April 21, 2025 • 32 mins
In this special bonus episode of SEQUESTERED, co-creators Sara and Andrea sit down for an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about the making of the podcast, the aftermath of the trial, and the growing impact of Jasmine Pace’s story.
They reflect on what it was like to turn ten intense days of jury duty into a nationally recognized podcast—while honoring Jasmine’s memory every step of the way. From the emotional weight of courtroom testimony to the surreal experience of appearing on Dateline NBC, Sara shares what surprised her most—and what still haunts her.
You’ll hear new insights from prosecutors Coty Wamp and Paul Moyle, theories that never made it into trial, and the eerie connection between an unsettling art piece and the crime itself. The episode closes with gratitude, love for Jasmine’s family, and a promise: more stories are coming.
🔎 Got a case we should cover next? Email us at sequesteredpod@gmail.com or send us a DM on Instagram @sequesteredpod.
If this story moved you, please rate and review the show—it helps more than you know!
Here is the blog for this bonus episode on our website.
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
Instagram: @sequesteredpod
TikTok: @sequesteredpod
Thank you for listening.
SEQUESTERED is a BP Production.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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You Hey everyone, welcome tothis special bonus episode of
sequestered. I'm Sarah, and thisis my co producer, Andrea. Hey
(01:11):
everyone, whether you've beenwith us since the very beginning
or just found us thanks toDateline or the Apple podcast
feature, we're so glad you'rehere. Yes, and this has been a
wild few months, hasn't it? Ithas. We've heard from so many of
you, listeners and journalistsand survivors, yes, even people
connected to the trial, andwe've realized there were still
(01:34):
a few stories left to tell,things that didn't quite make it
into the main episodes andmoments we just wanted to sit
with a little longer. So today'sepisode is a bit different, just
the two of us having a candidconversation and we'll reflect
on the making of the podcast.We'll share some behind the
scenes moments, and we'll talkabout what it was like to be a
(01:56):
part of Dateline. We'll evenexplore a few case details that
didn't make it into season one.Yes, and a heads up, you'll also
hear us refer to Jasmine asjazzy throughout the episode.
That's what her friends andfamily called her, and in the
courtroom, we really only knewher as Jasmine. So now that
we've spent so much time withher story, we want to think of
(02:17):
her as jazzy too. So grab acoffee, take a walk, settle in
whatever you do while you listenand join us for this behind the
mic conversation aboutsequestered and jazzy and
everything in between you
(02:56):
music, okay, let's start at Thebeginning, how this whole thing
came to be, yeah, so while thetrial unfolded in the courtroom,
another story was quietly beingformed in the background, and
that was the story of how we'deventually tell it, right, okay?
And to be honest, I didn'texactly set out to become a
(03:17):
juror or a true crime podcasterfor that, but here we are.
Okay, so let's talk about howsequestered came to life, like
what surprised us most whilecreating it, and how it's
changed us along the way. Okay,great. I mean, it's one thing to
say, like, this should be apodcast, and another thing to
(03:39):
make it as quickly as we did,that's the first thing that
comes to mind, right? Like, whatmade this release so unique was
that we had to move fast. Yeah,we committed early on to the
writing and producing of thepodcast in real time, in order
to capture the details andemotions of your experience
while it was still fresh, right?So we started basically as soon
(04:00):
as you got back right? Yeah. Andwhat surprised me was how much I
was still carrying like afterthose 10 days in Chattanooga,
right? I saw and heard things inthe courtroom that I hadn't,
obviously not even begun toprocess yet, yeah, but once you
and I started mapping out theepisodes, it became super clear
that this wasn't going to justbe about the trial like I wanted
(04:23):
to tell Jasmine's story. Yes,yes, that was something we
committed to from the verystart. We didn't want this to
feel like any sensationalizedTrue Crime thing, right? We
wanted to honor jazzy's lifefirst, but we also wanted to
show like what it feels like tocarry the responsibility of a
juror on a murder trial decidingsomeone else's fate. Yeah, and
(04:46):
that's a tricky balance. I wouldsay yeah, we wanted to be
honest, obviously, but notexploitative. Yeah, we wanted to
be detailed, but not graphic,just for the sake of it, right?
Like there were.
A lot of moments where we whereyou and I had to pause and say,
Is this respectful? Yeah, doesthis serve the story, or is it
just our curiosity? You know,right? Like that. That was
(05:10):
something we came across a lotof times, is, how do we tell
this part of the story, right?And now, seeing this story land
on Dateline and being featuredon Apple podcasts. It's kind of
surreal, like we made this in atiny room with one microphone, a
lot of coffee and a whole bunchof all nighters. That's true.
(05:30):
It's wild, and it's justemotional, because the more
attention the podcast gets, themore I think about Jasmine's mom
and her family and the rippleeffect this case had on the
community. And I just, I don'tknow, I just hope we did her
justice. Oh, I think you did.And the response from listeners
shows that people are connectingto your voice, to your honesty,
(05:54):
and most of all, to Jasminestory, yeah.
So fast forward a few monthsafter we launched the podcast,
then came Dateline, yeah,
that was not something I sawcoming. One Minute, I'm editing
in my office, and the next thingI know, I'm sitting across from
Dateline producers with camerasand lights in a retro hotel
(06:18):
being asked to talk about one ofthe most intense experiences of
my life. That's true. I thinkwhat struck me the most was how
much the dateline team genuinelycared about honoring Jasmine's
life. Yeah, like they didn'tjust want the crime details, you
know, they wanted to understandthe people at the heart of it,
yeah. I remember talking to acouple of the producers, and it
(06:39):
really felt like they hadtheories of their own that they
wanted to discuss with us,right, right? So did being a
part of that Dateline episodebring you any kind of closure,
or did it reopen things sort ofboth? There was a part of me
that felt really proud, like,Okay, this story matters. People
are listening, yeah, but it alsostirred stuff up, you know, like
(07:02):
seeing crime scene photos again,and yet here you are again,
still telling jazzy story,right? Because she deserves it,
yeah. So I guess here's a goodplace to say if you haven't seen
the dateline episode aboutJasmine pace yet. It's called
the pin at apartment 210 and youcan see it at Dateline, nbc.com,
or on peacock.
(07:24):
Okay, so let's shift gears andtalk about something we really
haven't explored in depth, whatit's actually like to be inside
that jury room and even justlike living in the head space
that you were in for 10 days,right?
Yeah. I mean, it's kind of hardto describe, but I'm sure
everyone can imagine, like,you're cut off from everything,
(07:47):
your phone, the news, socialmedia, like your people, and
during the day, you're absorbinghours and hours of testimony,
and then at night, you're justalone with it in the silence of
your room, right? That's whatI've always wondered, and we had
a lot of people write in aboutthat. When you went back to your
hotel room each night, you werereplaying that testimony, or
(08:08):
were you just so completelywiped that you were like, I need
to rest, because they'reknocking on my door at 6am yeah,
probably both. Again, somenights I'd crash at like, the
second I'd hit the bed, justmentally drained from, like,
listening to the intensity of itall, yeah, but, but other
nights, I couldn't turn it off.Like I'd replay certain witness
(08:30):
moments over and over, and I'dhear Jasmine's mom's voice or
the medical examiner's tone, orjust something Jason's defense
said, that didn't sit right withme, you know, right? And there
was just no way not to carry itwith me. Yeah, I can't imagine.
That makes sense. And I know yousaid before, but it was hard not
(08:50):
to look at Jason during thosedays. Did you and Jason ever
make eye contact? Yeah, a coupleof times. Well, I mean, I would
say several times, wow. Therewere definitely times, even
during, like, jury selection inNashville, and multiple times
during the trial that we madeeye contact
because of my my seatingposition in the jury box.
(09:14):
It was always very obvious, likewhen I would look at him,
because I had to physically turnmy head to the left to see him.
Oh, I see like to see him or thecourtroom. And it wasn't like I
could just glance across theroom at him, yeah, so when I
turned we couldn't help but makeeye contact. Wow, that had to
feel intense. Yeah, it wasweird.
(09:35):
Just the idea of like, knowingyou're sitting in the same room
as someone who's admitted tomurdering someone, yeah, and
then there's that moment youtalk about in the podcast where
the medical examiner, Dr coswellwas on the stand. There were
really graphic photos beingshown, and you noticed Jason was
looking down, right? But thenyou realize something else, can
(09:58):
you share more about that you.
Yeah, I know I talked a littlebit about this in the podcast.
At first I thought, okay, maybehe can't even look at what he
did, or like, maybe he'sashamed, or even maybe, like he
was instructed not to look up atthe projector screens, yeah,
when, like, graphic photos wereshown, just, I don't know, out
of reverence, whatever. So hishead was down the entire time,
(10:21):
but then I noticed there wasthis like monitor built into the
table that he was sitting at. Soit was like a glass table top,
and this kind of monitor, likemounted underneath. And I was so
curious about it throughout thetrial. But again, if I turn my
head to the left, yeah, he'sgonna see me looking at him. So
I just didn't want to do that.So I didn't know until after the
(10:42):
trial was over. I texted thebailiff, kind of while making
this podcast, and that's when heconfirmed that every time an
image was projected on thescreen, it would also be
projected on the screens infront of him, in front of Jason
Chen, right in front of JasonChen at his desk. Wow. So he was
actually seeing the images thatwe were seeing the whole time
(11:03):
probably more defined than evenwhat we were seeing. Oh my gosh,
that is crazy to realize thatright from the live stream, when
I was watching the trial, youcould only see that his head was
down. I didn't realize therewere monitors, so right? I
thought that maybe his defensehad said, you know, make it look
(11:24):
this way. Yeah, convenient,right? Yeah, that's the thing
most people don't realize, isbeing on a jury. It's not just
facts and timelines and thingslike that. It's about human
behavior. I mean, right, yeah,obviously you want to make
decisions based on the evidence,but, you know, things like that,
noticing the eye contact, thebody language, you had to kind
(11:47):
of keep track of all of it,right? Absolutely. And they
were, they were keeping track ofour energy, our eye contact, our
body language, you know,everyone else in the courtroom,
yeah. And for them, we had tokeep track of that every day,
not just because we had to makea decision, but once you're in
that room, you feel the weightof that responsibility. So you
just, you just want to get itright. Yeah, and I think you
(12:10):
did. I think we did too.
You know, talking about Jasonand how he interacted with those
crime scene photos in thecourtroom leads us into
something we've been sittingwith for a while, and honestly,
it's haunted both of us since welearned about it. Yeah, this is
something that didn't come up inthe trial. But you ever see a
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or download line two in the AppStore today, but we found out
about later, and that is thatinvestigators discovered several
photos on Jason Chen's phone ofa very specific art piece that
he took while he was on a tripin DC visiting the Smithsonian
so I looked it up. The piece iscalled The Birth of Eve, and
it's by an artist named JudithSchechter. She's a stained glass
(14:20):
artist from Philadelphia who'scompletely redefined the medium.
It's actually really beautiful.Her work uses the visual
language of Gothic cathedrals,
like stuff you'd see in oldchurches, but instead of saints
or angels, she explores pain,emotion and isolation. It's
really raw. So this piece ispart of the permanent collection
(14:44):
at the Smithsonian. If you everfind yourself there, it depicts
a nude woman suspended upsidedown and is curled tightly in
the fetal position. Her arms andlegs are pulled in close, almost
like she's being held orconfined by something invisible.
So.
It's deeply unsettling. I agree.So here's how this whole art
(15:04):
piece connects to Jason Chen.And again, this was never part
of the trial, but once I saw it,and knowing Jason had several
images of it saved in his phone,it was really hard not to
compare it with the crime scenephotos we saw. I mean, that's
crazy, if that's true, I know.So whether it was conscious or
not, it's something I've notbeen able to stop thinking
about, like the positioning, thestillness, the compression of
(15:28):
her body. It mirrored the artpiece so closely, and seeing it
just still makes my stomachturn. And we want to be clear,
this is speculation, but when wefound about this art piece, it
was so hard to not make thatconnection, right? And it wasn't
a part of the trial. And we'renot saying it proves anything,
but it is one of those detailsthat just feels too strange to
(15:49):
ignore Exactly. And I don'tthink it's about proving a
motive. It's more likeunderstanding that there may
have been, like, layers andlayers to this case that just
went unseen in the court likethis? Yeah, exactly. And okay,
so now that leads us to a fewmore loose threads that we
haven't been able to let go of.These also didn't make it into
(16:11):
the trial, but they did stickwith us, which is why we're so
grateful to have the chance tosit down with the two people who
know this case inside and out,district attorneys general, Cody
WAMP and palm oil. Yep, theywere the ones who brought this
case to trial, who carried jazzystory into that courtroom, and
who fought for justice on behalfof her family. We had a chance
(16:33):
to talk with them about thetrial, about their reflections,
and about some of the unansweredquestions we've been wrestling
with too, and one of the firstthings that we talked with them
about was the fact that asjurors, we were allowed to ask
questions. This is somethingthat a lot of people were
surprised by when they heardabout it on the podcast. Yeah,
we got so many messages aboutthat, like, Wait, jurors were
(16:55):
able to ask questions to thewitnesses. Yeah, I actually
loved it. And later I learnedthat it's actually pretty rare
it's allowed in the state ofTennessee. I guess it just
depends on the judge. So here'swhat da's WAMP and Moyle had to
say about it.
And that's one of the pros.There's pros and cons to a jury
(17:18):
being able to ask questions. Oneis, you know what they're
thinking and you know whatdirection they're going in. You
know what issues they're havingwith the case. What do they keep
focusing on? There's there'scons as as well. First of all,
you y'all didn't know that it'sgoing to be such a lengthy
trial. So you're wanting, you'rewanting the evidence from this
witness when it's not coming inthrough this witness or another
witness. So it had jurors have atendency to maybe get ahead of
(17:40):
themselves, and so we're sort ofwasting time with these
questions, because we're goingto answer these questions for
you. If they can be answered,we're going to answer them, you
know. So there's pros and consamongst both the defense bar and
my office for jury questions. Weonly have one judge here who
does jury questions, and that'sjudge Patterson. And I think at
first we were all very nervousabout these questions, because
(18:01):
it just started two and a halfyears ago, and he became the
judge. But over time, it it onlyprobably has helped us.
Honestly, it's not harmed us. Itdoesn't hurt, you know, and
sometimes there's a questionthat we did not think of, and
you know, so many of y'allquestions were asked, meaning
that there's a question that wedidn't think of and we didn't
(18:23):
even know would be important,but it was for some reason. And
so I think looking back, Ioriginally was opposed to the
questions, and now it doesn't,it doesn't hurt us if juries
like it the way that now we'rehearing that juries like being
able to ask those questions. Wealso have a concern that we
don't want a juror to use itagainst either party if their
(18:45):
question is not asked or thinkthat someone's hiding the ball.
You know, you have questionsreally significant to you. For
some reason the court doesn'task it.
I wouldn't want anybody tothink, Well, why are they not
answering the question? What arethey hiding? Because that's
normally just not the case atall. So we have those concerns.
But overall, and this, I'venever seen a jury ask as many
(19:06):
questions as y'all actually.Yeah, there's probably a couple
times up there where I turnaround and roll my eyes because
I'm like, these questions are Ican see that because some of
them were very detailed, some ofthem were so detailed and but at
the end of the day, it doesn'tmatter, and it's if a juror
wants those questions answered,they that's great. That's what's
important to them, and that'sthat's what we need to know. But
(19:27):
it is like you, you spend a daywith someone on the witness
state, and then the jury has 29questions,
do you guys together? Like, doeseveryone have to absolutely
agree? Like, we're gonna we canobject. So there were times
where Josh would have objectedand said, We don't, and then the
court has to decide. Most ofthem, we agreed on, okay, most
of them is very clear. It's anappropriate question, or not an
(19:48):
appropriate question. So many ofthem were going to be answered
down the road. And he, I feellike he made that really clear,
like we may not answer it. Don'ttake it personal, also, it could
be presented at a later time. I.
I think the thing that washelpful for us was because we
couldn't talk about it ordiscuss the case throughout.
That was our only opportunity toto have see what everyone was
(20:09):
thinking. Okay, let me just getthis thought out of my head,
versus waiting untildeliberation and going maybe it
took less time to deliberatebecause of that, that's
interesting. You were able tothat's very interesting. Yeah, I
appreciate that. There'sdefinitely pros and cons I could
question. And for a prosecutor,it's nerve wracking some,
because sometimes I don't wantto know what the jury's
thinking. I'd rather not know.
(20:29):
So it's nerve wracking because,because there were times in that
trial where he and I would walkback to the table and be like,
That was a bad question. Thefact that one of the jurors is
still, like, focused onsomething like that, that, you
know, we'd be sitting therelike, that is bad. That is bad.
That's not good for us. In yourhead too, and it, yeah, and by
the end of the day, you're like,but that three of those jurors
(20:50):
are still focused on this andbut you'll also had the story in
your head the whole time aboutTinder and a fight with wine
glasses. Yeah, we're trying toprove it. And that's one reason,
by the end of it, where I'm sofrustrated, because throughout,
throughout the trial, you guysare thinking, and some of your
questions reflected that, whenare we going to hear about this
friends, like you said in yourclosing, like it was all muddy
(21:11):
the water, like just to confuseus. And I think some of the
questions reflected that, butno. And looking back, and I
would tell judge Patterson this,if juries appreciate him, and if
he appreciates them. You canallow it in the state of
Tennessee, so I'm fine with it.We've gotten used to it now, and
it's great.
(21:33):
I loved how seriously they tookthe jurors questions, like they
didn't just tolerate them, youknow, like they welcomed them,
yeah. And from our perspective,I think it made us feel seen,
like our confusion and ourcuriosity wasn't just background
noise, you know, yeah, like itwas part of the process. I'd
even argue that it helped theprocess. And I don't know, I
(21:54):
just think it was a really coolopportunity, yeah. And then we
asked them what stood out tothem and the trial itself, like,
what moment stuck with them orsurprised them or challenged
them? Yeah, and I think this iswhere it got emotional, because
they talked about Jasmine andher family, and it was really
clear that they weren't justtrying a case, you know, like,
yeah, they were carrying theweight of someone's life.
(22:19):
I think such an example of thatfrom this trial, when it it was
a little bit early on to reallyhit home for the jury, because
Katrina was our first witness,but how identical she looks to
her daughter. So much always,yeah, and I mean, always stood
out to me as like, oh my gosh,she is up there on the
witnessing she looks exactlylike her daughter. We're going
(22:40):
to show her driver's license sothat you can see. But they are
real people, and they have momsthat sometimes look just like
them, that are willing totestify on their on their
behalf. And so, yeah, I mean,what a moment. Y'all didn't know
as much about the case at thatpoint in time, because she was
our first witness. But lookingback, I mean, oh yeah, when a
mother looks exactly like herdaughter, who's this has
(23:00):
happened to and I thought that,I mean, honestly, I think it's a
sweet moment for me to see heron the stand. And what a mom,
you know, what a mom KatrinaVenus is the mom that we all
aspire to be. And so I thoughtthat was a sweet moment.
I also thought it was sopowerful, as someone who was
watching the trial real time tosee Jasmine's mom as the first
(23:24):
witness on the stand. Becausenot only did she look like
Jasmine, it was sort of arepresentation of her, yeah, but
she really was able to explainthe panic that a mother or a
parent would have when they'retrying to find their daughter,
which helped explain why theybroke into Jason Chen's
apartment, right? Yeah. I knowit reminded me that everyone in
(23:46):
the courtroom was carryingsomething with regards to this.
Yeah, and like for them, itwasn't just about putting Jason
Chen on trial. This was aboutmaking sure Jasmine's voice
didn't get lost in the legalprocess. Yeah, and I feel like
both general WAMP and da palMoyle, they saw you and the
other jurors as part of thatprocess, and they were counting
(24:08):
on you guys to hold that weightalongside of them. I totally
agree, and we felt the weight ofthat every day. Yeah, I imagine,
okay, the last thing we talkedabout with Da is WAMP and Moyle
was the appeal Jason Chen'slegal team filed to challenge
the verdict. The appeal wasfiled on the grounds that the
verdict was, quote, contrary tothe evidence, with claims that
(24:32):
Chen was denied a fair trial dueto alleged evidence being
tampered with by Jasmine'sfamily. As of the release of
this episode, there have been nopublicly reported updates
regarding his appeal, which wasscheduled for April 11, 2025
yeah, there's a lot of confusionaround what an appeal actually
means. So we asked them toexplain it in plain terms and to
(24:55):
share what this particularappeal might involve
and motion for.
Trial is filed in every singlecase after every single trial,
standard, you have to argue themotion for new trial before you
can go through the actual courtof appeals process. Very
standard formality. There aresome cases in which there can be
significant issues. Most oftenthere's not because you're
(25:18):
having you know, the judge thatyou're viewing the motion for
new trial is Judge Patterson.He's, he's, he was there for the
trial. So for a judge to grant anew trial, often they would have
to admit that they made a rulingthat they now got it. Belief was
incorrect. And so it very, veryrarely happens that a new trial
is granted. I've seen one heregranted in the last maybe two in
(25:39):
the last five to 10 years, wow.And so, you know, everybody's
like, Oh, he wants a new trial.How dare him? And this what
happens? It's no big deal. So assoon as it's argued, and we
don't believe there will be anyissues whatsoever, then it's in
the hands of the Court ofAppeals. This probably would
never go to the Supreme Courtbecause issues are just not big
enough, and it'll be done in acouple years. Yeah.
(26:05):
So to be clear, an appeal is nota new trial. It is not about
rearguing the facts of the case.It's a legal review to determine
whether anything was doneimproperly or unfairly in the
process. And from what weunderstand this isn't uncommon
at all. It's just the next step,right? It doesn't make it
(26:26):
easier, though, yeah, forJasmine's family, for the
jurors, for anyone who's livedthis story, I think it just
brings it all back up, right?But the DA has made it clear
they stand by the work they'vedone, and so do I honestly,
yeah,
okay, let's answer someunanswered questions and
theories. Okay, great. Even witha guilty verdict and an appeal,
(26:49):
there are still things aboutthis case that don't quite sit
right with us, like littledetails that weren't part of the
courtroom evidence, but stuckwith us anyway. Yeah, and making
this podcast, we ended uphearing from a lot of people,
friends, family members, evenfolks who were quietly observing
from the sidelines, and a few ofthem shared things that raised
(27:11):
new questions. One of thequestions we kept coming back to
had to do with Jason Chen'smovements the day he drove from
his parents home in nolensville,Tennessee, back to Chattanooga.
So this would have been November26 2022 which is also the same
day his apartment would havebeen searched. Yeah, if you
remember from the trial phonerecords showed that he never
(27:32):
actually went back to hisapartment. He was just in the
area. His phone pinged near itat a park nearby, but he never
entered his apartment complexagain, instead, those same
records showed that he drovenorth up into the Hixson area,
and that always stood out to us,like, why did he go up there?
What's in Hixson? Yeah, and weknow by this point that
(27:55):
investigator Crawford has leftJason Chen a voicemail, right?
So we started wondering, was helooking for police activity,
like scoping out the area aroundhis apartment, or maybe even
looking like you said, WhereJasmine lived, right? So we end
up following the trail. Butbefore we go there, here's a
moment from Episode Six.
(28:18):
We know from investigatorCrawford's testimony that the
search warrant for Jason Chen'sapartment was granted at 11:45pm
that same night.
So what was Jason back in townfor? Surely by now, investigator
Crawford had already beencalling his phone. Was he
curious about any activityaround his apartment, checking
(28:40):
to see if the police werealready involved, or was there
something else pulling him back.Then Hamilton reveals another
twist. Jason leaves the NorthShore area around 9:30pm
heading towards Hixson, acommunity just north of
Chattanooga, and according tohis phone records, Jason stays
(29:01):
in the Hixson area until about10:15pm
before heading back tonolensville. So what's in
Hixson? Jasmine's house, herfamily's house. What in the
world was Jason doing there? Andmore importantly,
why you Yeah.
(29:24):
So as it turns out, he was at acar wash, right, which I guess
makes sense, but also stillfeels a little eerie, you know,
like knowing what happened?Yeah, it's the kind of detail
that doesn't necessarily proveanything, but it adds to the
picture. Like, what was hisstate of mind? What was he
thinking, right? And theinteresting part is that we did
(29:45):
see the tire tread and the backof his trunk, right, but he
never opened his trunk tonotice, kind of the treads of
the suitcase, right? Yeah, Iremember talking about that too,
like, like, why not open thetrunk and.
Wipe that down real quick ifthat liner in the back of his
trunk was so clean otherwise, Imean, it looked practically
(30:06):
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Individual results may vary,right? And then there's the
mystery of the dropped pen. Wehad a conversation with someone
(32:00):
who was with Jasmine at thehospital with her granny
earlier. Remember her grannydied the same day that she went
missing, right? So Jasmine wasat the hospital. This person saw
her on that same day, November22
they told us that Jasmine waswearing her Apple Watch that day
because they commented on hernew watch band, right? So their
(32:25):
theory is it's possible thatjazzy used her Apple Watch to
drop the location pin to her mominstead of her phone that night.
Mm, hmm. And so we mentionedthis theory to da swamp and
Moyle, and both of them notedthat the Apple Watch has never
been found. Wow. And for whatit's worth, this also wasn't
(32:46):
mentioned in the trial, so wedon't know if Jason took it or
destroyed it, or if it's stillout there somewhere, but one
thing we do know is that thatpin solved her murder. Yes,
exactly.
We wanted to include thisbecause we know our listeners
are as curious as we are. So ifyou have any theories of your
own about this case and wehaven't covered them, please
(33:07):
send them our way. Yes, pleasedo. You can email us at
sequesteredpod@gmail.com,
and trust me when I say we readeverything. All right, Sarah,
before we wrap this up, we justwant to take a moment to reflect
on this wild ride and what'sahead. Yeah, wow. I don't think
I ever imagined how big thiswould get. I've seriously been
(33:30):
blown away by the response,yeah, me too. Like by how people
have listened and reached outand shared their own stories.
Like the support from bothlisteners and media has been
just overwhelming in the bestway. Wouldn't you say, I agree,
what started as like dreadedjury duty for you, turned into
something that's now helpingpeople understand the justice
(33:53):
system and also kind of theemotional weight that comes with
being a part of it. Yeah, that'scool. And through it all. Like,
what I keep coming back to isJasmine, right? Like I just, I
guess I just, I hope peopleremember her name, yes, Jasmine
pace, or jazzy, as her friendsand family called her, she just
(34:15):
had an unwavering love and avibrant spirit and a family that
just fought so fiercely to findher and make sure justice was
served. Yeah, exactly. That'swhat this podcast has always
been about, remembering thepeople at the center of these
stories, not just the crime, notthe perpetrator, but the life
that was lost. And in this case,that's Jasmine pace, right?
(34:41):
Okay, so as for what's next?There's more to come. Yes, while
the odds of me being sequesteredagain are highly unlikely, I am
not done telling these stories.There are too many lives that
have ended far too soon, andjust too many questions still
looming in the.
Arc. We're already working onour next case, and we've got a
(35:04):
few ideas brewing, but we alsowant to hear from you, yeah, if
there's a case you think weshould look into something
local, something overlooked,something that really has stuck
with you again, please email usat sequesteredpod@gmail.com
or you can hit us up onInstagram, and if this podcast
has meant something to you, ifjazzy story has stayed with you,
(35:27):
please take a moment to rate andreview the show. It might seem
small, but it actually helpsmore than you think. Yeah, those
reviews tell those algorithmgods that people care, and that
helps new listeners findsequestered. It's one of the
best ways we can keep Jasmine'sstory and the stories we'll
cover next reaching the peoplewho need to hear them. Also stay
(35:49):
subscribed. We'll be droppingmore bonus episodes with
updates, thoughts and anythingwe feel you should know as new
information surfaces. And beforewe go, we just want to send so
much love to Jasmine's family,you are the reason justice
happened, and we're holding youclose in our hearts. It's true,
so many of the comments fromlisteners are sending your
(36:10):
family their love andreassurance that Jasmine's name
will never be forgotten. Thanksto all of you for being here,
for listening and forremembering jazzy with us. Stay
safe, stay curious, and we'llsee you next time.
(36:33):
This is a VP production. Theshow is written, edited and
produced by me Sarah Reed, withCO production by Andrea Kleid,
music and sound design arecurated to reflect the gravity
and sensitivity of this story,and with the intent to honor
Jasmine, her family and thecommunity affected by her death.
For more information or toconnect with us, visit
(36:56):
sequestered pod.com or follow uson Instagram at sequestered pod
you Hi, I'm Paula Wallace,president and founder of SCAD,
the world's biggest and bestuniversity for creative
professions. Throughout theyear, SCAD invites elite pros to
campus to share their wisdomwith our students. Their stories
(37:19):
and insights are just too goodto keep secret, which is why I
launched on creativity, thepodcast where you get to be a
SCAD student too. This is yourown private master class with
creative icons availablewherever you get your podcasts.
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You Hey everyone, welcome tothis special bonus episode of
sequestered. I'm Sarah, and thisis my co producer, Andrea. Hey
(01:11):
everyone, whether you've beenwith us since the very beginning
or just found us thanks toDateline or the Apple podcast
feature, we're so glad you'rehere. Yes, and this has been a
wild few months, hasn't it? Ithas. We've heard from so many of
you, listeners and journalistsand survivors, yes, even people
connected to the trial, andwe've realized there were still
(01:34):
a few stories left to tell,things that didn't quite make it
into the main episodes andmoments we just wanted to sit
with a little longer. So today'sepisode is a bit different, just
the two of us having a candidconversation and we'll reflect
on the making of the podcast.We'll share some behind the
scenes moments, and we'll talkabout what it was like to be a
(01:56):
part of Dateline. We'll evenexplore a few case details that
didn't make it into season one.Yes, and a heads up, you'll also
hear us refer to Jasmine asjazzy throughout the episode.
That's what her friends andfamily called her, and in the
courtroom, we really only knewher as Jasmine. So now that
we've spent so much time withher story, we want to think of
(02:17):
her as jazzy too. So grab acoffee, take a walk, settle in
whatever you do while you listenand join us for this behind the
mic conversation aboutsequestered and jazzy and
everything in between you
(02:56):
music, okay, let's start at Thebeginning, how this whole thing
came to be, yeah, so while thetrial unfolded in the courtroom,
another story was quietly beingformed in the background, and
that was the story of how we'deventually tell it, right, okay?
And to be honest, I didn'texactly set out to become a
(03:17):
juror or a true crime podcasterfor that, but here we are.
Okay, so let's talk about howsequestered came to life, like
what surprised us most whilecreating it, and how it's
changed us along the way. Okay,great. I mean, it's one thing to
say, like, this should be apodcast, and another thing to
(03:39):
make it as quickly as we did,that's the first thing that
comes to mind, right? Like, whatmade this release so unique was
that we had to move fast. Yeah,we committed early on to the
writing and producing of thepodcast in real time, in order
to capture the details andemotions of your experience
while it was still fresh, right?So we started basically as soon
(04:00):
as you got back right? Yeah. Andwhat surprised me was how much I
was still carrying like afterthose 10 days in Chattanooga,
right? I saw and heard things inthe courtroom that I hadn't,
obviously not even begun toprocess yet, yeah, but once you
and I started mapping out theepisodes, it became super clear
that this wasn't going to justbe about the trial like I wanted
(04:23):
to tell Jasmine's story. Yes,yes, that was something we
committed to from the verystart. We didn't want this to
feel like any sensationalizedTrue Crime thing, right? We
wanted to honor jazzy's lifefirst, but we also wanted to
show like what it feels like tocarry the responsibility of a
juror on a murder trial decidingsomeone else's fate. Yeah, and
(04:46):
that's a tricky balance. I wouldsay yeah, we wanted to be
honest, obviously, but notexploitative. Yeah, we wanted to
be detailed, but not graphic,just for the sake of it, right?
Like there were.
A lot of moments where we whereyou and I had to pause and say,
Is this respectful? Yeah, doesthis serve the story, or is it
just our curiosity? You know,right? Like that. That was
(05:10):
something we came across a lotof times, is, how do we tell
this part of the story, right?And now, seeing this story land
on Dateline and being featuredon Apple podcasts. It's kind of
surreal, like we made this in atiny room with one microphone, a
lot of coffee and a whole bunchof all nighters. That's true.
(05:30):
It's wild, and it's justemotional, because the more
attention the podcast gets, themore I think about Jasmine's mom
and her family and the rippleeffect this case had on the
community. And I just, I don'tknow, I just hope we did her
justice. Oh, I think you did.And the response from listeners
shows that people are connectingto your voice, to your honesty,
(05:54):
and most of all, to Jasminestory, yeah.
So fast forward a few monthsafter we launched the podcast,
then came Dateline, yeah,
that was not something I sawcoming. One Minute, I'm editing
in my office, and the next thingI know, I'm sitting across from
Dateline producers with camerasand lights in a retro hotel
(06:18):
being asked to talk about one ofthe most intense experiences of
my life. That's true. I thinkwhat struck me the most was how
much the dateline team genuinelycared about honoring Jasmine's
life. Yeah, like they didn'tjust want the crime details, you
know, they wanted to understandthe people at the heart of it,
yeah. I remember talking to acouple of the producers, and it
(06:39):
really felt like they hadtheories of their own that they
wanted to discuss with us,right, right? So did being a
part of that Dateline episodebring you any kind of closure,
or did it reopen things sort ofboth? There was a part of me
that felt really proud, like,Okay, this story matters. People
are listening, yeah, but it alsostirred stuff up, you know, like
(07:02):
seeing crime scene photos again,and yet here you are again,
still telling jazzy story,right? Because she deserves it,
yeah. So I guess here's a goodplace to say if you haven't seen
the dateline episode aboutJasmine pace yet. It's called
the pin at apartment 210 and youcan see it at Dateline, nbc.com,
or on peacock.
(07:24):
Okay, so let's shift gears andtalk about something we really
haven't explored in depth, whatit's actually like to be inside
that jury room and even justlike living in the head space
that you were in for 10 days,right?
Yeah. I mean, it's kind of hardto describe, but I'm sure
everyone can imagine, like,you're cut off from everything,
(07:47):
your phone, the news, socialmedia, like your people, and
during the day, you're absorbinghours and hours of testimony,
and then at night, you're justalone with it in the silence of
your room, right? That's whatI've always wondered, and we had
a lot of people write in aboutthat. When you went back to your
hotel room each night, you werereplaying that testimony, or
(08:08):
were you just so completelywiped that you were like, I need
to rest, because they'reknocking on my door at 6am yeah,
probably both. Again, somenights I'd crash at like, the
second I'd hit the bed, justmentally drained from, like,
listening to the intensity of itall, yeah, but, but other
nights, I couldn't turn it off.Like I'd replay certain witness
(08:30):
moments over and over, and I'dhear Jasmine's mom's voice or
the medical examiner's tone, orjust something Jason's defense
said, that didn't sit right withme, you know, right? And there
was just no way not to carry itwith me. Yeah, I can't imagine.
That makes sense. And I know yousaid before, but it was hard not
(08:50):
to look at Jason during thosedays. Did you and Jason ever
make eye contact? Yeah, a coupleof times. Well, I mean, I would
say several times, wow. Therewere definitely times, even
during, like, jury selection inNashville, and multiple times
during the trial that we madeeye contact
because of my my seatingposition in the jury box.
(09:14):
It was always very obvious, likewhen I would look at him,
because I had to physically turnmy head to the left to see him.
Oh, I see like to see him or thecourtroom. And it wasn't like I
could just glance across theroom at him, yeah, so when I
turned we couldn't help but makeeye contact. Wow, that had to
feel intense. Yeah, it wasweird.
(09:35):
Just the idea of like, knowingyou're sitting in the same room
as someone who's admitted tomurdering someone, yeah, and
then there's that moment youtalk about in the podcast where
the medical examiner, Dr coswellwas on the stand. There were
really graphic photos beingshown, and you noticed Jason was
looking down, right? But thenyou realize something else, can
(09:58):
you share more about that you.
Yeah, I know I talked a littlebit about this in the podcast.
At first I thought, okay, maybehe can't even look at what he
did, or like, maybe he'sashamed, or even maybe, like he
was instructed not to look up atthe projector screens, yeah,
when, like, graphic photos wereshown, just, I don't know, out
of reverence, whatever. So hishead was down the entire time,
(10:21):
but then I noticed there wasthis like monitor built into the
table that he was sitting at. Soit was like a glass table top,
and this kind of monitor, likemounted underneath. And I was so
curious about it throughout thetrial. But again, if I turn my
head to the left, yeah, he'sgonna see me looking at him. So
I just didn't want to do that.So I didn't know until after the
(10:42):
trial was over. I texted thebailiff, kind of while making
this podcast, and that's when heconfirmed that every time an
image was projected on thescreen, it would also be
projected on the screens infront of him, in front of Jason
Chen, right in front of JasonChen at his desk. Wow. So he was
actually seeing the images thatwe were seeing the whole time
(11:03):
probably more defined than evenwhat we were seeing. Oh my gosh,
that is crazy to realize thatright from the live stream, when
I was watching the trial, youcould only see that his head was
down. I didn't realize therewere monitors, so right? I
thought that maybe his defensehad said, you know, make it look
(11:24):
this way. Yeah, convenient,right? Yeah, that's the thing
most people don't realize, isbeing on a jury. It's not just
facts and timelines and thingslike that. It's about human
behavior. I mean, right, yeah,obviously you want to make
decisions based on the evidence,but, you know, things like that,
noticing the eye contact, thebody language, you had to kind
(11:47):
of keep track of all of it,right? Absolutely. And they
were, they were keeping track ofour energy, our eye contact, our
body language, you know,everyone else in the courtroom,
yeah. And for them, we had tokeep track of that every day,
not just because we had to makea decision, but once you're in
that room, you feel the weightof that responsibility. So you
just, you just want to get itright. Yeah, and I think you
(12:10):
did. I think we did too.
You know, talking about Jasonand how he interacted with those
crime scene photos in thecourtroom leads us into
something we've been sittingwith for a while, and honestly,
it's haunted both of us since welearned about it. Yeah, this is
something that didn't come up inthe trial. But you ever see a
(12:31):
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(12:52):
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(13:13):
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or download line two in the AppStore today, but we found out
about later, and that is thatinvestigators discovered several
photos on Jason Chen's phone ofa very specific art piece that
he took while he was on a tripin DC visiting the Smithsonian
so I looked it up. The piece iscalled The Birth of Eve, and
it's by an artist named JudithSchechter. She's a stained glass
(14:20):
artist from Philadelphia who'scompletely redefined the medium.
It's actually really beautiful.Her work uses the visual
language of Gothic cathedrals,
like stuff you'd see in oldchurches, but instead of saints
or angels, she explores pain,emotion and isolation. It's
really raw. So this piece ispart of the permanent collection
(14:44):
at the Smithsonian. If you everfind yourself there, it depicts
a nude woman suspended upsidedown and is curled tightly in
the fetal position. Her arms andlegs are pulled in close, almost
like she's being held orconfined by something invisible.
So.
It's deeply unsettling. I agree.So here's how this whole art
(15:04):
piece connects to Jason Chen.And again, this was never part
of the trial, but once I saw it,and knowing Jason had several
images of it saved in his phone,it was really hard not to
compare it with the crime scenephotos we saw. I mean, that's
crazy, if that's true, I know.So whether it was conscious or
not, it's something I've notbeen able to stop thinking
about, like the positioning, thestillness, the compression of
(15:28):
her body. It mirrored the artpiece so closely, and seeing it
just still makes my stomachturn. And we want to be clear,
this is speculation, but when wefound about this art piece, it
was so hard to not make thatconnection, right? And it wasn't
a part of the trial. And we'renot saying it proves anything,
but it is one of those detailsthat just feels too strange to
(15:49):
ignore Exactly. And I don'tthink it's about proving a
motive. It's more likeunderstanding that there may
have been, like, layers andlayers to this case that just
went unseen in the court likethis? Yeah, exactly. And okay,
so now that leads us to a fewmore loose threads that we
haven't been able to let go of.These also didn't make it into
(16:11):
the trial, but they did stickwith us, which is why we're so
grateful to have the chance tosit down with the two people who
know this case inside and out,district attorneys general, Cody
WAMP and palm oil. Yep, theywere the ones who brought this
case to trial, who carried jazzystory into that courtroom, and
who fought for justice on behalfof her family. We had a chance
(16:33):
to talk with them about thetrial, about their reflections,
and about some of the unansweredquestions we've been wrestling
with too, and one of the firstthings that we talked with them
about was the fact that asjurors, we were allowed to ask
questions. This is somethingthat a lot of people were
surprised by when they heardabout it on the podcast. Yeah,
we got so many messages aboutthat, like, Wait, jurors were
(16:55):
able to ask questions to thewitnesses. Yeah, I actually
loved it. And later I learnedthat it's actually pretty rare
it's allowed in the state ofTennessee. I guess it just
depends on the judge. So here'swhat da's WAMP and Moyle had to
say about it.
And that's one of the pros.There's pros and cons to a jury
(17:18):
being able to ask questions. Oneis, you know what they're
thinking and you know whatdirection they're going in. You
know what issues they're havingwith the case. What do they keep
focusing on? There's there'scons as as well. First of all,
you y'all didn't know that it'sgoing to be such a lengthy
trial. So you're wanting, you'rewanting the evidence from this
witness when it's not coming inthrough this witness or another
witness. So it had jurors have atendency to maybe get ahead of
(17:40):
themselves, and so we're sort ofwasting time with these
questions, because we're goingto answer these questions for
you. If they can be answered,we're going to answer them, you
know. So there's pros and consamongst both the defense bar and
my office for jury questions. Weonly have one judge here who
does jury questions, and that'sjudge Patterson. And I think at
first we were all very nervousabout these questions, because
(18:01):
it just started two and a halfyears ago, and he became the
judge. But over time, it it onlyprobably has helped us.
Honestly, it's not harmed us. Itdoesn't hurt, you know, and
sometimes there's a questionthat we did not think of, and
you know, so many of y'allquestions were asked, meaning
that there's a question that wedidn't think of and we didn't
(18:23):
even know would be important,but it was for some reason. And
so I think looking back, Ioriginally was opposed to the
questions, and now it doesn't,it doesn't hurt us if juries
like it the way that now we'rehearing that juries like being
able to ask those questions. Wealso have a concern that we
don't want a juror to use itagainst either party if their
(18:45):
question is not asked or thinkthat someone's hiding the ball.
You know, you have questionsreally significant to you. For
some reason the court doesn'task it.
I wouldn't want anybody tothink, Well, why are they not
answering the question? What arethey hiding? Because that's
normally just not the case atall. So we have those concerns.
But overall, and this, I'venever seen a jury ask as many
(19:06):
questions as y'all actually.Yeah, there's probably a couple
times up there where I turnaround and roll my eyes because
I'm like, these questions are Ican see that because some of
them were very detailed, some ofthem were so detailed and but at
the end of the day, it doesn'tmatter, and it's if a juror
wants those questions answered,they that's great. That's what's
important to them, and that'sthat's what we need to know. But
(19:27):
it is like you, you spend a daywith someone on the witness
state, and then the jury has 29questions,
do you guys together? Like, doeseveryone have to absolutely
agree? Like, we're gonna we canobject. So there were times
where Josh would have objectedand said, We don't, and then the
court has to decide. Most ofthem, we agreed on, okay, most
of them is very clear. It's anappropriate question, or not an
(19:48):
appropriate question. So many ofthem were going to be answered
down the road. And he, I feellike he made that really clear,
like we may not answer it. Don'ttake it personal, also, it could
be presented at a later time. I.
I think the thing that washelpful for us was because we
couldn't talk about it ordiscuss the case throughout.
That was our only opportunity toto have see what everyone was
(20:09):
thinking. Okay, let me just getthis thought out of my head,
versus waiting untildeliberation and going maybe it
took less time to deliberatebecause of that, that's
interesting. You were able tothat's very interesting. Yeah, I
appreciate that. There'sdefinitely pros and cons I could
question. And for a prosecutor,it's nerve wracking some,
because sometimes I don't wantto know what the jury's
thinking. I'd rather not know.
(20:29):
So it's nerve wracking because,because there were times in that
trial where he and I would walkback to the table and be like,
That was a bad question. Thefact that one of the jurors is
still, like, focused onsomething like that, that, you
know, we'd be sitting therelike, that is bad. That is bad.
That's not good for us. In yourhead too, and it, yeah, and by
the end of the day, you're like,but that three of those jurors
(20:50):
are still focused on this andbut you'll also had the story in
your head the whole time aboutTinder and a fight with wine
glasses. Yeah, we're trying toprove it. And that's one reason,
by the end of it, where I'm sofrustrated, because throughout,
throughout the trial, you guysare thinking, and some of your
questions reflected that, whenare we going to hear about this
friends, like you said in yourclosing, like it was all muddy
(21:11):
the water, like just to confuseus. And I think some of the
questions reflected that, butno. And looking back, and I
would tell judge Patterson this,if juries appreciate him, and if
he appreciates them. You canallow it in the state of
Tennessee, so I'm fine with it.We've gotten used to it now, and
it's great.
(21:33):
I loved how seriously they tookthe jurors questions, like they
didn't just tolerate them, youknow, like they welcomed them,
yeah. And from our perspective,I think it made us feel seen,
like our confusion and ourcuriosity wasn't just background
noise, you know, yeah, like itwas part of the process. I'd
even argue that it helped theprocess. And I don't know, I
(21:54):
just think it was a really coolopportunity, yeah. And then we
asked them what stood out tothem and the trial itself, like,
what moment stuck with them orsurprised them or challenged
them? Yeah, and I think this iswhere it got emotional, because
they talked about Jasmine andher family, and it was really
clear that they weren't justtrying a case, you know, like,
yeah, they were carrying theweight of someone's life.
(22:19):
I think such an example of thatfrom this trial, when it it was
a little bit early on to reallyhit home for the jury, because
Katrina was our first witness,but how identical she looks to
her daughter. So much always,yeah, and I mean, always stood
out to me as like, oh my gosh,she is up there on the
witnessing she looks exactlylike her daughter. We're going
(22:40):
to show her driver's license sothat you can see. But they are
real people, and they have momsthat sometimes look just like
them, that are willing totestify on their on their
behalf. And so, yeah, I mean,what a moment. Y'all didn't know
as much about the case at thatpoint in time, because she was
our first witness. But lookingback, I mean, oh yeah, when a
mother looks exactly like herdaughter, who's this has
(23:00):
happened to and I thought that,I mean, honestly, I think it's a
sweet moment for me to see heron the stand. And what a mom,
you know, what a mom KatrinaVenus is the mom that we all
aspire to be. And so I thoughtthat was a sweet moment.
I also thought it was sopowerful, as someone who was
watching the trial real time tosee Jasmine's mom as the first
(23:24):
witness on the stand. Becausenot only did she look like
Jasmine, it was sort of arepresentation of her, yeah, but
she really was able to explainthe panic that a mother or a
parent would have when they'retrying to find their daughter,
which helped explain why theybroke into Jason Chen's
apartment, right? Yeah. I knowit reminded me that everyone in
(23:46):
the courtroom was carryingsomething with regards to this.
Yeah, and like for them, itwasn't just about putting Jason
Chen on trial. This was aboutmaking sure Jasmine's voice
didn't get lost in the legalprocess. Yeah, and I feel like
both general WAMP and da palMoyle, they saw you and the
other jurors as part of thatprocess, and they were counting
(24:08):
on you guys to hold that weightalongside of them. I totally
agree, and we felt the weight ofthat every day. Yeah, I imagine,
okay, the last thing we talkedabout with Da is WAMP and Moyle
was the appeal Jason Chen'slegal team filed to challenge
the verdict. The appeal wasfiled on the grounds that the
verdict was, quote, contrary tothe evidence, with claims that
(24:32):
Chen was denied a fair trial dueto alleged evidence being
tampered with by Jasmine'sfamily. As of the release of
this episode, there have been nopublicly reported updates
regarding his appeal, which wasscheduled for April 11, 2025
yeah, there's a lot of confusionaround what an appeal actually
means. So we asked them toexplain it in plain terms and to
(24:55):
share what this particularappeal might involve
and motion for.
Trial is filed in every singlecase after every single trial,
standard, you have to argue themotion for new trial before you
can go through the actual courtof appeals process. Very
standard formality. There aresome cases in which there can be
significant issues. Most oftenthere's not because you're
(25:18):
having you know, the judge thatyou're viewing the motion for
new trial is Judge Patterson.He's, he's, he was there for the
trial. So for a judge to grant anew trial, often they would have
to admit that they made a rulingthat they now got it. Belief was
incorrect. And so it very, veryrarely happens that a new trial
is granted. I've seen one heregranted in the last maybe two in
(25:39):
the last five to 10 years, wow.And so, you know, everybody's
like, Oh, he wants a new trial.How dare him? And this what
happens? It's no big deal. So assoon as it's argued, and we
don't believe there will be anyissues whatsoever, then it's in
the hands of the Court ofAppeals. This probably would
never go to the Supreme Courtbecause issues are just not big
enough, and it'll be done in acouple years. Yeah.
(26:05):
So to be clear, an appeal is nota new trial. It is not about
rearguing the facts of the case.It's a legal review to determine
whether anything was doneimproperly or unfairly in the
process. And from what weunderstand this isn't uncommon
at all. It's just the next step,right? It doesn't make it
(26:26):
easier, though, yeah, forJasmine's family, for the
jurors, for anyone who's livedthis story, I think it just
brings it all back up, right?But the DA has made it clear
they stand by the work they'vedone, and so do I honestly,
yeah,
okay, let's answer someunanswered questions and
theories. Okay, great. Even witha guilty verdict and an appeal,
(26:49):
there are still things aboutthis case that don't quite sit
right with us, like littledetails that weren't part of the
courtroom evidence, but stuckwith us anyway. Yeah, and making
this podcast, we ended uphearing from a lot of people,
friends, family members, evenfolks who were quietly observing
from the sidelines, and a few ofthem shared things that raised
(27:11):
new questions. One of thequestions we kept coming back to
had to do with Jason Chen'smovements the day he drove from
his parents home in nolensville,Tennessee, back to Chattanooga.
So this would have been November26 2022 which is also the same
day his apartment would havebeen searched. Yeah, if you
remember from the trial phonerecords showed that he never
(27:32):
actually went back to hisapartment. He was just in the
area. His phone pinged near itat a park nearby, but he never
entered his apartment complexagain, instead, those same
records showed that he drovenorth up into the Hixson area,
and that always stood out to us,like, why did he go up there?
What's in Hixson? Yeah, and weknow by this point that
(27:55):
investigator Crawford has leftJason Chen a voicemail, right?
So we started wondering, was helooking for police activity,
like scoping out the area aroundhis apartment, or maybe even
looking like you said, WhereJasmine lived, right? So we end
up following the trail. Butbefore we go there, here's a
moment from Episode Six.
(28:18):
We know from investigatorCrawford's testimony that the
search warrant for Jason Chen'sapartment was granted at 11:45pm
that same night.
So what was Jason back in townfor? Surely by now, investigator
Crawford had already beencalling his phone. Was he
curious about any activityaround his apartment, checking
(28:40):
to see if the police werealready involved, or was there
something else pulling him back.Then Hamilton reveals another
twist. Jason leaves the NorthShore area around 9:30pm
heading towards Hixson, acommunity just north of
Chattanooga, and according tohis phone records, Jason stays
(29:01):
in the Hixson area until about10:15pm
before heading back tonolensville. So what's in
Hixson? Jasmine's house, herfamily's house. What in the
world was Jason doing there? Andmore importantly,
why you Yeah.
(29:24):
So as it turns out, he was at acar wash, right, which I guess
makes sense, but also stillfeels a little eerie, you know,
like knowing what happened?Yeah, it's the kind of detail
that doesn't necessarily proveanything, but it adds to the
picture. Like, what was hisstate of mind? What was he
thinking, right? And theinteresting part is that we did
(29:45):
see the tire tread and the backof his trunk, right, but he
never opened his trunk tonotice, kind of the treads of
the suitcase, right? Yeah, Iremember talking about that too,
like, like, why not open thetrunk and.
Wipe that down real quick ifthat liner in the back of his
trunk was so clean otherwise, Imean, it looked practically
(30:06):
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Individual results may vary,right? And then there's the
mystery of the dropped pen. Wehad a conversation with someone
(32:00):
who was with Jasmine at thehospital with her granny
earlier. Remember her grannydied the same day that she went
missing, right? So Jasmine wasat the hospital. This person saw
her on that same day, November22
they told us that Jasmine waswearing her Apple Watch that day
because they commented on hernew watch band, right? So their
(32:25):
theory is it's possible thatjazzy used her Apple Watch to
drop the location pin to her mominstead of her phone that night.
Mm, hmm. And so we mentionedthis theory to da swamp and
Moyle, and both of them notedthat the Apple Watch has never
been found. Wow. And for whatit's worth, this also wasn't
(32:46):
mentioned in the trial, so wedon't know if Jason took it or
destroyed it, or if it's stillout there somewhere, but one
thing we do know is that thatpin solved her murder. Yes,
exactly.
We wanted to include thisbecause we know our listeners
are as curious as we are. So ifyou have any theories of your
own about this case and wehaven't covered them, please
(33:07):
send them our way. Yes, pleasedo. You can email us at
sequesteredpod@gmail.com,
and trust me when I say we readeverything. All right, Sarah,
before we wrap this up, we justwant to take a moment to reflect
on this wild ride and what'sahead. Yeah, wow. I don't think
I ever imagined how big thiswould get. I've seriously been
(33:30):
blown away by the response,yeah, me too. Like by how people
have listened and reached outand shared their own stories.
Like the support from bothlisteners and media has been
just overwhelming in the bestway. Wouldn't you say, I agree,
what started as like dreadedjury duty for you, turned into
something that's now helpingpeople understand the justice
(33:53):
system and also kind of theemotional weight that comes with
being a part of it. Yeah, that'scool. And through it all. Like,
what I keep coming back to isJasmine, right? Like I just, I
guess I just, I hope peopleremember her name, yes, Jasmine
pace, or jazzy, as her friendsand family called her, she just
(34:15):
had an unwavering love and avibrant spirit and a family that
just fought so fiercely to findher and make sure justice was
served. Yeah, exactly. That'swhat this podcast has always
been about, remembering thepeople at the center of these
stories, not just the crime, notthe perpetrator, but the life
that was lost. And in this case,that's Jasmine pace, right?
(34:41):
Okay, so as for what's next?There's more to come. Yes, while
the odds of me being sequesteredagain are highly unlikely, I am
not done telling these stories.There are too many lives that
have ended far too soon, andjust too many questions still
looming in the.
Arc. We're already working onour next case, and we've got a
(35:04):
few ideas brewing, but we alsowant to hear from you, yeah, if
there's a case you think weshould look into something
local, something overlooked,something that really has stuck
with you again, please email usat sequesteredpod@gmail.com
or you can hit us up onInstagram, and if this podcast
has meant something to you, ifjazzy story has stayed with you,
(35:27):
please take a moment to rate andreview the show. It might seem
small, but it actually helpsmore than you think. Yeah, those
reviews tell those algorithmgods that people care, and that
helps new listeners findsequestered. It's one of the
best ways we can keep Jasmine'sstory and the stories we'll
cover next reaching the peoplewho need to hear them. Also stay
(35:49):
subscribed. We'll be droppingmore bonus episodes with
updates, thoughts and anythingwe feel you should know as new
information surfaces. And beforewe go, we just want to send so
much love to Jasmine's family,you are the reason justice
happened, and we're holding youclose in our hearts. It's true,
so many of the comments fromlisteners are sending your
(36:10):
family their love andreassurance that Jasmine's name
will never be forgotten. Thanksto all of you for being here,
for listening and forremembering jazzy with us. Stay
safe, stay curious, and we'llsee you next time.
(36:33):
This is a VP production. Theshow is written, edited and
produced by me Sarah Reed, withCO production by Andrea Kleid,
music and sound design arecurated to reflect the gravity
and sensitivity of this story,and with the intent to honor
Jasmine, her family and thecommunity affected by her death.
For more information or toconnect with us, visit
(36:56):
sequestered pod.com or follow uson Instagram at sequestered pod
you Hi, I'm Paula Wallace,president and founder of SCAD,
the world's biggest and bestuniversity for creative
professions. Throughout theyear, SCAD invites elite pros to
campus to share their wisdomwith our students. Their stories
(37:19):
and insights are just too goodto keep secret, which is why I
launched on creativity, thepodcast where you get to be a
SCAD student too. This is yourown private master class with
creative icons availablewherever you get your podcasts.
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