March 31, 2025

The Verdict and Sentencing

The Verdict and Sentencing
The Verdict and Sentencing
SEQUESTERED
The Verdict and Sentencing

In this powerful episode, Juror #11 takes listeners through the final, weighty moments of the trial for Jasmine Pace. After eight days of evidence, testimony, and deliberation, the jury returns to the courtroom to deliver their verdict. But the journey isn’t over. The jury must reconvene to determine Chen’s fate—whether he will be eligible for parole or spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Sara describes the complexities of the sentencing phase, from Jason Chen’s mother’s heartbreaking plea for mercy to the gut-wrenching victim impact statements delivered by Jasmine’s family. Jasmine’s sister, her cousin, and father each paint a vivid and haunting picture of the young woman whose life was short. They share memories of Jasmine’s kindness, her love for family, and her resilience through repeated grief and loss.

As the jury wrestles with their final decision, Sara reflects on the enormity of the task before them. The emotional toll of the trial and the responsibility to seek justice weigh heavily.

With meticulous detail and heartfelt reflection, Sara provides a firsthand account of what it’s like to serve as a juror in such a high-profile and emotionally charged case. This episode brings listeners inside the courtroom, into the jury room, and ultimately into the lasting impact of Jasmine Pace’s story.

Support the show

On our website, you can see more photos, videos, and blogs about each day of the trial, organized by episode. Go to SequesteredPod.com

Website: sequesteredpod.com
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Thank you for listening.

SEQUESTERED is a BP Production.

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Steve, before we begin, please
be advised that this episode

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contains graphic descriptions of
violence as presented during the

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trial. Please take care while
listening. It's still Monday,

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January, 20, 2025, day eight of
the trial. But now things feel

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different. The alternate jurors
had already been selected and

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asked to leave the courtroom,
exiled to their own alternate

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jury room until further notice,
four people who had been part of

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our group, people we had eaten
with, shared rides with, walked

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the depths of the earth with
people who had laughed with us

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side with us and silently held
the weight of this case with us

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for eight days. Suddenly they
were gone, dismissed, and it all

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happened so fast. The rest of
us, those whose numbers weren't

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called, just sat there watching
them leave, it was a gut punch,

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like a family suddenly being
split apart. I remember feeling

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an ache in my stomach because
those alternates weren't just

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observers. They were just as
invested as the rest of us. They

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had listened to the same
testimony, seen the same

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evidence, and develop their own
opinions, but now the 16 of us

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were down to 1212, people who
would carry the full weight of

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this next decision. Judge
Patterson didn't leave us much

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time to process. He continued
right away, reading through our

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final instructions, explaining
the legal framework we'd have to

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follow the rules we'd need to
abide by as we deliberate it, it

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felt surreal. Everything we'd
heard, everything we'd seen, was

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now left for us to make sense
of, and for the first time since

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this trial began, we were going
to be allowed to speak freely.

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We were allowed to form opinions
out loud, allowed to share our

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thoughts, our doubts and our
convictions. It was a big

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moment, and I kept thinking
about Jasmine, her texts, her

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voice, her fear, and I wondered
if the rest of the jurors were

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thinking about her too. Then the
courtroom stood and one by one,

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each of us walked across the
hall into the jury room. It was

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time to deliberate on a verdict,
but it felt like so much more

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than that now. It felt like
stepping into a place where all

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the noise and chaos of the trial
faded away, where everything

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came down to 12 people sitting
around a table confronting the

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truth and trying to decide
whether justice could be found

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in the wreckage of something so
profoundly wrong we were about

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to find out if Any of us were
truly ready for what came next.

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This is sequestered a juror's
perspective on the murder trial

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for Jasmine pace. I'm Sarah,
juror number 11 each episode,

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I'll take you inside the
courtroom, behind the scenes and

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into the weighty moments of this
trial as we honor Jasmine's life

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and navigate the complexities of
seeking justice, let's Begin.

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This is episode nine, the
verdict and sentencing. You

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Singh,

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it was 4:12pm, when the jury
room door closed behind us. Just

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before the bailiff Shut it, we
were instructed not to begin our

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discussions until all 12 members
were seated and present. Once we

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were together, we were to select
a foreperson and begin our

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deliberations. Upon arriving at
a unanimous decision, each juror

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would sign the official verdict
statement, and the foreperson

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was instructed to flip on a
light switch on the wall, which

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would illuminate a light in the
hallway, alerting the bailiff

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that the jury had reached their
verdict. Court was adjourned.

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While the jury was out, everyone
shuffled out for the evening, I

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would imagine, likely
anticipating the long haul

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inside the jury room. We were
truly on our own for the first

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time, the room felt emptier than
before. With four fewer people

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to fill the space, it was
startling how much of a

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difference that made without
them, the room seemed bigger,

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quieter. We shuffled around like
strangers, waiting for a bus,

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each of us taking turns using.
The restroom, which oddly, was

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the only truly private space any
of us had the entire week, a

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chance to relieve ourselves,
yes, but it was also a chance to

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turn off the noise and take a
few honest breaths, if only for

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a couple of minutes. I lingered
a bit longer than necessary this

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time, my hands pressed against
the counter top, breathing slow,

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trying to quiet my nerves. The
restroom breaks stretched on

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eight, maybe 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, the four empty

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alternate chairs were rolled
away from the large conference

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table and into the hallway, as
if we needed more room to

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breathe. When we were all
finally seated, there was a

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heaviness to it. The first thing
we had to do was choose a

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foreperson, someone to speak on
behalf of the group. When the

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verdict was ready, it quickly
came down to me and one other

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juror. We both hesitated,
dancing around the weight of the

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responsibility no one wanted to
be the voice that would echo

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into the courtroom delivering
words that would shatter lives.

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Eventually, juror number 15
conceded, and the printed copy

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of the official charges that
Judge Patterson had read from

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was slid across the table to
him, I was okay with this move,

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relieved honestly, it meant I
didn't have to risk fumbling

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such weighty and important words
in front of the court and the

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two families who were anxiously
awaiting very different results.

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But it didn't take away from the
weight I felt sitting at that

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table all of these details, all
of the evidence, all of the

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testimony, every tax dollar
spent bringing a sequestered

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jury to Chattanooga, the local
expenses, the entire effort, it

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all came down to one question,
not if Jason Chen killed Jasmine

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pace. We already knew he did.
His own attorney admitted to

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that on day one of the trial. We
didn't even have to deliberate

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on whether he abused a corpse
that was also admitted to. So

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this whole thing practically
came down to one word,

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premeditation. Remember, there
were six possible verdicts

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related to Jasmine's death,
ranging from first degree

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premeditated murder to
criminally negligent homicide,

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and there was a second, separate
charge of abuse of a corpse. For

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each charge, we had to reach a
unanimous decision, starting

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with the first charge of first
degree premeditated murder. If

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we couldn't unanimously agree on
premeditated murder, then we

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were to move on to the next
charge down and so on until a

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consensus was found. The foreman
started with a show of hands.

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Who thinks Jason Chen is guilty
of first degree premeditated

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murder. One by one, we went
around the table, all but two

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hands went up. Those who
hesitated were given a chance to

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speak, and the deliberations
began. The obvious topic was

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premeditation, and we needed to
be certain we understood what it

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meant. So what is premeditation?
It's a word most people hear and

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immediately think of extensive,
methodical planning like

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something out of a movie where
the killer plots every detail

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out well in advance. But what I
came to learn during this trial

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is that at least in Tennessee,
premeditation doesn't have to

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include an extensive, drawn out
plan. Legally, it means an act

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done after the exercise of
reflection and judgment, and

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that can happen in an instant.
All it requires is for someone

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to make a conscious decision to
kill and have a moment, no

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matter how brief, to reflect on
that decision before acting on

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it. Jason Chen didn't have to
plan Jasmine's murder for days,

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hours or even minutes. He just
had to make the decision,

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however quickly, and then act on
it. Remember the prosecution's

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explanation of this with the
yellow stoplight analogy in his

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closing statement. During his
statement, da Moyle pulled up a

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clip from the Arctic footage of
Jason in his 2018 gray Toyota

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Corolla. Jason is seen waiting
to turn right at the corner of

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Tremont and Frazier. The
timestamp was 6:13pm, and the

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suitcase containing Jasmine
Pace's body was already in the

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trunk of his car. Jason is in
the turning lane as the traffic

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light above him flips from green
to yellow, traffic slows and a

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final car slips through at the
last moment, just before the.

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Light turns red. Moyle pauses
the video and explains the split

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second decision that driver just
made. We've all been there.

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We've all calculated the cost of
tapping the brake or hitting the

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gas in that moment, a completely
rational decision that really

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doesn't take long at all. It was
a huge revelation, one that

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reframed how I understood the
word premeditation back in the

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jury room, I recalled this
analogy, if even in an effort to

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help explain it to myself, there
was a brief discussion before

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the group agreed to put it to
another vote, and mere minutes

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after our deliberations had
begun. The 12 of us had already

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unanimously agreed on the
ultimate charge. The next vote

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for the charge of abuse of a
corpse operated similarly and

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resulted in another unanimous
vote. We were done. Now. What it

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felt quick. I remember saying
something to the group like

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they're gonna say The jury
deliberated for X amount of

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minutes. We've got to be sure.
Is there anything else we should

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discuss? But what else was there
with this likely being my only

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opportunity to peruse? I pulled
the box of evidence towards me

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and immediately picked up the
large stack of 250 pages of

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printed paper containing the
text messages between Jasmine

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and Jason. I wasn't looking for
something new. I just needed to

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be sure to see her voice again
and to see for myself that this

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relationship wasn't lopsided. It
was like searching for something

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solid to hold onto some final
piece of certainty in this

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cavernous void of finality, the
bailiff had only brought in this

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one box of evidence. It
contained printed photos,

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digital reports, all of the
flash drives and a laptop in

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case we needed to review any
footage or photo evidence. We

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could also request to see any of
the physical evidence that was

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still piled high in front of the
judge's bench, if we needed to,

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but we didn't need to see any of
that. Again, the state had done

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a meticulous job of providing
the evidence and proving their

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case, we were certain. The
foreman flipped on the light

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switch, and a few moments later,
the bailiff knocked on the door.

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It couldn't have been more than
30 minutes that had gone by. He

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poked his head in, a little
confused, and asked if we meant

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to turn on the light switch. We
did, had we already come to a

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decision we had good

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morning. I'm Megan. P of the W k
around.com alerts with breaking

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news, a guilty verdict reached
an adjacent Chen murder trial.

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This news coming in overnight
from Chattanooga, according to

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WT BC, Chen is convicted of
first degree premeditated murder

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and abuse of a corpse in the
death of his girlfriend, 22 year

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old Jasmine pace was on trial
for killing her and stuffing her

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body in a suitcase back in
November of 2022 a jury took

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just 45 minutes of deliberation
to reach that verdict. Those in

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the courtroom say there were
audible sighs of relief from

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Pace's family once it was read,
the judge says Chen will be

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sentenced this morning at 10
o'clock,

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at 4:56pm less than one hour
after we were excused to

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deliberate, we were already
making our way back into the

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courtroom. 44 minutes. That's
all it took. From start to

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finish, it took us 44 minutes to
deliberate and decide on the

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charges we believed were
suitable for Jason Chen's

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actions.

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With respect to count one of
present, 1315228, We the jury

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find the defendant Jason Chen
guilty of first degree

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premeditated murders. An
emotional verdict. Everyone

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needs to maintain the
Coronavirus. This is your

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individual verdict. Please, so
indicate by raising your eye

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third count two, with respect to
count 2% 315228, We the jury

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find the defendant Jason Chen,
guilty of abuse of the courts.

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This is your individual verdict,
please, so indicate by raising

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your right hand. Maybe Steven
sir, sitting in this case, I do

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agree with jurors, guilty,
guilty. First murder, jazz face.

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This brings us to the sentencing
phase of this particular matter.

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The group will be asked to
confirm whether or not that the

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president of an aggravating
factor. This will require proof.

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We're going to do that tomorrow,
so at this point, I've let the

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defense mistake gathering proof
if they want, but so on, then

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that'll be happening to. Harm
ring again. Can't talk about

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anyone you're still part of this
case, so you must frame being

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exposed to any media, and also
must not talk about any

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sentencing matters or anything
about this case with each other

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until back

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We the jury had found Jason Chen
guilty of first degree

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premeditated murder and abuse of
a corpse. When the verdict was

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read, you could hear Jasmine's
family exhale. There were

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00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:34,640
audible gasps, maybe even a few
whispered thank yous and the

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kind of tears that come from
holding your breath far too

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long, Judge Patterson gently
hushed the room. It felt like a

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00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:49,840
final moment, a heavy one, and
even the word guilty echoed

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00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,620
through that room. I knew this
would never really be over for

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00:15:53,620 --> 00:15:58,180
them. Nothing we decided, could
bring Jasmine back, nothing

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00:15:58,180 --> 00:16:03,660
could undo what had been done
once the verdict was read, Judge

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00:16:03,660 --> 00:16:07,080
Patterson responded with words I
didn't fully understand at the

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00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:12,180
time. He said, As the 13th
juror, I agree with this

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00:16:12,180 --> 00:16:16,980
verdict. I remember feeling
reassured, like he was in

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00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:20,420
agreement with our unanimous
decision. It felt like

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00:16:20,420 --> 00:16:24,920
validation. It wasn't until
later that I understood what he

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00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:30,020
meant. The judge, acting as a
13th juror, is responsible for

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00:16:30,020 --> 00:16:33,440
determining whether the evidence
supports the jury's verdict.

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It's a safeguard, a final layer
of confirmation, if you will.

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00:16:39,140 --> 00:16:43,660
And in that moment, it was as if
he was telling us, you did your

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00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:49,180
job. You got it right, but our
role as jurors wasn't done yet.

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00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,380
Because of the charge we had
decided on, we still had one

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00:16:53,380 --> 00:16:57,640
more decision to make. How long
Jason Chen would remain behind

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00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:02,040
bars. Judge Patterson announced
to the courtroom that sentencing

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00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,700
would take place the following
day at 10am and court was

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dismissed for the evening. We
walked out of that courthouse

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carrying the weight of what we
had just done. It was quiet

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00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:17,820
between us. No one said much. We
still weren't really allowed to

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00:17:17,820 --> 00:17:22,700
say much, but we knew we'd be
back in less than 24 hours, the

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00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:28,760
judge had made that much clear.
After such a heavy day, we made

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00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:32,540
the much less weighty decision
of opting to eat dinner at the

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00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:36,620
hotel's restaurant rather than
going out. None of us had the

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00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:40,960
energy to be anywhere but close
to our rooms, but when our van

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00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,860
pulled into the hotel parking
lot, we were stalled by the side

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00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:48,880
of our four alternates. They
were packing their luggage and

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00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:53,440
climbing into the other van and
heading home to their families,

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00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:58,420
their own beds, their normal
lives. We would have just one

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00:17:58,420 --> 00:18:02,520
more night in our hotel rooms,
because our role carried just

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00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:07,080
one more responsibility to
decide If Jason Chen would ever

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00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:08,640
be eligible for parole.
Attorney.

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00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:34,220
Now it's Tuesday, January 21
2025 day eight of the trial. We

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00:18:34,220 --> 00:18:38,420
return to the courtroom one last
time. Our suitcases already

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00:18:38,420 --> 00:18:42,880
packed and ready for departure,
but before we could head home,

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00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,780
we had just one more heavy
decision to make. It was a

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00:18:46,780 --> 00:18:51,460
strange, almost cruel
juxtaposition to be preparing to

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00:18:51,460 --> 00:18:55,960
go home thinking of familiar
comforts, our own beds, our

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00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:01,200
families, only after deciding
how long Jason Chen would spend

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00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:08,220
in his new home. For us, the end
was in sight, but for him, today

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00:19:08,220 --> 00:19:14,460
was the day he would learn his
own fate. There was something

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00:19:14,460 --> 00:19:18,420
chilling about the finality of
it all, knowing that the same

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00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:22,280
doors we would walk through to
reclaim our freedom would close

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00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,420
behind him, sealing him away
from everything he once knew.

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00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,520
This wasn't just the final day
of his trial. It was the day his

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00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:39,620
future would be decided. Today
was sentencing day. At 10am

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00:19:40,220 --> 00:19:44,140
Judge Patterson began with a
video connection to a translator

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00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:48,400
making sure everything was in
place before we began by 1026,

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00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:53,080
we learned that Jason Chen had
chosen not to testify before his

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00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,860
sentencing. We weren't in the
courtroom during this exchange,

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00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:01,080
but it felt significant up until
that moment. Jason Chen had

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00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:05,700
remained completely silent. In
fact, the only two words the

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00:20:05,700 --> 00:20:11,760
jury ever heard him say were not
guilty twice, two words spoken

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00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,560
on the very first day of his
trial, and then nothing. We were

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00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,660
now eight days into this trial,
and this was his moment, his

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00:20:20,660 --> 00:20:25,340
final chance to speak on his own
behalf, to offer explanations,

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00:20:25,580 --> 00:20:31,880
apologies, justifications,
anything, and he chose silence.

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00:20:32,540 --> 00:20:35,360
Here's the moment he was posed
with his choice.

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00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:44,620
Hey, there. I'm delamie Young.
I'm an actor and a producer.

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00:20:44,620 --> 00:20:47,440
I've been working with the
global humanitarian organization

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00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,280
care, and I am so excited to
invite you along from a new

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00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,120
podcast she leads with care.
Each week, you'll meet some

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00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:58,420
incredible women who have
changed their lives and their

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00:20:58,420 --> 00:20:59,380
communities. We

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00:20:59,860 --> 00:21:03,360
raise our voices for people who
don't raise their voices to

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00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:04,500
defend themselves.

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00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,400
Listen to she leads with care.
Now on your favorite podcast

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00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,920
platform, new episodes every
Tuesday.

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00:21:16,860 --> 00:21:19,200
Do you swear a farm to the
truth, the whole truth, nothing

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00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:20,960
but truth. Happy. God, I do.

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00:21:22,820 --> 00:21:27,560
All right, Jason, you have the
choice today of whether to

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00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:34,460
testify or not testify. Is after
talking with your attorney and

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00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,540
you're going through your own
thoughts, what is your decision

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00:21:38,540 --> 00:21:40,100
of whether or not you want to
testify,

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00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,940
not to testify? Yes, sir. Ms
white, want to talk a little

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00:21:45,940 --> 00:21:47,200
about how you talk about it.

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00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:53,080
Yes. So Jason, we've met a
number of times. We've talked

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00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,560
about what your testimony would
be, and you understand that even

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00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,140
though you might have an
opportunity this safer piece

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00:21:59,140 --> 00:22:01,800
that you would be subject to
cross examination, and I've

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00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,520
explained to you that the cross
examination would probably be

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00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:12,360
very intense and relentless, and
by subjecting yourself to that,

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00:22:12,900 --> 00:22:14,940
you can change the status of
your case.

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00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,900
Before Jason Chen's decision was
finalized, there was an

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00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:24,020
important legal step that had to
happen in front of the judge.

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00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:28,220
Defense Attorney Joshua Weiss
stood beside Jason and walked

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00:22:28,220 --> 00:22:32,540
him through a formal
confirmation process. I've

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00:22:32,540 --> 00:22:35,540
learned that this is standard in
criminal trials before a

301
00:22:35,540 --> 00:22:39,200
defendant waives their right to
testify, the court needs to be

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00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,040
absolutely certain that the
decision is being made

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00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,180
knowingly, voluntarily and
without pressure from anyone

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00:22:46,180 --> 00:22:51,640
else. Weis asked Jason a series
of direct questions. Had he

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00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:55,420
discussed this decision
thoroughly? Did he understand

306
00:22:55,420 --> 00:23:01,380
the consequences? Was this
entirely his choice only after

307
00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:04,680
Jason clearly stated that he was
making this choice of his own

308
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:09,240
volition did the court move
forward. Mr. Weiss confirmed

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00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,340
Jason's decision not to testify.

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00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,760
Whatever it is that your
decision is, it is a personal

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00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:22,700
decision that only you can make.
Have you had enough time to

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00:23:22,700 --> 00:23:26,420
consult with me talk about
whether or not go over the

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00:23:26,420 --> 00:23:28,160
benefits and detriment to
testify?

314
00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:29,600
Yes.

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00:23:31,820 --> 00:23:37,040
Are you deciding not to testify
on your own volition? Yes, and

316
00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:40,220
that's what your personal
decision is. Yes.

317
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:46,420
That exchange might have sounded
routine, but in reality, it

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00:23:46,420 --> 00:23:51,340
carried tremendous weight with
each yes Jason Chen was sealing

319
00:23:51,340 --> 00:23:55,960
his fate, choosing silence over
explanation, and placing his

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00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,980
future entirely in the hands of
his attorneys and the evidence

321
00:23:59,980 --> 00:24:04,800
already presented from that
moment forward, the jury would

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00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:10,320
never hear from him directly, no
justifications, no explanations,

323
00:24:10,740 --> 00:24:16,080
only the defense that had been
built on his behalf. Another

324
00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,080
thing I found interesting,
something I learned after the

325
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,760
fact, was that technically,
Jason Chen should have been

326
00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,060
seated in court that morning
wearing his prison issued

327
00:24:26,060 --> 00:24:31,100
attire. He was, after all, a
guilty man. Now, the jury was

328
00:24:31,100 --> 00:24:34,940
out of the courtroom during this
exchange, but da WAMP made a

329
00:24:34,940 --> 00:24:38,540
point of bringing it up to the
judge that morning. I hadn't

330
00:24:38,540 --> 00:24:41,920
considered it at the time,
especially since we weren't even

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00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,460
supposed to know he was in
custody during the trial. That's

332
00:24:45,460 --> 00:24:49,060
why he wore professional attire
throughout the trial, though, to

333
00:24:49,060 --> 00:24:53,320
present the appearance of a
free, innocent man. It was all

334
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:58,240
about perception, the suits, the
neatly combed hair, the calm,

335
00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:02,340
calculated demeanor and. Of
course, innocent until proven

336
00:25:02,340 --> 00:25:06,600
guilty, right? But looking back,
I can see why da WAMP would have

337
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,380
brought it up. He wasn't the
same man standing trial for

338
00:25:10,380 --> 00:25:14,220
innocence or guilt anymore. That
decision had already been made.

339
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:19,140
He was now a convicted murderer,
and somehow letting him maintain

340
00:25:19,140 --> 00:25:22,760
that polished, composed
appearance felt like one last

341
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:28,040
manipulation. All right now back
to our seats in the jury box and

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00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,180
back to the gravity of what we
were being asked to do. Only

343
00:25:32,180 --> 00:25:35,960
this time we weren't deciding
whether Jason was guilty. We had

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00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,860
already done that. Now we are
being asked to decide how long

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00:25:39,860 --> 00:25:44,020
he should stay behind bars. The
state was asking for the

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00:25:44,020 --> 00:25:48,340
harshest sentence allowed under
Tennessee law, life in prison

347
00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:50,380
without the possibility of
parole.

348
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,060
You know, during sequestration,
I had a lot of time to think,

349
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,600
and honestly, I kept wishing I
had a speaker so that I could

350
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,260
just listen to a great book.
That's why I love audiobooks,

351
00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:17,280
whether I driving, walking the
dogs or traveling, I can just

352
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,320
press play and get lost in an
amazing story anytime and

353
00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:25,880
anywhere. One of my all time
favorites is New York by Edward

354
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:30,680
Rutherford. This epic historical
novel spans over 400 years,

355
00:26:30,740 --> 00:26:33,500
following generations of
families through the city's most

356
00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:37,340
pivotal moments from its Dutch
settlement days and all the way

357
00:26:37,340 --> 00:26:43,120
to 911 it was one of the first
audio books I had ever listened

358
00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:46,720
to. It felt like the narrator
was reading the story. Just for

359
00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:51,640
me, I was completely hooked.
Here's some good news. You can

360
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:56,080
listen to New York or any other
book for free. Audible is giving

361
00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:59,620
sequestered listeners a free
audiobook with a 30 day trial.

362
00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,840
Just go to audible trial.com.
Forward slash sequestered.

363
00:27:04,980 --> 00:27:09,480
That's one free book yours to
keep forever. So find something

364
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,800
you love and get listening. Go
to audible trial.com. Forward

365
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:15,120
slash sequestered. You

366
00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:34,940
and then the room shifted again
as Jason Chen's mother, Shu Feng

367
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,840
Chen was called to the stand.
She spoke through a translator

368
00:27:41,020 --> 00:27:46,360
painting a picture of her son as
a good, quiet child, a student,

369
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:50,740
a boy who waited late at night
for his parents to return from

370
00:27:50,740 --> 00:27:54,760
their restaurant business. She
talked about how hard he worked

371
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:59,800
in school and how he knew right
from wrong, and then she broke

372
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:05,160
down. She began to sob. Her
voice cracked. She looked each

373
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:08,880
of us in the eyes and begged for
the jury to give her son a

374
00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:15,360
chance to do what's right, to
come home to start over. And in

375
00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:20,480
that moment, for the first time
during the entire trial, we saw

376
00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:25,700
Jason Chen cry his own mother's
pain finally moved something in

377
00:28:25,700 --> 00:28:26,060
him.

378
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,080
Was he a violent child?

379
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:48,340
He never fights the school.
Never fight with anyone. Enough

380
00:28:48,460 --> 00:28:53,680
write some law and I told him
that mom doesn't know English

381
00:28:53,740 --> 00:28:58,360
and cannot know him in many
things. He said that I will

382
00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:00,780
study hard, and I know she No,

383
00:29:06,540 --> 00:29:11,760
over and over again, she pleaded
for mercy, asking for parole,

384
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,620
asking for a future. She even
asked Jasmine's family to

385
00:29:16,620 --> 00:29:20,480
somehow allow for that future.
But the weight of what had

386
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:25,460
happened couldn't be softened
with apologies. It was hard to

387
00:29:25,460 --> 00:29:30,080
digest. You really have to turn
your emotions off and just allow

388
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:34,640
for input. Here's a clip of
latricia Thomas from News

389
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:35,540
Channel Nine,

390
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,120
the defense attorney Joshua
Weiss was asking, Ms Chen, do

391
00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:48,640
you have anything to say to the
family of Jasmine pace, and

392
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,780
instead of addressing them, she
kept addressing the jury, asking

393
00:29:52,780 --> 00:29:56,380
them to give Jason Chen the
possibility of parole. They

394
00:29:56,380 --> 00:29:59,440
switched translators. They
actually called an aunt on the

395
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:04,800
phone. And MS Chen gave
basically the same answer when

396
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:09,240
asked what she wanted to say to
the pace family. She did very

397
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,900
shortly, say, I hope that the
pace family gives him another

398
00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:17,640
chance. But of course, in this
situation, it's up to the jury

399
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,800
to decide the sentence. So what
sentences could they decide here

400
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:26,180
we know that Jason Chen was
convicted yesterday of

401
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,680
premeditated first re murder and
abuse of a corpse. So the state

402
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:35,480
is seeking life in prison
without parole. But according to

403
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:40,160
the judges instructions to the
jury, before these witness

404
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,520
impact statements began. He said
that their choices here are life

405
00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,540
in prison with parole or life in
prison without parole. And he

406
00:30:49,540 --> 00:30:53,680
went through some of the things
that they had to decide about if

407
00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,380
they were true or not, to give
him life in prison without

408
00:30:56,380 --> 00:30:59,380
parole, one of them being that
the act was particularly

409
00:30:59,380 --> 00:31:05,100
heinous, they can also take into
consideration any past criminal

410
00:31:05,340 --> 00:31:10,500
history he may have. So at some
point today, the jury will go

411
00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:14,460
and deliberate on a sentence,
and those are the two choices

412
00:31:14,460 --> 00:31:18,900
there now, oh, and one thing
also to mention during his

413
00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:23,480
mother's testimony, this was the
first visible emotion that we've

414
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,380
seen from Jason Chen during this
trial. Now it is difficult to

415
00:31:27,380 --> 00:31:30,500
see exactly what his face is
showing, but this is our first

416
00:31:30,860 --> 00:31:34,040
observable sign that he's
showing emotion in the courtroom

417
00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:37,940
as he started crying and wiping
his eyes as his mother was

418
00:31:37,940 --> 00:31:42,460
testifying, saying he is a good
kid who made a mistake. He

419
00:31:42,460 --> 00:31:47,080
studies hard. They said that
their life is difficult in the

420
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,200
United States because they don't
speak English, and they run a

421
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:54,100
restaurant, and Jason was at
home a lot on his own while they

422
00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:56,740
were running that restaurant. I
guess she asked the jury

423
00:31:56,740 --> 00:32:00,580
repeatedly to give him the
possibility of parole after 51

424
00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:06,180
years so he could have a second
chance. So again, the first

425
00:32:06,420 --> 00:32:10,440
visible emotion we've seen on
our live streaming from our

426
00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:12,300
crews in the courtroom during
this trial.

427
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,540
If I'm honest, this was one of
the most difficult moments of

428
00:32:23,540 --> 00:32:28,880
the trial, watching Jason's mom
beg for her son's life. There

429
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:33,620
was something so raw about it,
so human, and there was this

430
00:32:33,620 --> 00:32:37,100
added layer of complexity that
made it feel even heavier.

431
00:32:38,060 --> 00:32:41,620
Jason's parents are both Chinese
immigrants and don't speak

432
00:32:41,620 --> 00:32:45,760
English. This was the first time
a translator had been provided

433
00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:49,660
for them, the first moment Xu
Feng Chen could fully

434
00:32:49,660 --> 00:32:54,400
communicate her pain and
desperation. I'd seen her

435
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:57,700
throughout the trial sitting
faithfully in the second row

436
00:32:57,700 --> 00:33:01,620
behind her son. I even remember
seeing her on the first day of

437
00:33:01,620 --> 00:33:06,420
jury selection, sitting in the
back row, just behind me. I've

438
00:33:06,420 --> 00:33:11,580
seen her lovely and devastated
face for weeks now, and I often

439
00:33:11,580 --> 00:33:15,840
wondered what this whole ordeal
must have been like for her to

440
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:19,560
sit through an entire trial
spoken in a language she didn't

441
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:23,600
understand, watching as the
evidence against her son was

442
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,380
projected onto screens and laid
out on the courtroom floor,

443
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,920
evidence she couldn't fully
grasp, though I'm sure she

444
00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,880
figured out what it was. I
wondered how much of the awful

445
00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:39,380
details she learned only after
sitting through it all and now

446
00:33:39,380 --> 00:33:42,760
looking into the faces of the
strangers who deliberated on the

447
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:46,600
fate of her son without ever
truly knowing what was being

448
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:51,640
said. I couldn't help but feel
sad for her, for the way she

449
00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:56,440
must have felt so isolated. But
no matter how much I wanted to

450
00:33:56,440 --> 00:34:00,100
make room for her pain, it
couldn't change what had been

451
00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:05,280
done to Jasmine, and that
conflict was hard to reconcile.

452
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:19,140
Then it was Jasmine's family's
turn to speak after the deeply

453
00:34:19,140 --> 00:34:23,360
emotional translated statements
from Jason's mother came the

454
00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:27,500
victim impact statements.
Jasmine's older sister

455
00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:32,780
Gabrielle, took the stand first.
Everyone calls her Gabby, and

456
00:34:32,780 --> 00:34:36,440
she carried the voice of someone
who knew Jasmine inside and out,

457
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:40,520
not just as a sister, but as
someone who had survived

458
00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:45,340
unimaginable loss right
alongside of her, Gabby reminded

459
00:34:45,340 --> 00:34:49,420
us that Jasmine had endured more
heartache in her short life than

460
00:34:49,420 --> 00:34:54,400
most people do in a lifetime.
She spoke of loss after loss,

461
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:58,420
grief that it stacked upon
itself like weights Jasmine was

462
00:34:58,420 --> 00:35:03,720
somehow forced to carry. Their
brother lost in a tragic ATV

463
00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:08,640
accident, a cousin taken by
COVID. Their other cousin

464
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,780
claimed by another accident, and
just hours before her own

465
00:35:12,780 --> 00:35:17,280
murder, her beloved grandmother,
a woman who had helped raise

466
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:23,660
her, her best friend, her safe
place passed away suddenly after

467
00:35:23,660 --> 00:35:29,060
a long battle with cancer, the
grief was relentless, and yet

468
00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:34,100
Jasmine somehow kept going.
Still. Through all of it,

469
00:35:34,340 --> 00:35:39,440
Jasmine remained full of life.
Not only that, she remained full

470
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,080
of love. Gabby said,

471
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,860
through all of the trauma that
jazzy had endured, she still had

472
00:35:47,860 --> 00:35:51,460
the most beautiful aura in
Seoul. She never gave up on

473
00:35:51,460 --> 00:35:55,240
people, and she never gave up on
herself, no matter how haughty

474
00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,960
or how busy she always spends on
her family and friends, because

475
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:02,820
it was the most important thing
to her. She had every reason to

476
00:36:02,820 --> 00:36:06,060
be bitter and hold hard, and
chose to perform.

477
00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:16,200
Jasmine loved hard. She dreamed
of being a mom one day, it was

478
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:20,420
one of her deepest desires, and
in the meantime, she was already

479
00:36:20,420 --> 00:36:24,680
a proud and devoted mom to her
four cats, Gabby said they were

480
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,940
her world, and She doted on them
like children, spoiling them

481
00:36:28,940 --> 00:36:33,920
with affection, treats and
attention. But Jasmine's love

482
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:38,300
extended far beyond her pets.
Gabby painted a vivid picture of

483
00:36:38,300 --> 00:36:41,980
who her sister truly was,
someone with a joyful,

484
00:36:41,980 --> 00:36:46,000
mischievous spirit and an
unbreakable bond with her

485
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:51,340
family. She was a jokester, a
best friend, the one who could

486
00:36:51,340 --> 00:36:55,720
make you laugh until your sides
hurt. She was the kind of person

487
00:36:55,720 --> 00:36:59,920
who got a panda tattoo just
because it made her smile, not

488
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:03,600
because it was trendy or
meaningful in some profound way,

489
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:09,300
but simply because it brought
her joy. Jasmine kept two entire

490
00:37:09,300 --> 00:37:13,020
dresser drawers filled with
candy, not just because she

491
00:37:13,020 --> 00:37:16,620
loved sweets, though she
definitely did, but because she

492
00:37:16,620 --> 00:37:20,240
loved to spoil her nieces and
nephews. It was her way of

493
00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:26,060
bringing them happiness, of
showing her love. And then Gabby

494
00:37:26,060 --> 00:37:29,900
brought us to the casket, to the
moment she had to say goodbye to

495
00:37:29,900 --> 00:37:34,340
her sister in a way no one
should ever have to her voice

496
00:37:34,340 --> 00:37:37,940
cracked as she described it, the
anguish of looking down at

497
00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:42,400
Jasmine knowing she'll never
hear her laugh again, never see

498
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,660
her smile again. And all I could
think was how wrong it all felt,

499
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:51,460
how all of that love Jasmine had
for her family, for her pets,

500
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,960
for her life, had all been
snatched away in the most brutal

501
00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:57,160
and senseless way

502
00:38:00,100 --> 00:38:05,340
I'll never forget standing at my
sister's casket and seeing how

503
00:38:05,340 --> 00:38:11,100
much wax they had to put up on
her face and how much mascara

504
00:38:11,100 --> 00:38:15,660
was much tall underneath her
eyes, and how her hair was stiff

505
00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:21,560
wax. I held my sister's hand one
last time, not even knowing that

506
00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:28,520
it was the hand that fixed her
hair and her necklace again, not

507
00:38:28,580 --> 00:38:32,840
knowing that she had wounds
there. I'll never forget the

508
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,260
overbearing heart that God felt
and I found out what he had done

509
00:38:36,260 --> 00:38:41,320
to my sister, the overwhelming
anger in disgust I felt that

510
00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,740
someone could do this and not
have any remorse for what they

511
00:38:44,740 --> 00:38:45,160
had done.

512
00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:51,640
Gabby said their family has
relived those final moments of

513
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:57,340
Jasmine's life for two years,
over and over, the horror

514
00:38:57,340 --> 00:39:01,920
replaying like a broken record
in their minds every time they

515
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:06,600
picture her terrified alone,
they imagine her fighting for

516
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:11,280
her life, struggling against the
unthinkable. They imagine her

517
00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:15,540
calling out for help that would
never come. And the worst part

518
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:19,680
these moments aren't just
memories. They're nightmares her

519
00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:24,200
family wakes up to every single
day, the unanswered questions,

520
00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:30,200
the haunting images that refuse
to fade for them, Jasmine's

521
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:35,600
death isn't just a tragedy, it's
a wound that keeps reopening, a

522
00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,820
wound that may never fully heal.

523
00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:43,180
The thought of was there
something more I could have done

524
00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:47,860
constantly, I love my sister
dearly, and I demand she gets

525
00:39:47,860 --> 00:39:49,420
stresses that she is deserved.

526
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:58,000
Next, Jasmine's cousin
Jacqueline took the stand, and

527
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:01,080
from the moment she walked up,
I. Everyone in the courtroom

528
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:05,280
could see she was carrying
something in her hands. She held

529
00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:09,780
an empty vase. She gripped it
tightly as if the weight of what

530
00:40:09,780 --> 00:40:14,460
it symbolized was almost too
much to bear. Jacqueline set the

531
00:40:14,460 --> 00:40:17,880
clear vase on the corner of the
witness stand closest to the

532
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:24,080
jury box and pulled out a bag of
blue and clear glass stones, one

533
00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:28,160
at a time, she began dropping a
glass stone into the vase until

534
00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:33,500
the bag was emptied. When she
spoke, her voice was steady but

535
00:40:33,500 --> 00:40:38,600
strained. Each stone, she
explained, represented a single

536
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:44,500
stab wound, 60 wounds. The jar
wasn't just a prop. It was a

537
00:40:44,500 --> 00:40:49,960
testament, a visual
representation of brutality. It

538
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:53,140
forced us to confront the
reality of what had been done to

539
00:40:53,140 --> 00:40:57,100
Jasmine, not just through words
or photographs, but through

540
00:40:57,100 --> 00:41:03,000
something tangible, something
heavy, something real, as

541
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,540
Jacqueline spoke, the stones
inside the jar shifted with the

542
00:41:06,540 --> 00:41:11,100
slightest movement, the soft,
unsettling sound of them bumping

543
00:41:11,100 --> 00:41:14,640
against each other in the glass
jar seemed to echo through the

544
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,660
silence in the room. It was
impossible to look away,

545
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:20,600
impossible to forget

546
00:41:22,940 --> 00:41:25,280
all right, Miss. Why are you
ready? Yes, please state your

547
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,580
name for the record. Die home.
One can you describe for the

548
00:41:28,580 --> 00:41:31,400
jury? Your relationship with
Jasmine pace, she was my own

549
00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:34,760
customer. Okay. Are you ready to
read your statement? I will

550
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:36,380
share. All right. Thank you.

551
00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:42,160
Stacey stones, Harlem shark, one
to represent every sad woman

552
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:48,100
found on my beautiful, innocent,
22 year old for two years and

553
00:41:48,100 --> 00:41:51,940
two months, I have thought of
this very moment, the moment I

554
00:41:51,940 --> 00:41:55,000
would have the chance to
confront the sub human villain

555
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:59,140
sitting among us. His mere
presence to Falls is very poor,

556
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:02,820
and I am so sorry for everyone
here that has had the

557
00:42:02,820 --> 00:42:06,780
unfortunate fate of heaven and
cross paths with him. Thank you

558
00:42:06,780 --> 00:42:11,040
to everyone that dedicated ours
time away from their families,

559
00:42:11,100 --> 00:42:15,720
blood, sweat, tears and trauma
to ensure that whatever justice

560
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:18,060
could be given to my family
would be had

561
00:42:19,860 --> 00:42:23,480
Jacqueline's voice didn't waver.
She looked at each of us in the

562
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:28,280
eye and asked us to remember the
autopsy photos. But more than

563
00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:32,180
that, she asked us to go beyond
the sterile, clinical images

564
00:42:32,180 --> 00:42:35,780
we'd been shown. She wanted us
to imagine something more

565
00:42:35,780 --> 00:42:40,720
personal, something more
painful. She asked us to replace

566
00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:46,720
Jasmine's face with someone we
loved, a daughter, a sister, a

567
00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:51,460
best friend, then to picture
them enduring the same violence

568
00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:56,260
and the same terror that Jasmine
did, to imagine the agony of

569
00:42:56,260 --> 00:43:01,380
losing them in such a brutal and
senseless way, because only then

570
00:43:01,380 --> 00:43:05,340
she said, Could we begin to
grasp the scope of their loss?

571
00:43:06,300 --> 00:43:09,720
But Jacqueline didn't stop
there. She didn't just tell us

572
00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:13,140
about Jasmine's death. She
wanted us to understand

573
00:43:13,140 --> 00:43:18,960
Jasmine's life, who she was,
what she loved, the kindness she

574
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:22,880
poured into the people around
her. She described Jasmine as a

575
00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:28,640
warm, generous soul, a girl who
hugged with intention, not

576
00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:32,840
because it was polite, but
because she meant it, because

577
00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:38,600
connection mattered to her. She
was playful and kind, the kind

578
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:42,520
of person who tattooed a sleepy
panda on her wrist, as Gabby

579
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:47,080
said, quote, simply because it
made her smile, because she

580
00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:52,060
found joy in the little things.
She was thoughtful too, the type

581
00:43:52,060 --> 00:43:55,060
of person who would go out of
her way to bring happiness to

582
00:43:55,060 --> 00:43:58,420
someone she cared about.
Jacqueline told us about a

583
00:43:58,420 --> 00:44:02,220
Starbucks cup that Jasmine
ordered for her online as soon

584
00:44:02,220 --> 00:44:05,520
as it was mentioned in a
conversation, a simple,

585
00:44:05,580 --> 00:44:09,840
thoughtful gift, the kind of
gesture that seemed small but

586
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:15,120
spoke volumes about Jasmine's
heart. That Starbucks cup, it

587
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,760
arrived the same day they were
saying goodbye to their

588
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:21,800
grandmother at the hospital. As
Jacqueline shared that detail.

589
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,760
Her voice cracked. It was
another piece of Jasmine's

590
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:31,400
kindness delivered far too late,
a reminder of how much had been

591
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:32,060
lost.

592
00:44:35,660 --> 00:44:38,780
I can still picture how she
greeted you. She would smile.

593
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:44,380
Simpleton text outstretched her
arms to love you, and not

594
00:44:44,380 --> 00:44:48,340
because of etiquette or decorum.
It wasn't the fake one arm, so

595
00:44:48,340 --> 00:44:52,360
I'm gonna pat you on the back
because I'm supposed to. It was

596
00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:59,020
genuine. She meant it. The
cliche she lit up her room is

597
00:44:59,020 --> 00:45:02,820
fitting for her. I often think
of the last time that I hugged

598
00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:06,540
her, she was crying, she was
hurting, and she still thought

599
00:45:06,540 --> 00:45:10,140
of everyone around her and their
well being. What a lot of you

600
00:45:10,140 --> 00:45:14,040
don't know is, hours before
Jasmine was murdered, we were

601
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:17,700
all together saying goodbye to
our beloved friend. It was not

602
00:45:17,700 --> 00:45:21,740
expected. She woke up not
feeling well, that day, she went

603
00:45:21,740 --> 00:45:26,840
to the emergency room and was
dead by that evening. We used to

604
00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:31,100
have a joke about who Granny's
favorite was. Jazzy always had

605
00:45:31,100 --> 00:45:35,480
the trump card. It was granny in
her restaurant after her to say

606
00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:39,200
we were all close is an
understatement. She was the glue

607
00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:42,580
that held us all together. It
was a devastating loss.

608
00:45:45,460 --> 00:45:49,120
Jacqueline described that day at
the hospital, their last day

609
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:53,920
with Jasmine's beloved Granny,
how Jasmine, even in her own

610
00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:57,760
grief, was still caring for
others, still making sure

611
00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:02,460
everyone else was okay. She was
the kind of person who, even on

612
00:46:02,460 --> 00:46:05,760
one of the hardest days of her
life, was still trying to keep

613
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:10,560
family traditions alive, still
thinking of Thanksgiving, still

614
00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:16,080
planning, still hoping, even as
her heart was breaking, she was

615
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:19,500
reaching out, offering comfort
when she was The one who

616
00:46:19,500 --> 00:46:25,340
probably needed it the most, but
then came the silence, the

617
00:46:25,340 --> 00:46:30,800
unanswered texts, the calls that
went straight to voicemail, and

618
00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:34,220
then she spoke of an hour and 12
minutes where no one knows what

619
00:46:34,220 --> 00:46:39,500
Jason Chen was doing, that
space, an agonizing gap in time,

620
00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:44,440
has haunted Jacqueline ever
since, the questions echo in her

621
00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:48,880
mind, what was happening to
Jasmine during those 72 minutes?

622
00:46:49,300 --> 00:46:53,140
What thoughts went through her
head? Was she afraid? Was she

623
00:46:53,140 --> 00:46:58,960
fighting? Was she already gone?
It's that silence, that

624
00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:03,180
horrible, unrelenting silence,
that keeps Jacqueline awake at

625
00:47:03,180 --> 00:47:07,560
night, because unanswered
questions don't just fade away.

626
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:13,920
They grow louder, they fester.
And in that courtroom, as

627
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:17,580
Jacqueline described those
missing minutes, you could feel

628
00:47:17,580 --> 00:47:22,280
her desperation, her need for
answers, answers that would

629
00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:23,180
never come.

630
00:47:26,180 --> 00:47:30,800
I texted her at 849, the morning
after we lost rain, I asked her

631
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:36,620
if she was okay. He responded, I
just need some time alone. After

632
00:47:36,620 --> 00:47:41,920
everything that happened, I have
so many questions that tortured

633
00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:46,060
my mind. One of them is, what
were you doing for the hour and

634
00:47:46,060 --> 00:47:49,780
12 minutes before you pretended
to be the girl you murdered and

635
00:47:49,780 --> 00:47:52,300
responded to her family concern
for her,

636
00:47:56,020 --> 00:48:01,080
and still somehow, Jacqueline
found empathy for Chen's mother,

637
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:06,360
she said she prays for her
acknowledged that his actions

638
00:48:06,360 --> 00:48:10,620
didn't just destroy Jasmine's
family, they destroyed his own.

639
00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:15,120
Jacqueline looked around at her
family and said she hardly

640
00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:20,480
recognizes them. Grief has
changed their DNA. It's woven

641
00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:25,160
itself into every future holiday
celebration and milestone,

642
00:48:25,820 --> 00:48:29,840
they've been given a life
sentence. She said, and Jason

643
00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:31,640
Chen should have the same

644
00:48:33,020 --> 00:48:39,620
we have a life sentence of pain
due to Jason Chen's actions. We

645
00:48:39,620 --> 00:48:43,420
will never wake up and have a
chance to put this behind us. It

646
00:48:43,420 --> 00:48:47,620
will be with us every single day
until we leave this earth. It is

647
00:48:47,620 --> 00:48:53,140
embedded in our DNA. He should
have the same applied sentence

648
00:48:53,260 --> 00:48:56,200
we bear. He should never be
allowed to leave prison and

649
00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:58,600
start his life over or put this
behind him

650
00:49:00,700 --> 00:49:04,080
next in a moment that brought
the courtroom to complete

651
00:49:04,080 --> 00:49:08,760
stillness, Jacqueline read from
Jasmine's journal. She read

652
00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,720
Jasmine's words to her
stepfather her grief over the

653
00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:17,340
loss of her brother, Austin, and
then an entry she wrote to her

654
00:49:17,340 --> 00:49:21,980
grandmother, the one who was
battling cancer. The words were

655
00:49:21,980 --> 00:49:23,840
raw, personal.

656
00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:35,420
Finally, Jasmine's father,
Travis pace stepped forward. He

657
00:49:35,420 --> 00:49:38,600
spoke of her childhood
milestones, her gift for

658
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:41,860
language, and her dreams of
attending business school in

659
00:49:41,860 --> 00:49:46,360
Chicago, but his voice broke
when he mentioned something all

660
00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:51,100
of the family members had shared
Jasmine losing her 14 year old

661
00:49:51,100 --> 00:49:56,620
brother when she was just 16, a
tragic ATV accident that

662
00:49:56,620 --> 00:49:59,740
shattered their world. Here's
what Travis shared in.

663
00:50:01,800 --> 00:50:07,200
She had a 14 year old brother,
younger brother, and the type of

664
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:13,620
person that Jasmine was, she
heard about the wreck, or for

665
00:50:13,980 --> 00:50:21,560
whatever brother was hurt, she
was the first on the scene. She

666
00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:28,460
laid in a grass field, holding
her 14 year old brother, and

667
00:50:28,460 --> 00:50:32,720
stayed with him through all the
surgeries. She didn't make it,

668
00:50:34,280 --> 00:50:41,320
but she was the one in the room
holding the hand the amount of

669
00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:50,260
garbage that it takes to lay the
filbert of brothers remarkable.

670
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:57,040
Then Travis pace spoke about the
impact of Jasmine's murder, how

671
00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:02,340
it rippled far beyond a single
generation. He described a wound

672
00:51:02,340 --> 00:51:06,300
that stretched across their
entire family, one that would

673
00:51:06,300 --> 00:51:09,960
scar not only those who knew
Jasmine, but those who would

674
00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:14,880
only ever hear stories of her.
The loss was permanent and the

675
00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:16,920
damage was generational.

676
00:51:19,500 --> 00:51:27,020
It smelled like Jasmine was the
only person we lost. We lost our

677
00:51:27,020 --> 00:51:27,980
children. We

678
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:31,580
lost our grandchildren.

679
00:51:33,680 --> 00:51:41,320
The entire family tree has been
cut bail.

680
00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:46,780
It will not just affect us

681
00:51:46,780 --> 00:51:53,500
for 50 years, for the next 1000s
of generations, we will no

682
00:51:53,500 --> 00:51:55,120
longer have that peace

683
00:51:56,260 --> 00:51:57,220
with our family.

684
00:52:01,420 --> 00:52:05,880
The courtroom went quiet as we
took a short recess when the

685
00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:10,440
jury returned, Jason Chen's
father, Min Yang Chen spoke

686
00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:17,100
briefly. His words were quieter,
simpler through a translator, he

687
00:52:17,100 --> 00:52:22,220
spoke to the pace family, we
understand your hurt, and we are

688
00:52:22,220 --> 00:52:27,440
so sorry for your loss. It was a
gesture of remorse, and I

689
00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:31,520
understood why the defense made
the call to do so, but it felt

690
00:52:31,520 --> 00:52:35,000
small against the weight of
everything that had been said.

691
00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:40,100
Judge Patterson then gave us our
new jury instructions for

692
00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:44,380
sentencing. The lawyers
approached the bench and general

693
00:52:44,380 --> 00:52:48,880
Cody WAMP stepped to the podium
for the last time before she

694
00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:53,380
began. Judge Patterson provided
two final pieces of information

695
00:52:53,380 --> 00:52:58,120
for the sentencing phase. The
first, Jason Chen is a US

696
00:52:58,120 --> 00:53:03,480
citizen, and the second, he has
no significant criminal history.

697
00:53:04,620 --> 00:53:08,400
I'm going to play this next clip
in its entirety so you can

698
00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:11,700
experience it like we did in the
courtroom that morning.

699
00:53:14,340 --> 00:53:19,260
John's decision, what do you
think should he have the ability

700
00:53:19,620 --> 00:53:24,020
to get out of prison, is the
question that you now have to

701
00:53:24,020 --> 00:53:28,640
ask yourself. We're not going to
go back through the proof.

702
00:53:29,240 --> 00:53:34,580
You've heard it. You know it
very, very well, but I do want

703
00:53:34,580 --> 00:53:37,400
to talk to you for a second
about life without possibility

704
00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:41,560
of parole in the legal system we
refer to as L law, the state of

705
00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,740
Tennessee is not always entitled
to seek lies without the

706
00:53:44,740 --> 00:53:48,160
possibility of parole. You've
heard now that there have to be

707
00:53:48,160 --> 00:53:52,900
aggravating circumstances
present for the state to even

708
00:53:52,900 --> 00:53:57,640
ask a jury to find life without
the possibility of parole. In

709
00:53:57,640 --> 00:54:01,800
this case, it's very simple.
Tennessee State law allows life

710
00:54:01,800 --> 00:54:04,080
without the possibility of
parole if the murder was

711
00:54:04,080 --> 00:54:09,660
especially heinous or atrocious
or cruel in that it involved

712
00:54:09,660 --> 00:54:12,480
torture or serious physical
abuse beyond that necessary to

713
00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:16,860
produce death. And then it goes
on to define those terms. I hate

714
00:54:16,860 --> 00:54:20,960
that I even have to say this,
but if he was going to kill her

715
00:54:21,020 --> 00:54:24,740
like he did. He could have done
in other ways. He could have

716
00:54:24,740 --> 00:54:28,760
killed her in other ways, where
we would not be here for this

717
00:54:28,820 --> 00:54:32,120
sentencing hearing. If he would
have shot her and left her in

718
00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:34,520
his apartment, we wouldn't be
here for life without the

719
00:54:34,520 --> 00:54:37,880
possibility of parole. It
doesn't qualify under this

720
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:40,840
aggravating circumstance if he
would have stabbed her once or

721
00:54:40,840 --> 00:54:44,620
twice and left her in his
apartment. We wouldn't be here.

722
00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:47,980
It doesn't qualify under this
aggravating circumstance. He

723
00:54:47,980 --> 00:54:53,980
chose not to do that. He chose
repeatedly, the amount of stones

724
00:54:53,980 --> 00:55:00,300
that were in that glass base to
stab and slice her and. Then he

725
00:55:00,300 --> 00:55:05,280
chose more physical abuse. I
think we can all agree that

726
00:55:05,280 --> 00:55:08,040
stuffing her in garbage bags in
a suitcase, is additional

727
00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:12,840
physical abuse on top of what
was necessary to kill her. The

728
00:55:12,840 --> 00:55:16,020
medical examiner said that she
could have lived for minutes,

729
00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:18,900
that even the wound to the neck
would not have instantly killed

730
00:55:18,900 --> 00:55:26,360
her. That is heinous and
atrocious and beyond what was

731
00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:34,580
necessary to kill her. That is
cool, that is vital, the entire

732
00:55:34,940 --> 00:55:41,080
case is vital. I feel terrible
for Jason's family. It is very

733
00:55:41,080 --> 00:55:47,260
sad to see his mom up there on
that way to stand Shame on him.

734
00:55:48,100 --> 00:55:52,000
He didn't just do this to jazz
and its family. It is horrible

735
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:56,560
to watch that he did it to his
own family. I can't even fathom

736
00:55:56,860 --> 00:56:00,040
what they must feel like. But I
want you to ask yourself

737
00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:06,780
something, did you see or feel
legitimate, genuine remorse for

738
00:56:06,780 --> 00:56:15,000
the pace family? Did you does it
make it better that he was

739
00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:19,620
privileged, that he had parents
and a brother that cared about

740
00:56:19,620 --> 00:56:22,640
him, that he's been a quote,
good kid. He's a he was a good

741
00:56:22,640 --> 00:56:27,320
child. No mental health
conditions. We've heard about,

742
00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:31,160
no issues. He was a student.
Does that make it better, or

743
00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:34,580
does that make it worse? I think
that makes it a lot worse,

744
00:56:35,120 --> 00:56:38,240
because there are kids in our
communities that have hard

745
00:56:38,240 --> 00:56:43,120
lives, that struggle with drugs,
with mental health issues, that

746
00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:48,880
grew up in bad homes, that had
hard, hard life that's not him.

747
00:56:49,780 --> 00:56:53,740
He took everything his family
had given him, and he squandered

748
00:56:53,740 --> 00:56:59,560
it and he ruined the faces life
that doesn't make it better,

749
00:57:00,220 --> 00:57:06,660
makes it worse. All we are
asking is that he never gets out

750
00:57:06,660 --> 00:57:12,180
of prison. Jasmine pace never
got out of that suitcase until

751
00:57:12,180 --> 00:57:16,260
she was in a coffin in which her
family members had to testify

752
00:57:16,260 --> 00:57:21,860
today that there had to be so
much wax on her body she's

753
00:57:21,860 --> 00:57:30,140
unrecognized that is heinous and
atrocious and cool period, just

754
00:57:30,140 --> 00:57:34,220
like yesterday, we ask that you
go back there, talk about it,

755
00:57:34,640 --> 00:57:37,820
make the right decision, and
make sure he Never gets out of

756
00:57:37,820 --> 00:57:39,380
prison. Thank you.

757
00:57:41,720 --> 00:57:44,680
District Attorney, Cody WAMP
reminded us of something

758
00:57:44,680 --> 00:57:49,300
chilling. Jasmine never got out
of the suitcase until she was in

759
00:57:49,300 --> 00:57:54,820
a coffin. What Jason did, she
said, wasn't just murder, it was

760
00:57:54,820 --> 00:58:01,200
heinous, atrocious and cruel.
The defense, meanwhile, has

761
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:05,880
asked for mercy. They painted a
picture of Jason as an old man,

762
00:58:06,120 --> 00:58:11,160
73 years old, harmless,
regretful, deserving of

763
00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:16,500
redemption. There are two
versions of Jason Chen here, two

764
00:58:16,500 --> 00:58:21,200
competing realities, and we were
left to decide which one would

765
00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:22,400
shape his future.

766
00:58:24,380 --> 00:58:28,340
Sat through a long trial. And I
know there's things I think the

767
00:58:28,340 --> 00:58:31,100
state tried you saw, things that
you won't forget. I won't

768
00:58:31,100 --> 00:58:36,140
forget. I want to tell each and
every one of you thank you for

769
00:58:36,140 --> 00:58:43,900
your time, your patience, your
consideration. But you're tasked

770
00:58:43,900 --> 00:58:48,640
with a profound and somber
responsibility in this part of

771
00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:53,440
the trial, you get to decide
whether Jason gets life with

772
00:58:53,440 --> 00:59:01,140
parole or never be released.
Both options are severe and a

773
00:59:01,140 --> 00:59:06,780
significant punishment. I think
it's reflects the seriousness of

774
00:59:06,780 --> 00:59:10,680
a case, but it's critical that
you remember that every tragic

775
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:17,400
crime has equal magnitude under
the law. Your duty today is not

776
00:59:17,520 --> 00:59:23,540
to ensure punishment, it's to
make sure it's also portion.

777
00:59:24,440 --> 00:59:28,160
I've spoken with many victims
families. They don't care if

778
00:59:28,160 --> 00:59:33,440
you're shocked or stabbed or
strangled or drowned or any of

779
00:59:33,440 --> 00:59:38,480
one of those things, every
single murder is especially

780
00:59:38,480 --> 00:59:42,580
heinous, atrocious and cruel.
General Moyle talked to you

781
00:59:42,580 --> 00:59:46,840
about that yesterday. Every
murder is emotional, everything.

782
00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:51,880
There's always a family that
loses someone. General WAMP is

783
00:59:51,880 --> 00:59:56,680
right the pace, and the bean
family lost a very important

784
00:59:56,680 --> 01:00:04,080
person. It's tragic, sad. I
agree, the Chen Family have lost

785
01:00:04,080 --> 01:00:11,100
a child too. There's two
families hurting. It's important

786
01:00:11,100 --> 01:00:13,860
to know that the law
distinguishes crimes that are

787
01:00:13,860 --> 01:00:17,460
inherently tragic with those
that rise to the most egregious

788
01:00:17,460 --> 01:00:22,160
levels of brutality deserving
permanent condemnation. Question

789
01:00:22,160 --> 01:00:24,920
you must ask yourself when
you're back in that jury room is

790
01:00:24,920 --> 01:00:29,000
whether or not this case reaches
that threshold. Does it rise to

791
01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:34,700
the level that Jason Chen, a 73
year old man, be forever denied

792
01:00:34,700 --> 01:00:40,540
an opportunity to demonstrate
remorse, rehabilitation and

793
01:00:40,540 --> 01:00:41,260
redemption

794
01:00:44,440 --> 01:00:48,520
with that court was recessed
once again for deliberations,

795
01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:53,020
but first we ventured out as a
group for lunch one final time,

796
01:00:53,680 --> 01:00:58,780
we enjoyed the walk, the warmth
of the sun on our faces, And the

797
01:00:58,780 --> 01:01:03,660
moment of normalcy after days of
heaviness, we'd been to this

798
01:01:03,660 --> 01:01:07,740
place before. Earlier in the
week, anchors on Broad Street,

799
01:01:08,100 --> 01:01:12,540
they already had our tables
reserved for us. Everyone

800
01:01:12,540 --> 01:01:17,880
ordered and shared one last meal
together. It was simple, sweet,

801
01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:22,400
a small gesture of closure for a
group of strangers brought

802
01:01:22,400 --> 01:01:28,340
together by tragedy, jurors,
deputies, a brief, fragile

803
01:01:28,340 --> 01:01:32,060
community bound by something
none of us would ever forget.

804
01:01:33,680 --> 01:01:37,880
With full bellies and a final
task at hand, we made our way

805
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:42,280
back to the courthouse, back
into the jury room for one last

806
01:01:42,280 --> 01:01:46,780
deliberation, we took our
customary bathroom break, and

807
01:01:46,780 --> 01:01:51,340
once everyone was seated, the
foreman put it to a vote, just

808
01:01:51,340 --> 01:01:55,360
like the day before, a couple of
jurors hesitated on the charge

809
01:01:55,360 --> 01:01:59,920
of life without the possibility
of parole, and just like the day

810
01:01:59,920 --> 01:02:05,880
before, I couldn't confidently
raise my hand, not yet. I needed

811
01:02:05,880 --> 01:02:12,600
to be sure. I needed to speak,
to discuss, to make sense of the

812
01:02:12,600 --> 01:02:17,460
weight of what we were about to
decide. The air in the room felt

813
01:02:17,460 --> 01:02:23,180
different, this time heavier,
oddly, as if we all understood

814
01:02:23,180 --> 01:02:28,160
that this was the true end, that
what we decided in these moments

815
01:02:28,160 --> 01:02:33,260
would reverberate for decades.
If Jason were given life with

816
01:02:33,260 --> 01:02:38,120
the possibility of parole, he
would be 73 years old when his

817
01:02:38,120 --> 01:02:42,280
first opportunity for release
would come that would be 51

818
01:02:42,520 --> 01:02:48,100
years from now. The idea of it
stuck in my mind, circling over

819
01:02:48,100 --> 01:02:53,020
and over. I remember speaking
out loud, as much to the others

820
01:02:53,020 --> 01:02:59,200
as to myself, 51 years, that's
more than an entire lifetime for

821
01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:03,480
Jasmine, it's more than twice as
long as she ever had on this

822
01:03:03,480 --> 01:03:10,260
earth. The room was quiet,
listening, weighing, processing,

823
01:03:11,340 --> 01:03:16,560
if we decide on parole, then 51
years from now, Jason Chen could

824
01:03:16,560 --> 01:03:21,980
walk free. He could breathe
fresh air, rebuild his life and

825
01:03:21,980 --> 01:03:27,320
make new memories, but Jasmine
will still be gone 51 years from

826
01:03:27,320 --> 01:03:31,760
now, her family will still be
grieving her loss. Decades

827
01:03:31,760 --> 01:03:40,360
later, they don't get a second
chance. I could feel the weight

828
01:03:40,360 --> 01:03:44,320
of those words settling over the
room, and in that moment,

829
01:03:44,380 --> 01:03:49,060
something clicked for me. This
wasn't about revenge, it was

830
01:03:49,060 --> 01:03:53,800
about justice, a justice that
matched the gravity of what had

831
01:03:53,800 --> 01:03:58,000
been taken away. And with that
clarity, I felt that I could

832
01:03:58,000 --> 01:04:02,280
confidently raise my hand when
it came time to vote again. It

833
01:04:02,280 --> 01:04:06,900
didn't take long, and the
decision was made. We spent a

834
01:04:06,900 --> 01:04:11,340
few more minutes in silence
letting it settle, making sure

835
01:04:11,340 --> 01:04:17,700
we were sure it wasn't rushed.
It wasn't hasty, but it was

836
01:04:17,700 --> 01:04:23,420
unanimous. At 2:29pm Jason Chen
was brought back into the

837
01:04:23,420 --> 01:04:27,860
courtroom, and three minutes
later, our verdict was read

838
01:04:30,200 --> 01:04:33,680
with respect to the sentence of
the defendant Jason Chen on

839
01:04:33,680 --> 01:04:38,600
count one of presentment,
315228, We the jury do

840
01:04:38,600 --> 01:04:41,620
unanimously find the following
statutory aggravating

841
01:04:41,620 --> 01:04:44,380
circumstances beyond a
reasonable doubt in that the

842
01:04:44,380 --> 01:04:47,920
murder was especially heinous,
atrocious or cruel, and that

843
01:04:47,920 --> 01:04:51,040
involved torture or serious
physical abuse beyond that

844
01:04:51,040 --> 01:04:54,940
necessary to produce death and
do unanimously agree that the

845
01:04:54,940 --> 01:04:57,880
defendant's sentence shall be
life imprisonment, without the

846
01:04:57,880 --> 01:05:00,120
possibility of. I'm

847
01:05:03,240 --> 01:05:06,000
curious if this is your
individual verdict by raising

848
01:05:06,000 --> 01:05:09,840
your right hand, but we can
indicate that all white hands

849
01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:14,580
are raised jurors. This
concludes your service. It may

850
01:05:14,580 --> 01:05:18,300
seem like two years ago that we
first met, only two weeks ago,

851
01:05:19,440 --> 01:05:22,460
as you can tell, this very
important case for both sides of

852
01:05:22,460 --> 01:05:26,000
this community. On behalf of
everyone here in Hamilton

853
01:05:27,380 --> 01:05:31,520
County, please accept my sincere
gratitude for the sacrifices you

854
01:05:31,520 --> 01:05:33,920
have made away from your life as
part of this

855
01:05:36,920 --> 01:05:41,080
there you have it. Jason Chen
would spend the rest of his life

856
01:05:41,080 --> 01:05:46,240
in prison without the
possibility of parole. It didn't

857
01:05:46,240 --> 01:05:51,160
feel victorious. It didn't feel
like a win, but it felt

858
01:05:51,160 --> 01:05:57,460
necessary. We had done our part,
we listened, we questioned, we

859
01:05:57,460 --> 01:06:03,180
deliberated, and now we had
delivered our verdicts. It felt

860
01:06:03,180 --> 01:06:07,560
like the right decision, but it
didn't feel like relief, not

861
01:06:07,560 --> 01:06:12,600
really, as I walked out of the
courthouse for the final time,

862
01:06:12,720 --> 01:06:16,440
the sun was still shining.
People were still walking their

863
01:06:16,440 --> 01:06:22,100
dogs, grabbing coffee and going
about their lives, but for

864
01:06:22,100 --> 01:06:26,420
Jasmine's family, for all of us
who sat through those nine days,

865
01:06:26,900 --> 01:06:31,280
life was not returning to
normal. Justice had been served

866
01:06:31,280 --> 01:06:35,600
in the eyes of the law, but the
story and the pain that the pace

867
01:06:35,600 --> 01:06:45,280
and bean families went through
wasn't over. You. The next time

868
01:06:45,280 --> 01:06:49,060
on sequestered, we'll look at
what happened after the verdict.

869
01:06:49,660 --> 01:06:52,900
I was interviewed by latricia
Thomas of News Channel Nine

870
01:06:52,900 --> 01:06:54,460
about the deliberations.

871
01:06:55,600 --> 01:06:58,480
For the first time, we're
hearing what went into their

872
01:06:58,480 --> 01:07:02,520
decision to convict him of
premeditated first degree murder

873
01:07:02,640 --> 01:07:06,300
and sentenced him to life in
prison without the possibility

874
01:07:06,300 --> 01:07:06,960
of parole,

875
01:07:08,220 --> 01:07:11,820
and we catch up with general
Cody WAMP and general palm oil

876
01:07:12,120 --> 01:07:16,920
now, two months after the trial,
stick with us. I've got a lot

877
01:07:16,920 --> 01:07:20,360
more to share on This. You
music.

878
01:07:41,840 --> 01:07:45,220
Thank you for listening to
sequester a juror's perspective

879
01:07:45,220 --> 01:07:48,760
on the murder trial for Jasmine.
Pace. Each episode brings us

880
01:07:48,760 --> 01:07:52,120
closer to understanding the
trial, the people involved, and

881
01:07:52,120 --> 01:07:55,900
the weight of seeking justice.
If this story speaks to you,

882
01:07:56,140 --> 01:07:59,500
please follow, share and
continue the conversation with

883
01:07:59,500 --> 01:08:06,300
us. Jasmine's story deserves to
be remembered. This is a BP

884
01:08:06,300 --> 01:08:11,820
production. The show is written,
edited and produced by me Sarah

885
01:08:11,820 --> 01:08:16,260
Reed, with CO production by
Andrea Kleid. News clips

886
01:08:16,260 --> 01:08:19,680
featured in this episode were
sourced from wtbc News Channel

887
01:08:19,680 --> 01:08:22,820
Nine, local three news,
Chattanooga and the law and

888
01:08:22,820 --> 01:08:26,780
crime network, music and sound
design are curated to reflect

889
01:08:26,780 --> 01:08:30,320
the gravity and sensitivity of
this story, and with the intent

890
01:08:30,320 --> 01:08:33,980
to honor Jasmine, her family and
the community affected by her

891
01:08:33,980 --> 01:08:38,120
death. For more information or
to connect with us, visit

892
01:08:38,120 --> 01:08:42,760
sequestered pod.com or follow us
on Instagram at sequestered pot.

893
01:08:43,780 --> 01:08:47,860
Thank you for listening until
next Time, stay curious and stay

894
01:08:47,860 --> 01:08:48,220
safe. You