As Jason Chen's trial enters its final stretch, the prosecution delivers a major shift, resting their case earlier than expected but before the defense takes over, motions fly, including a request for lesser charges and an attempt to introduce a forensic psychologist to challenge premeditation. We hear from two critical witnesses: Courtney Paglino-Brewer - the downstairs neighbor, who recounts the terrifying scream and chaotic sounds she heard the night Jasmine Pace was murdered. Travis Pace, Jasmine’s father, whose desperate search led him to break into Jason Chen’s apartment, discovering Jasmine’s belongings—and a chilling realization that something was terribly wrong. The defense presents their case, but it’s underwhelming. Their final witness, private investigator Johnny Lawrence, raises doubts about the crime scene but admits he can’t prove anything definitively. After all the motions, legal maneuvering, and cross-examinations, the defense rests—leaving the jury with more questions than answers. Next, both sides prepare for closing arguments, and the weight of the verdict looms. 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 happened when the prosecution rested their case?
We returned to our coffee, card games, and books in the jury room. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, the defense did something pretty standard in criminal trials. They filed what's called a motion for judgment of acquittal. This is a formal request for the judge to dismiss some or all of the charges, arguing that the prosecution didn't present enough evidence for a reasonable jury to convict.
It's a way of saying, even if you take everything the state just presented at face value, it's still not enough to legally support these charges. Now, this motion is rarely granted in high-profile cases like this, especially in a murder trial, but it's a critical procedural step because it preserves the defense's ability to appeal later on if needed.
And in this case, the defense also made a separate request for the judge to allow the jury to consider what's called lesser included offenses. Lesser included offenses are exactly what they sound like. They're charges that are still illegal, but they're considered less severe versions of the primary charge.
Chapter 2: What legal motions did the defense file?
In this case, the primary charge was first-degree murder, which requires proving premeditation, meaning the killing was planned. The defense asked the court to also instruct the jury on lesser charges, like second-degree murder, which doesn't require premeditation, or voluntary manslaughter, which could apply if the killing happened in the heat of the moment.
This kind of legal maneuvering is common, but it's also strategic. It gives the jury more options. So instead of choosing between convicting on the most serious charge or letting the defendant go free, they could land somewhere in the middle. It's one of those moments where you could feel both sides preparing for the end game.
The defense protecting their client from the harshest sentence possible and the state holding firm that this was a premeditated intentional murder. The defense had one more move up their sleeve. Mr. Weiss renewed a motion he'd already tried once before. He asked the judge to allow a forensic psychologist named Dr. Douglas Lewis to testify for the defense.
Now, this wasn't just a random request, because earlier in the trial, the state's expert, medical examiner Dr. Stephen Cogswell, actually said that the best kind of expert to speak to Jason Chen's state of mind would be a forensic psychologist. That's exactly who Dr. Lewis was, and the defense wanted to bring him in to testify about Jason's ability or inability to form premeditation.
This is important because premeditation is what separates first-degree murder from the other lesser charges I mentioned. If Jason didn't have the mental capacity to form premeditation, the jury could consider a lesser offense like second-degree murder or even manslaughter. For a second time, Judge Patterson denied the request, and the reasoning was layered.
First, Judge Patterson said Dr. Lewis's opinions were too speculative, meaning they didn't meet the legal standard of certainty needed for expert testimony. Basically, his opinion didn't cross that line from this could be possible to this is what happened to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty.
Also, because the defense had waited until after the trial started to formally request Dr. Lewis's testimony, Judge Patterson ruled it would be unfair to the state to allow it at this point in the trial. So the motion was denied again. The defense took a break here to organize their witnesses. And about 30 minutes later, we entered the courtroom and took our seats in the jury box.
The defense calls their first witness to the stand, Courtney Paglino Brewer. Courtney was the neighbor who lived in apartment 110, the unit directly below Jason Chen's apartment. Let's listen in to defense attorney Weiss asking Courtney about the night Jasmine Pace went missing.
On the night of November the 22nd and early hours of November the 23rd, was there an incident that you recall?
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Chapter 3: What did the neighbor hear on the night of the incident?
You couldn't make out what was being said?
No.
Did you hear any crying?
The voice that came after the screaming, that was... It kind of sounded like when you're already upset, but you're trying to prove a point, and you're crying at the same time. So it was just very kind of garbled. I would say that there was crying behind it.
Did you call 911?
I did not.
Why not?
Because by the time I... settled down from being abruptly woken up and thought that I heard footsteps to a cross and a door slam. I thought that it had just been a normal apartment argument and, uh, everything kind of calmed down.
Did you ever contact the authorities?
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Chapter 4: What did Jasmine's father discover in Jason's apartment?
Chapter 5: How did the defense attempt to challenge premeditation?
I thought that maybe I had heard the tail end of the fight, but I only ever heard one voice.
And that was something in our voice?
Correct.
After hearing the scream and the arguments and the footsteps, what did you do?
I lay there awake for a minute because I couldn't go back to sleep. My husband had woken up, but he thought the noise came from outside, and he went back to sleep rather easily. I could hear the sounds of a TV, and then when I moved from the bedroom to my living room, there were sounds of someone walking across the apartment, and the sound of the washer and the garbage disposal.
You said you could hear the arguing?
I only heard her voice, so I just assumed it was an argument.
You couldn't make out what was being said?
No.
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Chapter 6: What questions remain after the defense rests?
Chapter 7: What were the key testimonies of the witnesses?
The scream she heard came from a woman, and after that initial burst of terror, Courtney could hear her trying to talk through sobs like she was crying and arguing at the same time. The words were garbled, and Courtney couldn't make out exactly what was being said.
Then came what she described as chasing, the sounds of two people running from the floor directly above her toward the front door of the apartment, followed by the distinct sound of the front door slamming. 20 minutes later, Courtney heard the TV in the bedroom turn on loudly.
And about 30 minutes after that, she hears the garbage disposal turn on and then the washing machine, which she described were both running at the same time. It wasn't until days later when Courtney saw Jasmine's missing person flyer on Facebook that she realized what she had actually heard.
According to the flyer, Jasmine's last known location was at 110 Tremont Street, apartment 210, the apartment directly above hers. That's when Courtney knew she had to say something. She immediately submitted a tip to Crimestoppers, sharing everything she remembered from that night. As I sat there listening to Courtney, my mind couldn't stop racing with questions.
Questions, of course, that no one could fully answer. Was the TV turned up to cover the sound of something no one was supposed to hear? What was Jason washing in the middle of the night? Sheets? Clothes? Something worse? And the garbage disposal? What did he put down there? Was it something small? Or was it evidence of something that could never be recovered? None of us knew for sure.
But what haunted me the most was the realization that Jason wasn't just up late tidying his apartment. He wasn't cleaning the house. He was covering up a crime scene right above Courtney's head. Thank you so much for having me. so you can follow along just like we did in the jury room. Head over to sequesteredpod.com now to explore the case in a whole new way.
The next witness was Jasmine's biological father, Travis Pace. Something to be aware of is that Travis and Jasmine's mom, now Katrina Bean, are divorced. With Mr. Weiss's leading, Travis took us through the night Jasmine's family realized she was missing. November 26th into the early morning hours of the 27th.
On the 26th, Travis was out to dinner with friends celebrating Thanksgiving when his daughter Gabby called in a panic. Jasmine wasn't answering her phone and no one knew where she was. Travis and his girlfriend drove to the last location Jasmine's phone had pinged, a building near Tremont Street.
When they got there, they found Gabby and some of Jasmine's friends, all trying to figure out how to get inside. They managed to get into the building through a back door and started knocking, loudly, on every door they could. They were desperate to make noise, to wake people up, and to find someone who had seen Jasmine. and that's when they learned about Jason Chen.
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Chapter 8: How did the jury perceive the defense's case?
Well, did he tell you that he did it, but it's because she came after him in blind glasses?
No, he lied.
When did he say he had seen her last?
He lied about that.
Do you recall when he said he had seen her last?
I don't remember exactly.
After that frantic night of searching, Travis and Jasmine's family were left with fear and unanswered questions. The next clue didn't come from the apartment. It came from Jasmine's own Facebook account. At some point on Saturday, November 26th, a photo was posted to her Facebook page. It was a picture of Jasmine, but immediately her family and friends knew something was wrong.
We were.
Do you recall a time that week when a photo was posted from your daughter's Facebook account?
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