On Day 5 of the trial, the focus shifts—not to what happened inside Jason Chen’s apartment, but to the evidence he left behind. Sara takes us back inside the courtroom as forensic experts lay out the physical and digital trail that maps Jason’s every move. The prosecution introduces fingerprint evidence, placing Jason Chen exactly where he didn’t want to be—on the garbage bag that held Jasmine’s body. Cell phone data confirms Jasmine’s phone traveled everywhere Jason's phone went after she was last seen alive. And surveillance footage captures Jason's movements as he transports the suitcase from Tremont Street to Suck Creek Road. Then, the case pivots to digital forensics, where Investigator Mark Hamilton reconstructs Jason’s timeline with chilling precision—GPS records, cell tower pings, and app data that fill in the gaps between his movements and Jasmine’s disappearance. Minute by minute, the evidence builds—a text message sent after Jasmine was already gone, a second trip to Suck Creek Road, and a Lyft ride that returns Jason home after abandoning Jasmine’s car. But one moment lingers more than any other. In one of the most haunting scenes of the trial, Sara and her producer visit 110 Tremont. They stand on the very sidewalk where Jason dragged that heavy suitcase, seeing the steps, the parking lot, and the path he took with their own eyes. The evidence tells its own story. And by the end of the day, the jury can see it clearly. Here's the blog for this 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.
Chapter 1: What is the focus of Day 5 of the trial?
Before we begin, please be advised that this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence as presented during the trial. Please take care while listening. It's Friday, January 17, 2025, Day 5 of the trial. If you've been following along, you know that Day 4 of the trial was brutal.
We saw the autopsy photos, heard the forensic details, and imagined the unthinkable as medical examiner Dr. Stephen Cogswell walked us through the condition of Jasmine's body inside that suitcase. I didn't have time to process it in the moment, and I didn't want to think about it after we left the courthouse, alone in my silent hotel room.
But when my eyes finally closed that night, I couldn't think about anything else. During Dr. Cogswell's testimony, when the pictures of Jasmine's body were shown, I made an intentional decision not to look at the features on her face. Instead, focusing only on her wounds. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was out of respect.
Maybe it was my way of staying somewhat detached so that I could do my job. I know everyone who sat through the testimony yesterday left the courtroom heavy, not just by what happened to Jasmine, but with the realization of how intentional it all was. Today's details won't focus on the violence that occurred inside O'Jason Chen's apartment. It's about the trail he left behind.
The fingerprints, the cell phone pings, the digital breadcrumbs that tracked his every move. Each piece coming together like literal coordinates on a map, showing us not just what happened, but how. Because evidence tells its own story. And today, the evidence leading us is digital. This is Sequestered, a juror's perspective on the murder trial for Jasmine Pace. I'm Sarah, juror number 11.
Each episode, I'll take you inside the courtroom, behind the scenes, and into the weighty moments of this trial as we honor Jasmine's life and navigate the complexities of seeking justice. Let's begin. This is episode six, The Evidence Tells the Story. Before we get into today's testimony, I wanted to explain why I keep calling the district attorneys general.
If you're not from Tennessee, it probably sounds a little strange. But here's the deal. In Tennessee, state prosecutors are officially titled district attorney general. That's why you'll hear me say General Womp or General Moyle throughout the podcast.
It's a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of Tennessee's legal system, meant to emphasize that these attorneys represent the entire state, not just a local district in criminal cases. So next time you hear me say general, think of it as shorthand for that full title, District Attorney General. All right, let's head back to the courtroom.
Judge Patterson opens the morning the way he always does, reminding the jury of our responsibility. No outside research, no talking about the case, no news or social media. By now, this ritual feels familiar, almost automatic. We all nod in agreement. He then lays out our weekend schedule. It was the Friday before a holiday weekend, but no one would get that holiday weekend.
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Chapter 2: What evidence was presented by the fingerprint technician?
certainly so fingerprints are considered unique and and uh if you get complete fingerprints uh the expert would have talked about this there's going to be so many points that they would look for on a fingerprint if you just have one or two points on a fingerprint that are similar or matching that would not be enough for a positive identification but if you get up to 11 or 12 points at that point it becomes uh it becomes what we call a match
because of the uniqueness, just mathematically, of having those fingerprints matched. So, you know, there are similarities in every fingerprint, but when you look at a complete fingerprint, the number of points that are matching points is what determines the identification of the individual.
And that's what we're seeing now from this Chattanooga Police fingerprint supervisor that testified this morning. And then something that I didn't realize, each one of these cases is then corroborated by another person that doesn't know what the first person came up with. So they look at the two things again to match.
And in this case, the second person also said that he believes those fingerprints on the garbage bag that contained Jasmine Pace's body were those of Jason Chen.
Fingerprint evidence is powerful, but digital forensics? That's where the case really starts to close in. Next on the stand was investigator Mark Hamilton, the state's expert in cell phone data, GPS tracking, and radio frequency analysis.
It became immediately clear that his testimony wasn't supposed to happen until after the lunch break because instead of a suit and tie, Hamilton arrived in casual office attire, having being summoned straight from his desk at the DA's office. I guess we were ahead of schedule.
General Womp made a point to mention this, acknowledging his unexpected wardrobe and maybe offering him a little grace to settle in before facing the jury. But before diving into his qualifications, General Womp addressed something important head on. She said, you actually work for me, don't you? It was an intentional move designed to make sure the jury knew the facts.
Hamilton works directly under District Attorney General Cody Womp. The subtext was clear. This was not a secret, and you should know about it. But Womp didn't just rely on their working relationship to establish his credibility.
Instead, she laid out his decades long career in digital forensics, emphasizing his deep expertise in tracking cell data, which is how signals move between towers, how GPS records a person's every step, and how, in today's world, our phones can tell a story more detailed than we ever realized. Hamilton had spent 60 to 70 hours analyzing the digital footprints of both Jasmine Pace and Jason Chen.
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Chapter 3: How did Jason Chen's fingerprints connect him to Jasmine Pace?
Once again, General Cody Wamp pulls up the video footage. Jason Chen casually walking through Walmart, wearing his now infamous Anything Goes hat. She reminds the jury exactly what they're looking at. This isn't some random shopping trip. This is the morning after Jasmine Pace was last seen alive. It's a detail that's almost too absurd to believe.
Jason Chen, shopping for cleaning supplies and band-aids, wearing a hat that seems to mock the very idea of accountability. I mentioned that Jason had Jasmine's phone with him at this point. Hamilton points out something interesting. Where Jason went, Jasmine's phone went too. Until just like that, it went dark.
Womp asks, if a phone is turned off or a SIM card is removed, would her phone have gone dark? And Hamilton confirms that it would. DA Womp then asks where Jason Chen goes next. Based on cell phone records, his location was at Walgreens at 1.41 p.m., corroborated by the video of Chen walking into Walgreens. At this time, Jasmine's phone is still off.
Then, around 4 p.m., both phones ping from the same cell tower.
Are you aware of any activity that you found on both of their cellular records around this time?
Yes, ma'am.
And who was that text message from and who was it to?
It was from you.
If that was hard to hear, Hamilton said that a text message was sent from Jason Chen to Jasmine Pace at this time. Remember this one?
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Chapter 4: What does the cell phone data reveal about Jasmine's last movements?
His was off and hers was on and it was driving around the city.
Is it fair to say hers was coming off and on?
Yes.
For the first part of the day on 11-23? Yes, it was.
At this point, Womp takes us back to Suck Creek Road, and Hamilton confirms something chilling. For the second time, Jason Chen's phone data shows him driving up and down Suck Creek Road. It's hard not to wonder why. Was he scouting, searching for the perfect spot? Presumably, he was looking for a place to dump that suitcase. At 5.08 p.m., Jason Chen returns to his apartment at 110 Tremont.
And then we see it. The footage we've now seen so many times, it's burned into memory. At 5.59pm, Jason Chen is seen exiting the front entrance of the lofts at Tremont, pulling a heavy suitcase up a handful of steps, then rolling it down the sidewalk before he disappears out of frame and into the parking lot. I want to pause here for a minute to talk about this surveillance footage.
The video comes from the Arctic Cam mounted at the corner of Tremont and Fraser. It's angled straight down Tremont Street, with the lofts at Tremont visible on the right-hand side. The front entrance to the apartment complex sits slightly below sidewalk level, with a short set of steps leading down to the door.
In the footage, you see a figure at the base of those steps, struggling to make his way up. We immediately recognize him. By now, the state has done a meticulous job painting out the identifiers. His anything-goes trucker hat, his clothes, his movements. As Chen reaches the top step, you can see he's dragging something behind him. And then the suitcase comes into view.
When the suitcase hits the sidewalk, there's this moment. Chen's arm drops under the weight of it. He readjusts, finds his grip, and starts pulling it towards the camera's view before disappearing into the parking lot. That suitcase wasn't empty. If you've ever traveled, you know most airlines cap-checked bags at 50 pounds. Now imagine doubling that.
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Chapter 5: What chilling details were uncovered about Jason’s activities?
Does that appear to be a white SUV?
Yes, ma'am.
At this point in time, is Mr. Chen's cell phone location data showing that he is in or around 900 Mountain Creek Road? Yes, ma'am. And then have you also seen the next part of this video that shows what looks like or has been testified to a Prius pulling into this parking lot?
Yes, ma'am.
Remember the Prius captured on the surveillance video at 900 Mountain Creek Road? The one that pulls into the same parking lot Jason did after abandoning Jasmine's car? That Prius was Jason's Lyft ride, the same driver who would later drop him off back at his apartment.
Detective Hamilton walks the jury through data extracted from Jason's phone, showing that the Lyft app was accessed at 8.39 p.m., just minutes after Jason left the Equinox. A notification then comes through at 8.50 p.m., likely telling him his ride was arriving. Jason's cell phone data still places him at 900 Mountain Creek Road at this time.
By 9.02 p.m., Jason Chen and his phone are delivered to 110 Tremont Street. Hamilton confirms via cell phone data while DA Womp queues up the Arctic footage capturing Jason exiting the lift outside of his apartment building. Let's listen in as she presents the moment Jason steps out of that lift.
No.
Would you agree that that's basically a day and a half?
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Chapter 6: What did the surveillance footage show about Jason Chen?
More specifically, her text messages and app usage in the hours after she was last seen alive. What Hamilton uncovers is deeply unsettling. At 4am on the morning of November 23rd, Jasmine's phone received a series of notifications. They were password reset requests for her banking apps. And by 9.52am that same morning, Jason was already back on Tinder, messaging somebody new.
He sends this message to a person named Victoria.
So I guess we're dating now.
Victoria responds... Ha, really? Why is that? Jason didn't stop there, though. He also reached out to two other women on Tinder that same morning. I keep thinking about these women, he messaged. As far as they knew, it was just flirty banter on a dating app. I mean, how could they possibly know that the guy messaging them had just murdered his girlfriend?
Her lifeless body was still laying on the floor of his bedroom. As investigator Hamilton's testimony continues, he shares even more text data recovered from Jason Chen's phone. I was actually glad I could watch this part back because there was just so much information flying at us during this part of the trial. Texts and dates and times and different time zones.
It was nearly impossible to keep up with in the moment. So it wasn't until re-watching it for this episode that I fully caught on to what DA Womp was getting at with this next group of messages. But before we get there, Hamilton also confirms something that directly contradicts the defense's opening statement.
He testifies that the Tinder app on Jason's phone was not accessed at all on the day of November 22nd. That's a direct conflict with what the defense had claimed about Jasmine becoming upset after seeing Tinder messages popping up on Jason's phone that night. With Womp's leading, Hamilton then shifts and explains to the jury that we're looking at a text thread from Jason Chen's phone.
A group chat between Jason and his gamer friends. Around 9.30 p.m. on November 23rd, a handful of texts roll in. The guys are checking in to see who's available and who's getting on to play tonight. Womp points out that all of these texts are being read by Jason as they come in. She continues scrolling down the report, showing more conversation over the next couple of hours.
Just before midnight, someone named Mina writes, You guys running more war zone? Then, at 1.06 a.m., now officially Thanksgiving Day, Jason chimes in, I'm getting on in like five. You're getting on in like five?
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Chapter 7: How did the evidence shape the jury's perception?
He says it would be extremely difficult to fabricate because of the sheer amount of detail embedded in the screenshot's metadata. Eventually, Hamilton concedes that in theory, anything is possible. But in his expert opinion, the screenshot is authentic. Before investigator Hamilton stepped down, we had a few questions of our own.
One of the jurors asked if Jason's SIM card was in his phone when investigators recovered it from his parents' house. Hamilton confirmed that it was, reminding the jury that Jason had moved that same SIM card into Jasmine's phone for a period of time, but that it had been returned to his own phone by the time it was recovered for extraction.
Another juror asked what would happen if text messages were deleted from Jason's phone? Would they still show up in the conversation log? Hamilton explained that depending on the make and model of the phone, the log would be able to tell that a message had been deleted, but that the actual content of those messages would likely not appear.
As Hamilton's testimony came to a close, investigator Zach Crawford would be called back to the witness stand, serving as the final witness of the day. D.A. Womp recalled him and he was sworn in for a second time. She started by addressing a point the defense had raised earlier, asking Crawford to explain why his own palm and fingerprints were found on the hood of Jason Chen's car.
Crawford admitted that during the search of Jason Chen's parents' house, he accidentally touched the vehicle, explaining that the tight space around the car, packed with his family's belongings, made it difficult to avoid, and he accidentally fell forward, bracing himself on the hood. He was careful to mention that this was the first time his fingerprints had ever shown up on a TBI report.
Before shifting gears, D.A. Watt made sure to tackle one more defense theory head on. The suggestion that the screenshot of the location pin Jasmine sent to her mom was somehow fake.
You were the investigator in November of 2022 who was investigating this case, is that correct?
In November 27th, I was brought into the investigation in 2020.
Were you present when Katrina B. scrolled up in her text messages to show you that location drop?
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