00:00:08
Julia:<i> This time on Killers</i>
<i> Caught on Camera.</i>
00:00:12
- Tuesday night is the last
time I saw my daughter.
00:00:15
Julia:<i> In the US,</i>
<i> in Tennessee, parents</i>
00:00:19
<i> search for their missing</i>
<i> 22-year-old daughter.</i>
00:00:23
Man: Is she in there?
00:00:24
She's not in here.
00:00:26
Julia:<i> The evidence leads</i>
<i> to a fatal conclusion.</i>
00:00:30
- They found quantities of
blood that were not survivable.
00:00:36
Julia:<i> And in the UK,</i>
<i> in Staffordshire,</i>
00:00:39
<i> a night out ends in murder.</i>
00:00:43
Steve: They found
a female laying
00:00:45
on the bed, clearly deceased.
00:00:49
- This was a brutal
and sustained attack, showing
00:00:52
no regard for Megan's life.
00:00:54
[tense music]
00:00:58
Man: It just sounds
like something
00:01:00
bad is happening to her.
00:01:01
Woman: We know what
happened because the video
00:01:03
tells us what happened.
00:01:04
Man: I heard some gunshots.
00:01:06
- I need to get rid of the gun.
00:01:10
- Man, that's good.
00:01:12
Man: The camera doesn't lie.
00:01:21
Julia:<i> In Tennessee,</i>
<i> Hamilton County,</i>
00:01:24
<i> the city of Chattanooga.</i>
00:01:58
[tense music]
00:02:00
♪ ♪
00:02:04
Julia:<i> 22-year-old</i>
<i> Jasmine Pace,</i>
00:02:06
<i> known affectionately as Jazzy,</i>
<i> was a student at the University</i>
00:02:10
<i> of Tennessee.</i>
00:02:13
<i> Kentrell Harris went</i>
<i> to high school with Jasmine</i>
00:02:16
<i> and worked with her</i>
<i> at a local restaurant.</i>
00:02:19
Kentrell: What made Jasmine
special was her ability
00:02:23
to be compassionate
for others, to have empathy
00:02:27
for other people, to be that
listening ear whenever you're
00:02:30
going through something.
00:02:32
Jasmine was peaceful, loving,
caring, friendly, supportive.
00:02:40
- Jasmine was super
sweet, outgoing.
00:02:42
She cared about people.
00:02:44
And she had a lot of friends.
00:02:46
She was very well-involved
in the community.
00:02:48
- All right, bye.
Love you, chick.
00:02:49
Mwah.
00:02:52
Julia:<i> Jasmine lived with</i>
<i> her mom in Chattanooga</i>
00:02:55
<i> and worked for her family's</i>
<i> construction business.</i>
00:02:58
<i> She was extremely close</i>
<i> to her great-grandmother.</i>
00:03:02
Nick: On November 22, her
grandmother had passed away.
00:03:05
She was with her family when
her grandmother passed away,
00:03:08
and at some point that
evening, she left.
00:03:13
Julia:<i> But two days later,</i>
<i> Jasmine failed to turn</i>
00:03:17
<i> up to Thanksgiving dinner.</i>
00:03:20
- Thanksgiving is
a massive deal.
00:03:21
You're always
around your family.
00:03:23
So if you're just randomly
not at Thanksgiving dinner,
00:03:25
it's gonna be pretty alarming.
00:03:29
Her mom gets a message from
her that she's with her friend
00:03:32
that she's not
coming, which really
00:03:33
prompts immediate
concern from her mother.
00:03:37
Julia:<i> Then a post appeared</i>
<i> on Jasmine's social media,</i>
00:03:40
<i> which seemed out of character.</i>
00:03:43
- Something felt off because
the photo was quite suggestive.
00:03:48
Jasmine normally
wouldn't do that.
00:03:52
Julia:<i> A distinctive tattoo</i>
<i> on Jasmine's right shoulder</i>
00:03:56
<i> was also missing.</i>
00:03:58
Nick: Because of the missing
tattoo,
00:04:00
it indicated that
it was quite old
00:04:01
and it wouldn't have
been from that day.
00:04:05
Julia:<i> The family were</i>
<i> increasingly concerned,</i>
00:04:07
<i> so Jasmine's mother used</i>
<i> an app linked to her daughter's</i>
00:04:10
<i> vehicle to track her movements</i>
<i> and went to the car's</i>
00:04:13
<i> last known location.</i>
00:04:47
Julia:<i> Chattanooga Police</i>
<i> joined Jasmine's parents</i>
00:04:49
at the scene.
- Hey.
00:04:50
cop: Hello.
00:04:53
So what's going on exactly?
00:04:56
- She's been missing
for four days.
00:04:57
- So our daughter,
Wednesday said-- texted--
00:05:02
we never actually
spoke to her--
00:05:03
texted and said she was going
out of town for the week
00:05:07
with a girlfriend, Emma.
00:05:09
OK?
00:05:10
cop: OK.
00:05:11
- I just talked to Emma today.
00:05:14
She did not go out
of town with Emma.
00:05:16
cop: OK.
00:05:18
- So I tracked her--
00:05:21
her MyChevrolet app.
00:05:24
Tuesday night is the last
time I saw my daughter.
00:05:26
Wednesday, it came right here.
00:05:28
It hadn't been moved since.
00:05:29
I pulled up her phone records.
00:05:31
She has not made any phone
calls since Tuesday night.
00:05:34
And someone has been
resetting her passwords.
00:05:39
cop: Have y'all been
in, like, any arguments
00:05:41
or anything recently?
00:05:43
Nothing like that?
OK.
00:05:45
man: Everybody's close.
00:05:46
Her granny lived with us.
00:05:48
She passed Tuesday night.
00:05:50
cop: OK, sorry to hear that.
00:05:51
man: No, everybody's been fine.
00:05:53
There's been no arguments.
00:05:55
And she's never done that.
00:05:57
Julia:<i> Inside</i>
<i> the car, the driving</i>
00:05:59
<i> position had been changed.</i>
00:06:02
- The seat was further back
than Jasmine would have had it.
00:06:04
Jasmine was very petite.
00:06:06
She was short,
and she was small.
00:06:07
And the seat
seemed to have been
00:06:09
further back than
a short, small woman
00:06:11
would have driven it at.
00:06:13
cop: As far as right now, I
can get her listed as missing
00:06:16
in the national database.
00:06:18
So if anybody comes
across her, it's gonna pop
00:06:21
up bright red, missing person.
00:06:23
- If you look at missing
person statistics,
00:06:25
it's not that common
for women in their 20s
00:06:28
to go missing and to not be
found relatively quickly.
00:06:31
So most missing persons who
are female are juveniles.
00:06:35
cop: I'm gonna go ahead
and call that investigator.
00:06:37
- OK.
00:06:41
- Jasmine's car being
found in a random place,
00:06:44
her not making contact
with her parents
00:06:46
and missing Thanksgiving, those
are all things that for Jasmine
00:06:50
are out of the ordinary.
00:06:52
And so it's more
those factors that
00:06:54
make this an important
case because those are
00:06:57
all unusual things for her.
00:06:59
And when we look
at missing persons,
00:07:01
just like with any other kind
of situation where there's
00:07:03
a big question
mark, we're looking
00:07:05
for things that are
out of the ordinary
00:07:07
for the specific individual.
00:07:09
We're looking for what are
called changes from baseline.
00:07:14
Julia:<i> The police were</i>
<i> limited in what they could do,</i>
00:07:17
<i> but Jasmine's parents</i>
<i> were convinced something</i>
00:07:19
<i> sinister had happened.</i>
00:07:20
<i> They did their own</i>
<i> detective work</i>
00:07:22
<i> and tracked Jasmine's vehicle</i>
<i> even further back in time.</i>
00:07:30
Nick: Because the car
was attached to an app,
00:07:31
they were able
to track its movements,
00:07:33
and they were eventually able
to discover that car had been
00:07:37
to Tremont Street previously.
00:07:40
Julia:<i> The exact</i>
<i> address had already been</i>
00:07:43
<i> sent by Jasmine to her mom.</i>
00:07:46
Coty: Jasmine had dropped
her location to her mother
00:07:50
on the night she went missing
in the middle of the night
00:07:53
at around 2:15 AM.
00:07:55
Mom initially did
not see the pin drop.
00:07:58
It was only when the family was
really searching for Jasmine
00:08:02
that her mother was able
to go back in her text,
00:08:04
and all of a sudden said, oh my
gosh, she sent me her location.
00:08:14
Julia:<i> Jasmine's parents</i>
<i> went straight there.</i>
00:08:19
<i> It was an apartment</i>
<i> complex on Tremont Street,</i>
00:08:22
<i> just five miles away from where</i>
<i> Jasmine's car had been found.</i>
00:08:27
Coty: When they get
to the apartment building,
00:08:28
they started sort of canvassing
the apartment building.
00:08:34
This couple that
lived in the building
00:08:36
also was able
to identify a scream
00:08:39
of what seemed like a female
around the time Jasmine
00:08:42
went missing.
00:08:45
Julia:<i> The neighbors confirmed</i>
<i> to her parents, the scream</i>
00:08:48
<i> came from inside apartment 210,</i>
<i> the occupant, a student named</i>
00:08:56
<i> Jason Chen, a name familiar</i>
<i> to Jasmine's parents.</i>
00:09:02
- Jasmine was a young female.
00:09:04
She was not in a serious
relationship.
00:09:07
She was casually
seeing a student
00:09:09
at the local
university, Jason Chen.
00:09:12
Some of her family
members had met him,
00:09:14
but her parents had not.
00:09:18
Nick: Desperate
to find their daughter,
00:09:20
Jasmine's parents
decided to break
00:09:21
in to Jason Chen's apartment.
00:09:23
[tense music]
00:09:25
♪ ♪
00:09:53
- I knew that something
bad had happened
00:09:55
when I learned that the family
found Jasmine's personal items
00:10:01
in this apartment.
00:10:04
They were items that you
would not leave behind--
00:10:08
a driver's license,
your credit cards.
00:10:12
I knew that
something was wrong.
00:10:16
Julia:<i> A few minutes</i>
<i> after the 911 call,</i>
00:10:19
<i> officers arrived to pick</i>
<i> up Jasmine's parents'</i>
00:10:22
<i> investigation.</i>
00:10:23
cop: None of y'all are in here?
00:10:25
woman: No, no one answered it.
00:10:26
cop: All right.
00:10:29
Just hang out over here.
00:10:31
We're just gonna make
sure that obviously
00:10:32
there is no one in here.
00:10:36
cop: It smells
like rotting food.
00:10:43
See that?
cop: Yeah.
00:10:45
cop: Long hair there.
00:10:49
Get down here.
00:10:50
That's definitely female.
00:10:58
woman: Is she in there?
00:10:59
cop: She's not in here.
00:11:00
cop: No one's inside.
00:11:03
Paul: A missing child is
one of the greatest fears
00:11:07
that any parent would have.
00:11:09
You instantly go
to very dark places.
00:11:13
Is my child hurt?
00:11:15
Is my child alive?
00:11:17
Is she being held
against her will?
00:11:22
Julia:<i> Officers needed</i>
<i> to speak with the neighbors</i>
00:11:25
<i> who'd heard the scream.</i>
00:11:27
- Tuesday night,
early Wednesday
00:11:29
morning, we were sitting
on the couch right there.
00:11:32
Heard some yelling.
00:11:33
I took a note on my phone.
00:11:37
So I just wrote the time down
around about that I heard it.
00:11:41
That was the date.
00:11:42
I haven't changed it since.
00:11:44
So November 23.
00:11:45
That was Wednesday night.
00:11:48
I wrote down
the time of 2:15 AM.
00:11:51
Julia:<i> The time of the scream</i>
<i> exactly matched when Jasmine</i>
00:11:55
<i> sent the pin drop to her mom.</i>
00:11:58
<i> The police urgently</i>
<i> needed to find her.</i>
00:12:02
<i> They started to look</i>
<i> for Jason Chen.</i>
00:12:05
<i> All they knew was that he</i>
<i> was a university student</i>
00:12:08
<i> doing computer science.</i>
00:12:13
Coty: Jason Chen was
nowhere to be found.
00:12:15
Police are calling him.
00:12:16
They are trying to contact him.
00:12:18
They have his information.
00:12:20
He is not responding.
00:12:22
And they do not
know where he is at.
00:12:24
Julia:<i> Alongside,</i>
<i> a major search operation</i>
00:12:27
<i> was also underway for Jasmine.</i>
00:12:32
Nick: Everyone is
looking for Jasmine.
00:12:34
Her mom's frantic and trying
to find her daughter.
00:12:37
She was clearly very popular.
00:12:38
She had clearly had a lot
of people who cared about her.
00:12:40
And, you know, Chattanooga is
such a close-knit community
00:12:43
that when someone goes
missing like this,
00:12:45
you'll see it spread
like wildfire.
00:12:47
reporter: Pace's
disappearance has caught
00:12:49
the eye of social media.
00:12:51
- Please stop scrolling
and help me find my friend.
00:12:53
- Share it.
00:12:54
Get the word out.
00:12:57
Kentrell: When I heard the news
that Jasmine was missing,
00:13:01
it was truly horrific.
00:13:03
I couldn't believe
that what was going on
00:13:06
was truly happening.
00:13:08
Coty: At this point
in the investigation,
00:13:10
a search warrant
was then executed
00:13:11
by the Chattanooga
Police Department.
00:13:17
They utilized a tool that we
basically refer to as luminol.
00:13:21
It is a substance that can
identify the presence of blood.
00:13:24
With the naked eye, most
of the investigators
00:13:26
could not really
see any blood, but
00:13:28
when they utilized that
luminol, turn the lights off.
00:13:33
[tense music]
00:13:35
♪ ♪
00:13:39
This was not a faint
trace of blood.
00:13:43
They found quantities of blood
that were not survivable.
00:13:48
Julia:<i> A closer</i>
<i> forensic examination</i>
00:13:50
<i> of the apartment only confirmed</i>
<i> the worst-case scenario.</i>
00:13:56
Coty: There was
clearly a cleanup
00:13:57
job, but not good enough.
00:13:59
It was clear that not only had
something gone terribly wrong,
00:14:03
but that most likely whosever
blood that was was not alive.
00:14:09
Julia:<i> Investigators</i>
<i> needed to confirm</i>
00:14:11
<i> if it was Jasmine's blood.</i>
00:14:14
Coty: Law enforcement took
a sample from her toothbrush
00:14:16
at her parents'
house to compare it
00:14:18
to the blood in the apartment.
00:14:20
We sent it off to the Tennessee
Bureau of Investigation
00:14:22
and asked for it to be
tested as soon as possible.
00:14:26
Julia:<i> Outside</i>
<i> the apartment by a dumpster,</i>
00:14:29
<i> the police discovered</i>
<i> items covered in blood.</i>
00:14:34
- Jason Chen, he's
gone from a-- a person
00:14:36
of interest to the primary
suspect in possibly a homicide.
00:14:42
Julia:<i> Police were working</i>
<i> around the clock to find him.</i>
00:14:46
<i> They checked the neighborhood</i>
<i> for surveillance footage</i>
00:14:49
<i> in search of digital clues.</i>
00:14:53
Coty: Law enforcement are
seeking out video footage
00:14:55
from different locations
that Jason may have
00:14:57
visited nearby his residence.
00:15:00
Julia:<i> Police got a lucky break</i>
<i> when they checked the security</i>
00:15:03
<i> footage from a nearby store.</i>
00:15:10
<i> The morning after</i>
<i> Jasmine went missing,</i>
00:15:13
<i> Jason Chen was</i>
<i> captured on camera</i>
00:15:15
<i> buying cleaning products.</i>
00:15:19
- What was especially
interesting to us
00:15:21
is that throughout these
videos and throughout this day,
00:15:24
Mr. Chen wears a very distinct
hat that makes him extremely
00:15:29
easy to identify,
and we continue
00:15:31
to see this hat throughout the
course of the investigation.
00:15:37
Julia:<i> Another local store</i>
<i> provided the police with even</i>
00:15:40
<i> more unsettling scenes.</i>
00:15:46
<i> Jason was buying bandages</i>
<i> and hydrogen peroxide.</i>
00:15:52
There's something
called the illusion
00:15:54
of invulnerability, which
is when perpetrators think
00:15:56
that they can't get caught.
00:15:58
So they're basically
overconfident in their ability
00:16:00
to get away with a crime.
00:16:02
And in this case, having
a really distinctive hat could
00:16:07
be an oversight,
but it could also
00:16:09
be someone who's just
incredibly overconfident
00:16:11
and thinks it doesn't
really matter what I wear.
00:16:13
It doesn't really matter
what I'm doing because I'm
00:16:15
not going to get caught.
00:16:19
<i> The day after</i>
<i> Jasmine went missing,</i>
00:16:22
<i> doorbell footage captured Jason</i>
<i> returning to his apartment</i>
00:16:25
<i> multiple times.</i>
00:16:28
<i> And when investigators checked</i>
<i> footage from a street camera</i>
00:16:31
<i> outside the apartment,</i>
<i> they made</i>
00:16:33
<i> another shocking discovery.</i>
00:16:36
- We were able
to locate video footage
00:16:39
of Jasmine Pace's vehicle
actually leaving his apartment.
00:16:43
And this is when that hat
becomes important again,
00:16:45
because we believe that
the figure in the driver's
00:16:48
seat of the vehicle can be
identified as Jason Chen,
00:16:51
based on the hat he's wearing.
00:16:55
Julia:<i> But why would Jason</i>
<i> Chen be driving Jasmine's car?</i>
00:17:01
<i> As investigators continued</i>
<i> to search through hours</i>
00:17:04
<i> of surveillance footage,</i>
<i> another glimpse of Jason</i>
00:17:08
<i> aroused suspicion.</i>
00:17:12
- The one piece of video
evidence that's really stuck,
00:17:16
drew me in and captured
my imagination
00:17:20
was the camera that we have
installed on a street corner,
00:17:23
and it just so happened
to look up Tremont Street
00:17:26
to Jason Chen's apartment.
00:17:30
On that, I could see Jason
Chin coming and going.
00:17:34
And ultimately, I
could see him taking
00:17:37
a suitcase out the front
door of his apartment
00:17:39
and then driving away.
00:17:43
Julia:<i> The contents of the</i>
<i> suitcase remained a mystery.</i>
00:17:48
<i> Jasmine was still</i>
<i> nowhere to be found.</i>
00:17:52
<i> Then the DNA results came back.</i>
00:17:55
<i> The blood in the apartment</i>
<i> was confirmed to be Jasmine's.</i>
00:18:01
Coty: The moment
with the family
00:18:02
in which we had to tell
them that we did not
00:18:04
expect to find Jasmine alive
based on the blood found
00:18:07
in his apartment
was when we just
00:18:09
had to be honest with them.
00:18:12
At that point, we were
all realistic that we were
00:18:14
simply looking for a body.
00:18:19
Julia:<i> Eight days after</i>
<i> Jasmine went missing,</i>
00:18:22
<i> police were finally able</i>
<i> to access Jason's cell</i>
00:18:25
<i> phone location data.</i>
00:18:28
<i> It led them on a drive two</i>
<i> hours away from Chattanooga</i>
00:18:32
<i> to Nolensville, Tennessee.</i>
00:18:35
[knock on door]
00:18:38
<i> A house owned by Jason</i>
<i> Chen's parents.</i>
00:18:55
Julia:<i> He emerged</i>
<i> from the shadows.</i>
00:19:16
Julia: Asking
the police officers
00:19:18
whether they have
probable cause,
00:19:20
it feels like legal
language, which
00:19:22
could suggest that he's been
researching the kinds of things
00:19:24
the police need to have
in order to arrest him,
00:19:27
but also in terms
of the kinds of evidence
00:19:29
they need to prosecute him.
00:19:30
And that, to me, given
the circumstances,
00:19:33
does feel suspicious.
00:19:41
- Chattanooga Police say blood
spatters found in a young
00:19:43
man's apartment led
them to charge him
00:19:45
with homicide
in the case of missing
00:19:47
22-year-old Jasmine Pace.
00:19:50
Coty: When Jason was
taken into custody,
00:19:53
police tried to conduct
an interview with him.
00:19:56
And at that point in time,
he chose not to say anything.
00:20:01
Julia:<i> But a search</i>
<i> of Jason's parents' house</i>
00:20:04
<i> led to more</i>
<i> incriminating evidence.</i>
00:20:09
Coty: They had
a one-car garage,
00:20:11
and it was his vehicle
that was meticulously
00:20:14
cleaned that was
in his parents' garage
00:20:16
while his parents' vehicles
were in the driveway.
00:20:20
Julia:<i> Police also</i>
<i> discovered handwritten notes</i>
00:20:22
<i> about Jasmine's life</i>
<i> and a complete timeline</i>
00:20:26
<i> of their interactions.</i>
00:20:30
<i> Jason Chen was now in custody,</i>
<i> but Jasmine was still missing.</i>
00:20:38
<i> All search efforts were focused</i>
<i> on finding Jasmine's body.</i>
00:20:45
- In any homicide prosecution,
we always want to have a body.
00:20:50
It is vitally
important to prove
00:20:53
one of the essential
elements in that
00:20:55
there was an unlawful killing.
00:20:58
Absent a body, there's
always a reasonable doubt
00:21:00
that that person
is still alive.
00:21:03
- We knew that he was
a suspect in a homicide,
00:21:05
but we did not
have Jasmine Pace,
00:21:07
and that's what we needed.
00:21:10
Julia:<i> Using Jason Chen's</i>
<i> cell phone location data,</i>
00:21:13
<i> investigators worked</i>
<i> on pinpointing</i>
00:21:15
<i> his movements around the time</i>
<i> Jasmine went missing.</i>
00:21:21
Coty: When law
enforcement began
00:21:23
to go through those
records, we found
00:21:24
that he was all over
town, but in a very
00:21:27
suspicious place at one
point on the bank
00:21:30
of the Tennessee River.
00:21:31
[tense music]
00:21:33
♪ ♪
00:21:38
- When the investigators
arrived
00:21:40
in the secluded area off
of Suck Creek Road west
00:21:44
of Chattanooga, they
immediately noticed a suitcase.
00:21:53
They dragged that suitcase
up onto the flat ground,
00:21:57
opened it up, and immediately
felt what they
00:22:01
recognized to be a human body.
00:22:07
Julia:<i> The medical</i>
<i> examiner took X-ray images</i>
00:22:09
<i> of the suitcase's contents.</i>
00:22:13
- The body was wrapped
in three separate garbage bags.
00:22:18
It was curled
into what's described
00:22:21
as the fetal position.
00:22:24
Julia:<i> The body was</i>
<i> confirmed to be Jasmine Pace.</i>
00:22:28
Paul: Jasmine Pace
was handcuffed twice,
00:22:33
once with a handcuff
to her wrist
00:22:35
attached to her
right leg, another
00:22:39
with a set of leg shackles.
00:22:41
One of the shackles was
affixed around her elbow
00:22:44
area and the other one
to her opposite left leg.
00:22:49
The report of our medical
examiner was very chilling.
00:22:53
It told us that
Jasmine Pace had
00:22:55
been stabbed 60 times, in her
shoulder, in her throat,
00:23:03
in her head, in her abdomen.
00:23:07
It described a large
portion of a large knife
00:23:11
being broken off in her lung.
00:23:16
She died of blood loss
and aspirated on her own blood.
00:23:21
♪ ♪
00:23:27
- When the body of Jasmine
Pace was positively identified,
00:23:30
it really shook
the entire city.
00:23:32
People just wanted
to understand why could
00:23:36
someone do this to this girl.
00:23:40
Julia: This is
a really brutal find.
00:23:43
And specifically, the fact that
she was stabbed so many times
00:23:47
makes it really clear
that this had nothing
00:23:49
to do with self-defense.
00:23:51
It had nothing
to do with someone
00:23:53
who is acting impulsively
maybe once or twice.
00:23:55
This is someone who is
intentionally going back and
00:23:58
back and back in order
to cause either maximum damage
00:24:02
while she's still alive
or maximum damage to her
00:24:04
body afterwards.
00:24:06
So this is an obvious
and clear case
00:24:08
of overkill, where someone
is maybe emotional,
00:24:12
but in a way that is
sustained, not in a way that
00:24:15
is sort of a rash reaction.
00:24:18
♪ ♪
00:24:22
Coty: This was a tough
case for everybody,
00:24:25
just the gruesome nature
of it, the-- the uniqueness
00:24:28
based on what we typically
see in terms of violent crime
00:24:31
in Chattanooga.
00:24:32
So this had been
a tough process.
00:24:34
It was a tough process to go
through with her family.
00:24:36
So as trial approached,
it was somber.
00:24:40
Julia:<i> And while</i>
<i> they were preparing</i>
00:24:42
<i> for the trial, a crucial late</i>
<i> discovery of more evidence.</i>
00:24:47
- We got a call
from the detective
00:24:49
in the case, who said
we found her SIM card,
00:24:52
and it was in Jason
Chen's backpack.
00:24:55
The fact that
the criminal defendant
00:24:57
has the victim's SIM
card in his possession
00:25:00
is just great evidence.
00:25:01
There is no
explanation for that.
00:25:03
And so we put that on top of
everything that we already had,
00:25:06
and it was sort of the cherry
on top of this case.
00:25:10
Julia:<i> A vital</i>
<i> piece of evidence</i>
00:25:11
<i> that proved Jason had</i>
<i> been impersonating</i>
00:25:14
<i> Jasmine after she was killed.</i>
00:25:17
- She was murdered around
2:15 in the morning AM.
00:25:21
And then it wasn't until that
night, around 6:00 to 6:30 PM,
00:25:28
that we know that he
takes her body to the bank
00:25:29
of the Tennessee River.
00:25:31
During that day,
he's also texting her
00:25:34
as if she is still
alive and ensuring
00:25:37
that her phone, which he
had in his possession,
00:25:40
appears that these
messages were read.
00:25:44
Paul: He posted
a picture of him
00:25:46
holding a drink in his hand.
00:25:49
The problem with that is
the photograph metadata.
00:25:53
Well, it showed that it was
actually taken months and
00:25:56
months before the homicide.
00:25:58
So it was fake.
00:25:59
He knew that Jasmine
Pace was dead,
00:26:01
and he was trying to create
a digital alibi for himself.
00:26:06
Julia:<i> The trial</i>
<i> began in January 2025.</i>
00:26:13
Coty: It was shocking to us
when in the defendant's opening
00:26:17
statement, his attorney
admits, yeah, he did kill her,
00:26:20
but he did it
in a state of passion.
00:26:23
He was provoked.
00:26:26
Julia: The defense that
something is a crime of passion
00:26:28
is a line of defense
that has long
00:26:30
been used by people, especially
by men killing women,
00:26:33
especially men killing
intimate partners.
00:26:35
And that is something
that is changing
00:26:37
in terms of the societal
perception of acceptability.
00:26:41
It's no longer
seen as something
00:26:43
that should excuse murder
or even potentially
00:26:45
be a mitigating circumstance.
00:26:47
The question we should
also be asking as a society
00:26:50
is do we care?
00:26:52
Because really,
people should be
00:26:53
able to control
their emotional responses,
00:26:55
even to strong
and threatening situations.
00:26:58
And murder is never
an acceptable option,
00:27:00
no matter how angry you get.
00:27:03
Nick: The defense
claim that Jasmine
00:27:05
had attacked Jason
with a wine bottle
00:27:07
after discovering
that he was messaging
00:27:09
other girls on Tinder.
00:27:11
It seemed basically
impossible that one,
00:27:14
that she could have posed
any physical threat to Jason,
00:27:17
and that two, with
the cell phone data,
00:27:19
it was revealed that the day
before Jason killed Jasmine,
00:27:23
he had not received
one message on Tinder.
00:27:28
Julia:<i> But the cell</i>
<i> phone data revealed</i>
00:27:30
<i> Jason did use a dating</i>
<i> app within six</i>
00:27:33
<i> hours of killing Jasmine.</i>
00:27:38
Nick: Jason had been messaging
other girls mere hours after he
00:27:42
had killed Jasmine Pace
and was telling them, hey,
00:27:46
I guess we're
boyfriend-girlfriend now.
00:27:49
And also, he was playing
video games after.
00:27:52
Like, with her body
still in the apartment,
00:27:53
he was talking
about, like, hey,
00:27:55
let's run some<i> Call of Duty.</i>
00:27:57
Julia: All of this is
happening while Jasmine
00:27:59
is dead in the apartment.
00:28:02
It does feel like
the act of a psychopath.
00:28:04
It feels like someone who
doesn't care and is getting on
00:28:06
with his life,
rather than panicking
00:28:08
and trying immediately
to deal with the consequences.
00:28:12
<i> After an eight-day trial,</i>
<i> Jason Chen was found guilty</i>
00:28:16
<i> and sentenced to life</i>
<i> in prison without parole.</i>
00:28:21
- What he did was
so heinous in this case,
00:28:24
was so unprovoked,
so uncalled for,
00:28:27
that I think Jason Chen
has forfeited his right
00:28:30
to ever be back in society
because we don't need monsters
00:28:34
like that in our society.
00:28:37
Kentrell: I miss
Jasmine's personality,
00:28:40
her compassion, her empathy.
00:28:43
Jasmine should be remembered
for her kind spirit.
00:28:47
We did a vigil,
a candlelight for her,
00:28:50
you know, celebrating her life
and who she was as a person.
00:28:54
There were about 200 people
at the vigil candlelight,
00:28:57
and just seeing all
the students come out and
00:29:00
show their love and support,
it was a positive atmosphere
00:29:04
for anyone to come
out and to celebrate
00:29:07
the memory of Jasmine.
00:29:09
And she left a really big
impact on the community.
00:29:12
And that shows with
a lot of people
00:29:15
coming to her candlelight.
00:29:18
Coty: We would like
Jasmine to be remembered
00:29:20
as the ray of sunshine within
her friends and family group
00:29:25
that she was.
00:29:26
She was vibrant.
00:29:27
She was beautiful.
00:29:29
She was always there.
00:29:30
She was loyal.
00:29:32
She had everything
going for her.
00:29:34
And that's part of why
this was so tragic.
00:29:37
But she certainly was
a ray of sunshine.
00:29:41
And that's a message that we'll
continue to try to get across.
00:29:43
[somber music]
00:29:45
♪ ♪
00:29:54
Julia: In murder cases,
victims almost always
00:29:56
know and trust
the perpetrators,
00:29:59
which is why the perpetrators
are able to get them
00:30:01
into compromising situations
in the first place.
00:30:04
They effectively hijack
the victim's intuition.
00:30:08
And what they're doing is
they're overriding all the cues
00:30:12
that you could be looking
for, all the red flags,
00:30:15
and they're turning them
around and making themselves
00:30:17
instead seem like nice guys.
00:30:26
Julia:<i> In the UK, in</i>
<i> Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent,</i>
00:30:33
<i> one of the largest cities in</i>
<i> the Midlands with over 250,000</i>
00:30:36
<i> people, known as the home</i>
<i> of pottery in the UK with</i>
00:30:42
<i> a football team</i>
<i> nicknamed the Potters,</i>
00:30:45
<i> but statistically a higher than</i>
<i> average crime rate, it was home</i>
00:30:51
<i> to 18-year-old Megan Newton.</i>
00:30:57
<i> Megan was studying sports</i>
<i> science at Newcastle College.</i>
00:31:03
<i> She was a talented</i>
<i> football player</i>
00:31:04
<i> and recently got a tattoo</i>
<i> to show her love for the game.</i>
00:31:09
- Megan had three jobs.
00:31:10
She not only did that,
in her spare time,
00:31:13
she coached an under seven
girls' football team.
00:31:17
She was a caring person,
dealing with children.
00:31:20
She loved children.
00:31:21
She gave up her spare time
to help them get better.
00:31:26
Julia:<i> Megan's dream was</i>
<i> to get a sports scholarship</i>
00:31:29
<i> to study in America.</i>
00:31:32
- She had real
ambition for her life.
00:31:39
Julia:<i> Friday, April 19, 2019.</i>
00:31:45
<i> Megan was working her</i>
<i> usual evening shift</i>
00:31:48
<i> in a local fish and chip shop.</i>
00:31:51
- Megan finished at around
9:30 working in the chip
00:31:54
shop that she worked in.
00:31:57
Julia:<i> After her shift, Megan</i>
<i> went home to get changed.</i>
00:32:03
- She went to meet
some friends in a pub.
00:32:05
And then they all went
to a club together.
00:32:07
They were having
a lovely evening.
00:32:09
Megan was happily showing off
a new tattoo that she had.
00:32:14
Julia:<i> At 2:45 AM, Megan left</i>
<i> the club and took a taxi home.</i>
00:32:26
<i> The next morning, a worrying</i>
<i> discovery-- neighbors</i>
00:32:29
<i> found a set of keys covered</i>
<i> in blood in a car park</i>
00:32:33
<i> outside Megan's apartment.</i>
00:32:36
Steve: Some people who
live in the block were
00:32:37
able to establish
it belonged to one
00:32:39
of the ground floor flats.
00:32:41
So out of concern
for the occupant there,
00:32:44
they opened the door.
00:32:45
They went in.
00:32:50
And what they found was
there was a naked female
00:32:56
laying on the bed,
quite clearly
00:32:58
deceased and quite
clearly suffering
00:33:00
from some horrendous injuries.
00:33:02
So they came away
and dialed 999.
00:33:06
[sirens blaring]
00:33:09
Julia:<i> Police immediately</i>
<i> responded to the scene.</i>
00:33:12
Steve: When
the officers arrived,
00:33:13
the witnesses took
them to the flat,
00:33:16
and it was quite obvious from
her injuries and the blood
00:33:21
at the scene that this
wasn't an accident.
00:33:26
Inside, they also found
a knife, a knife that they
00:33:28
believed was
the one that caused
00:33:30
the injuries, making this
a crucial piece of evidence.
00:33:34
They would have
been in no doubt
00:33:35
that this was now
a murder investigation.
00:33:39
Julia:<i> The woman was</i>
<i> confirmed to be Megan Newton.</i>
00:33:47
Steve: Her flat was
now a crime scene,
00:33:49
meaning it would
be locked down and
00:33:51
it would need to be
forensically examined
00:33:53
to look for any trace
that could indicate
00:33:55
not only what had
happened there,
00:33:57
but who it was that killed her.
00:34:02
Julia:<i> Investigators urgently</i>
<i> needed to find Megan's killer.</i>
00:34:08
- The next important
step was to build
00:34:09
up a picture of her movements
that night, that evening.
00:34:12
Where had she been?
00:34:13
Who'd she been with?
00:34:15
Julia:<i> Police needed</i>
<i> to track Megan's route,</i>
00:34:18
<i> retracing how she got to the</i>
<i> nightclub the night before.</i>
00:34:22
- Police will be looking for
what we call quick wins, CCTV
00:34:26
that could potentially
give some clues as
00:34:28
to what went
on and importantly,
00:34:31
who the killer may have been.
00:34:34
Julia:<i> Police found CCTV</i>
<i> footage from outside the club.</i>
00:34:39
<i> They were able to identify</i>
<i> Megan leaving in a</i> taxi.
00:34:44
- In that taxi was one of her
female friends and a male.
00:34:52
This clip shows the three
of them getting in the cab,
00:34:56
Megan in the middle
and the friend
00:34:58
closest to the passenger side.
00:35:01
They all look comfortable,
and all intents
00:35:04
and purposes, there's nothing
suspicious going on here.
00:35:10
Julia:<i> Police searched</i>
<i> for surveillance</i>
00:35:11
<i> cameras close to Megan's home.</i>
00:35:15
<i> They found footage</i>
<i> of Megan and the man</i>
00:35:17
<i> walking towards her apartment.</i>
00:35:21
Steve: By now, the cab
has dropped them off,
00:35:22
and there are just
the two of them now.
00:35:25
Julia:<i> As police tracked</i>
<i> Megan's movements on camera,</i>
00:35:28
<i> they got a major breakthrough.</i>
00:35:35
Steve: There was
actually cameras
00:35:37
in and around Megan's
flat, cameras that
00:35:42
overlooked her front door.
00:35:46
Julia:<i> When detectives</i>
<i> searched through the recording,</i>
00:35:50
<i> they identified</i>
<i> Megan arriving home.</i>
00:35:55
Steve: The footage showed her
arriving at around 3:45 AM,
00:35:59
and she wasn't alone.
00:36:01
She was with a male,
tall, slim, young, white
00:36:06
with dark hair.
00:36:08
This is the best
quality CCTV so far.
00:36:11
They're smiling.
00:36:12
They look happy.
00:36:13
There was no aggravation
between them.
00:36:16
There was definitely
nothing at this point
00:36:18
that you would point out
as looking suspicious.
00:36:22
Julia:<i> Analysis</i>
<i> of the man's behavior</i>
00:36:24
<i> revealed a subtle</i>
<i> change in his demeanor.</i>
00:36:28
Roberta: What was once
quite relaxed shifts.
00:36:31
He stands quite close to Megan.
00:36:33
He looks around.
00:36:34
We don't know if he's
responding to a noise
00:36:36
or just scoping out to see
if someone's watching him,
00:36:39
but there's definitely
something that's shifted.
00:36:41
[tense music]
00:36:45
♪ ♪
00:36:48
Julia:<i> Two hours passed, then</i>
<i> he appeared on camera again.</i>
00:36:56
Roberta: As the man
leaves Megan's apartment,
00:36:58
it looks like he is quite calm.
00:37:00
He walks.
00:37:01
He doesn't run.
00:37:03
He seems very composed as he
makes his way to the door.
00:37:07
Steve: The footage
is on her front door,
00:37:09
so there's no dispute as to who
went in and who came out.
00:37:15
Julia:<i> An exterior</i>
<i> camera captured the man</i>
00:37:18
<i> as he left Megan's building.</i>
00:37:22
Steve: This, to me,
looks really very casual.
00:37:27
And with his right hand, we
see him throw something down.
00:37:35
Julia:<i> The object appeared</i>
<i> to land in the same spot</i>
00:37:38
<i> where the neighbors had found</i>
<i> Megan's keys covered in blood.</i>
00:37:44
Roberta: Again, he seems
quite calm, doesn't
00:37:47
particularly seem fazed.
00:37:48
He's even checking his phone.
00:37:50
It doesn't seem to be
that anything's amiss.
00:37:55
- Of all the video
footage, this clip, to me,
00:37:58
is the one that
really hits home.
00:38:05
As he's walking
away, he looks down.
00:38:08
And we can see that there's
something on his hand.
00:38:11
You can see the color of it.
00:38:15
It's red.
00:38:19
Julia:<i> When police spoke</i>
<i> to Megan's friends,</i>
00:38:22
<i> they discovered the man in</i>
<i> the footage was Joseph Trevor,</i>
00:38:30
<i> a 19-year-old semi-professional</i>
<i> footballer who had attended</i>
00:38:35
<i> the same school as Megan.</i>
00:38:38
<i> Both of his parents</i>
<i> were police officers.</i>
00:38:42
- Remarkably, it
wasn't the first time
00:38:43
he'd come to notice of police
because that evening,
00:38:47
before he met Megan, he'd
been stopped by bouncers
00:38:50
and found to have
white powder on him,
00:38:52
and they called the police.
00:38:54
And he was dealt with by them
for this white powder that
00:38:57
turned out to be ketamine.
00:38:59
The police detained
him, but the decision
00:39:02
was made that he
was not fit to be
00:39:05
detained, i.e.
he'd been drinking,
00:39:07
potentially taking drugs.
00:39:09
So those drugs were
taken from him,
00:39:11
and he was given a bail date
to come to the police station
00:39:15
at a later time.
00:39:17
Julia:<i> After Joseph Trevor</i>
<i> was released from the police</i>
00:39:19
<i> station, he went straight</i>
<i> to the Kiln Nightclub</i>
00:39:22
<i> where he met Megan.</i>
00:39:25
<i> And just a few hours after he</i>
<i> left Megan's apartment alone,</i>
00:39:29
<i> officers were called out</i>
<i> to a potential suicide threat.</i>
00:39:33
- The police were
called to a male
00:39:36
who was sitting on the side
of a bridge over the A500.
00:39:44
And when police arrived,
they found that that male
00:39:48
was Joseph Trevor.
00:39:52
He was sat there in a way
that caused concern.
00:39:55
He's on this side of a bridge
overlooking a road.
00:39:58
Is he somebody that may be
looking to take their own life?
00:40:03
Julia:<i> Joseph was</i>
<i> taken to the hospital.</i>
00:40:06
<i> He was seen by a mental</i>
<i> health worker</i>
00:40:09
<i> and picked up by his dad.</i>
00:40:13
Roberta: We don't know
exactly what was going
00:40:14
through Joseph Trevor's mind.
00:40:16
It could be guilt.
It could be remorse.
00:40:18
It could be shame.
00:40:20
However, in these instances,
self-preservation outweighs
00:40:24
guilt. And what unfolded may
have been much more in response
00:40:28
to a fear of the consequences,
rather than true remorse
00:40:30
for what he had done.
00:40:34
- Joseph Trevor had
gone home to his house.
00:40:38
He lived there with
his mum and dad.
00:40:41
Julia:<i> He decided</i>
<i> to confess to his family.</i>
00:40:45
- He says to them, I've
done something bad.
00:40:50
Roberta: For Joseph Trevor's
parents, who were both police
00:40:52
officers, hearing
the news about what he did
00:40:54
must have been devastating.
00:40:57
But the reality is there
was only one outcome.
00:41:00
In order for Megan
to have justice,
00:41:02
they had to forgo
protecting their son.
00:41:07
Steve: His parents
phoned the police
00:41:09
and informed them that
the murderer of Megan Newton
00:41:12
was, in fact, their son,
Joseph Trevor.
00:41:14
[tense music]
00:41:18
Julia:<i> Joseph Trevor</i>
<i> was arrested and</i>
00:41:20
<i> charged with the murder</i>
<i> of Megan Newton.</i>
00:41:24
Steve: When someone commits
a crime such as this,
00:41:27
it's important to understand
well, is this a one-off?
00:41:30
Have they done anything
like this in the past?
00:41:32
In the case of Joseph Trevor,
it appeared that he had.
00:41:37
When he was 15 years
old, he'd been arrested
00:41:40
for a sexual assault.
That was never prosecuted,
00:41:47
but it gave a clue as to why
and how this happened to Megan.
00:41:54
Julia:<i> The autopsy report</i>
<i> revealed the full extent</i>
00:41:57
<i> of Megan's injuries.</i>
00:41:59
<i> Dr. Brett Lockyer is</i>
<i> a forensic pathologist.</i>
00:42:05
Brett: In Megan's
case, the pathologist
00:42:07
was able to determine that
there were nine stab wounds
00:42:10
to the back of her neck.
00:42:12
Those stab wounds had
entered into her chest
00:42:14
and had injured both her lungs.
00:42:16
The pathologist
had found injuries
00:42:19
to her neck, which
would indicate
00:42:21
that she had been
strangled, that there had
00:42:23
been a period
of neck compression
00:42:26
followed by nine stab wounds.
00:42:29
This sustained
and brutal attack
00:42:32
is the reason why Megan died.
00:42:36
Julia:<i> The autopsy</i>
<i> also confirmed Megan</i>
00:42:39
<i> had been sexually assaulted.</i>
00:42:42
Roberta: This is a very
disturbing and violent crime.
00:42:45
From a psychological
perspective, this is overkill,
00:42:47
and overkill really
does often suggest
00:42:50
there is an intense emotional
experience like rage, sadism.
00:42:55
It's about power and control.
00:42:58
We also have to acknowledge
that the throat
00:42:59
is where our voice resides.
00:43:01
So strangulation can
also be seen as a way
00:43:04
to silence a victim, especially
if they've been rejected
00:43:07
or if there's resistance
or even to silence the victim
00:43:10
from speaking about
what actually happened.
00:43:12
In that moment, the perpetrator
has that person's life
00:43:16
literally in their hands.
00:43:17
They choose if they
live or die.
00:43:19
It's about inflicting
anxiety, terror in the victim,
00:43:24
but also exerting dominance.
00:43:29
Julia:<i> In court, the full</i>
<i> details of the evening Megan</i>
00:43:33
<i> was killed came to light.</i>
00:43:36
- On that evening,
she'd taken him home
00:43:39
in order to stop him getting
into trouble with his parents,
00:43:42
and Trevor has repaid her by
raping her, murdering her, and
00:43:46
then leaving her dead
in her own apartment
00:43:48
before fleeing the scene.
00:43:50
This was a brutal
and sustained attack, showing
00:43:54
no regard for Megan's life.
00:43:57
Roberta: Joseph Trevor
had expressed a desire
00:43:59
not to go home because he
was intoxicated
00:44:01
and he didn't want his parents
to see him in that state.
00:44:04
Megan, being the understanding
friend that she was,
00:44:07
offered to share her
sanctuary with Joseph Trevor,
00:44:10
but he abused it,
took advantage of it
00:44:12
and attacked her and killed
her in her own home.
00:44:15
This really does highlight
how Megan's act of kindness
00:44:19
was met with betrayal and
ultimately her losing her life.
00:44:24
Julia:<i> The video</i>
<i> evidence gave police</i>
00:44:26
<i> a rare insight into the mind</i>
<i> of Joseph Trevor.</i>
00:44:30
- It's quite
unusual to actually
00:44:32
get a glimpse of a killer
soon after the murder
00:44:36
has taken place.
00:44:38
You don't often get that
look into their eyes
00:44:40
as you do in this instance when
he's coming out of that flat.
00:44:45
- Knowing that this
man's the killer
00:44:47
invites us to look
at this clip differently.
00:44:49
The calmness that we're seeing
takes on a different quality.
00:44:53
It's quite chilling.
00:44:54
It's cold.
00:44:56
It's callous, and it has no
indication of what's just
00:44:58
taken place moments before.
00:45:06
Julia:<i> In February</i>
<i> 2020, Joseph Trevor</i>
00:45:09
<i> was sentenced to 21</i>
<i> years for the murder</i>
00:45:12
<i> and rape of Megan Newton.</i>
00:45:15
Roberta: It's really
important that talking
00:45:17
about Megan's murder doesn't
take away her dignity.
00:45:21
Why it's an important case that
real lessons can be learned.
00:45:25
We have to hold in mind that
a real woman, a young woman,
00:45:28
a woman who had her
whole life ahead of her,
00:45:31
is at the center of this.
00:45:33
Megan brought lots
of joy to many people.
00:45:36
She was kind,
compassionate, and caring,
00:45:39
and she will be missed
by not only her friends and
00:45:41
her family, but her community.
00:45:45
Megan was a keen
footballer, not only in
00:45:48
terms of playing, but also
teaching the younger
00:45:50
generation to play
the sport and encouraging
00:45:53
women to get involved.
00:45:55
This is inspiring.
00:45:56
This is incredibly hopeful.
00:45:58
This is what Megan
should be remembered for.
00:46:01
[somber music]
00:46:02
♪ ♪
00:46:08
[tense music]
00:46:09
♪ ♪
