crawford]

We were more excited that he was wearing it so we didn't have to search for it.

[Blaine Alexander]

Police arrested Jason Chen and charged him with first degree premeditated murder.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

But we attempted an interview with Jason at the Nolensfield Police Department and he invoked his right to counsel. So we were unable to get an interview interview with him that night.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jason refused to tell investigators anything. As news of his arrest spread across Chattanooga, one person listened with particular interest. His former roommate, Ryan Barrett. How unbelievable was it that your former roommate was wanted for murder?

[Ryan Barrett]

Insane. I just. He had done a lot of crazy things to me. But murder was not what I was expecting them.

[Blaine Alexander]

Ryan and Jason had their own strange falling out. A few months before Jazzy disappeared, Ryan's online accounts were hacked. He suspected Jason was behind it since he was the only one who had easy access to Ryan's phone.

[Ryan Barrett]

Nearly all of my like Venmo accounts, any social media accounts were all locked out of. Same with my personal email.

[Blaine Alexander]

He even got fired from his job, he says after some messages and social media posts from his account. Saying what?

[Ryan Barrett]

Just like very aggressive messages to managers that I would have never sent.

[Blaine Alexander]

Ryan says he doesn't know why Jason would do that to him, but he'd had enough and moved out.

[Ryan Barrett]

When I went back to grab my last few items, it turned out Jason had disengaged the lock, manually reset it to where my code wouldn't let me into the Apartment.

[Blaine Alexander]

So you couldn't get the last of your things?

[Ryan Barrett]

Couldn't get the last of my things. I spent probably about an hour banging on the door.

[Blaine Alexander]

Ryan says they never spoke again. The day after Jason's arrest, Jasmine's family was on edge, desperate for the one thing still missing her body. Talk to me about that process.

[Katrina Pace]

It was painful, you know, it was really painful. We all stayed together and just waited. But by the second day, I was like, if they don't find her today, I'm going looking. We had come up with a game plan to kind of just look on our own because we needed that closure. We needed that piece of putting her to rest.

[Blaine Alexander]

Detectives continued to search for clues as to where Jazzy's body might be. Location data from November 23rd put Jason on the banks of the Tennessee River. On December 1, 2022, they searched the area and found her.

[Katrina Pace]

If there was anywhere that she had to be for that many days, she loved it there.

[Blaine Alexander]

That was a special place to her.

[Katrina Pace]

She told him that he should go and see it before the leaves fall.

[Blaine Alexander]

So she had told him about that place.

[Katrina Pace]

She did.

[Blaine Alexander]

And that's where he ultimately chose to dump her body.

[Katrina Pace]

Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

When you all heard that detail.

[Katrina Pace]

It just turned my stomach. I mean, it's sick. It's sick.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jasmine had been stuffed in a suitcase. She was handcuffed. And it got worse.

[Detective Zach Crawford]

This was not something that was quick. It was something that was gruesome. It was violent.

[Blaine Alexander]

60 stab wounds in all. As the family grieved, the man accused of killing Jasmine Pace sat behind bars, thanks in large part, prosecutors said, to her family. How crucial was her family's involvement in all of this?

[Katrina Pace]

Extremely.

[Blaine Alexander]

Hamilton County District Attorney General Cody Whomp.

[Katrina Pace]

I don't know how the police department would have ended up getting a search warrant had it not been for her family.

[Blaine Alexander]

Crucial, absolutely. But it was also a ticking time bomb. Jason Chen's attorney, Josh Weiss, says the entire crime scene was compromised the moment Jassy's family stepped inside.

[Lester Holt]

This isn't one of your run of the mill cases. Usually police officers get a search warrant. In this case, Jasmine Pace's parents illegally broke into Jason Chen's apartment and searched that apartment.

[Blaine Alexander]

Police warned Jazzy's family about it that night.

[Lester Holt]

We legally can't investigate anything in there that you found because it wasn't found legally. That's not my rule. That's the state of Tennessee. That's his case law.

[Katrina Pace]

So that was torture. Just feeling like, did we make a mistake? It was a constant. Just pit in your Stomach of. There were times Katrina would call me and just say, he's not gonna get away with this. Right?

[Blaine Alexander]

Two years after Jasmine Pace was killed, her family gathered in a courtroom to see Jason Chin stand trial for her murder. Jason's parents and brother were there too. What was it like for you to be in there, to be in that courtroom and be in the same courtroom as Jason Chen?

[Gabby Pace]

I think I'm more so just numb to everything that at first you feel just so much anger.

[Blaine Alexander]

By now, the judge had ruled to allow in evidence from Jason's apartment. Armed with that, prosecutors laid out their theory of what happened that night. The couple fought, and Jason launched a vicious, drawn out attack. This wasn't heat of the moment, they said. It was premeditated murder. Prosecutor Paul Moyle. What would you identify as the challenges in this case?

[Ryan Barrett]

Anytime you have a first agreement murder case, the challenge is premeditation. How do you show that there was an opportunity to reflect on your conduct before committing the murder?

[Blaine Alexander]

They began by hammering home the brutality of the crime.

[Jackie White]

This is the suitcase in which Jason chin stuffed the 98 pound body of jasmine Bates.

[Katrina Pace]

You know, he didn't just stab her 60 times. He then put her body in trash bags. He then put her body in a suitcase.

[Blaine Alexander]

The first witness up for the prosecution, Jasmine's mom, Katrina.

[Katrina Pace]

Were you concerned at that point about a police investigation?

[Jackie White]

I wasn't thinking about police investigation. I was just trying to find her.

[Lester Holt]

I was.

[Jackie White]

Insanely scared.

[Blaine Alexander]

Prosecutors knew the stakes. If they couldn't prove Jason meant to kill Jasmine, the jury could drop it to second degree murder or even voluntary manslaughter. All of it was on the table.

[Katrina Pace]

This was prolonged to some extent. We know that she was in his.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

Apartment until he leaves with the suitcase.

[Katrina Pace]

To go drop her body by the river.

[Blaine Alexander]

After that, prosecutors said Jason abandoned Jazzy's car in that parking lot where her family found it. Jason had pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder. So what his attorney, Joshua Weiss, said stunned everyone.

[Lester Holt]

Jason Chen is guilty, but he's not guilty of the crime that he's charged with.

[Blaine Alexander]

It's certainly not often that you hear a criminal defense attorney say that his client's guilty.

[Lester Holt]

I wanted to get the jury's attention from the beginning. I said, exactly. I'm not here to waste your time. Jason Chen is guilty of killing Jasmine Pace, but not to the degree the state is saying.

[Blaine Alexander]

Weiss said Jason did kill Jassy, but it wasn't premeditated, as prosecutors argued. Instead, he said, the evening began with the couple hanging out and Drinking wine. But then Jasmine goes back into the.

[Lester Holt]

Kitchen to get another bottle, and there on the counter is Jason's cell phone. Ding, ding, ding, ding. That familiar Tinder ding. Jasmine looked at his phone and saw all these messages with other girls, and it sent her in an anger, into a rage. When they started yelling and fighting, Jasmine attacked Jason with an empty wine bottle.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jason had no choice. His attorney argued he acted in self defense, stabbing Jazzy in a fight he didn't start.

[Lester Holt]

This is a voluntary manslaughter case.

[Blaine Alexander]

Prosecutors completely dismissed the self defense theory and even brought in a forensic tech expert who testified that Jason was not on Tinder at the time Jassy was killed. In fact, the only time he was on the dating app, they said, was the next morning.

[Katrina Pace]

He's on social media on Tinder, hitting on girls, and Jasmine is dead in his apartment. Which really says everything you need to know.

[Blaine Alexander]

When it came time to cross examine Jasmine's mother, Weiss tried to thread a very small needle, showing sympathy while still questioning the evidence.

[Lester Holt]

You said you would do anything to find your daughter, wouldn't you? Of course.

[Jackie White]

Okay.

[Lester Holt]

But you would break into an apartment.

[Jackie White]

If not my daughter? Yes.

[Blaine Alexander]

Both sides rested. Now the case was in the jury's hands.

[Katrina Pace]

I tried to remain very objective.

[Blaine Alexander]

Sarah Reid was juror number 11. There was no question that Jason killed Jassy. The issue on the table was premeditation. Sarah says she was swayed by what prosecutor Moyle said. Not only was it 60 stab wounds.

[Katrina Pace]

There was 120 choices he made in and out, that. That at any point he could have stopped.

[Blaine Alexander]

It didn't take long for the verdict to come in.

[Lester Holt]

We the jury, find the defendant, Jason Chen, guilty of first degree premeditated murder.

[Blaine Alexander]

Let's talk about how quickly they came back. I mean, we're talking less than an hour.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

Surprising.

[Katrina Pace]

I assumed that they were going to find Jason guilty, but that it might be over a period of hours or days. What we now know is that we had done our job.

[Blaine Alexander]

Now jurors had one more job to do. Sentence Jason Chen. Before deliberating, they would hear from jasmine's cousin Jackie.

[Katrina Pace]

60 stones are in this jar. One to represent every stab wound found on my beautiful, innocent, 22 year old cousin.

[Blaine Alexander]

Jurors had two choices. The possibility of parole in 51 years or life in prison with no chance of getting out. That decision came down to a conversation of Jasmine doesn't get to come back in 51 years. Jason Chen is now serving a life sentence, no possibility of parole. Jazzy's family feels like they are serving a life sentence, too. A lifetime of missing the beautiful spirit they all loved so much.

[Gabby Pace]

The world needed to hear that. They didn't just need to look at her as a victim of a crime. They needed to look at her as like this most blessed person that would have just shown random acts of kindness to anybody.

[Blaine Alexander]

What do you want people to know, to remember about Jasmine?

[Katrina Pace]

She put everything she had into being there for everybody else. She always put herself last. I mean, she got joy out of doing for others and being a loving, compassionate, kind, warm human being.

[Lester Holt]

That's all for this edition of Dateline. We'll see you again Friday at 9, 8 Central. And of course, I'll see you each weeknight. For NBC Nightly News, I'm Lester Holt. For all of us at NBC News, good night. The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA Auto insurance, you'll get great service that is easy and reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote today, restrictions apply.

[Blaine Alexander]

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