The Murder of Jasmine Pace

Jasmine Pace was the kind of young woman who left an impression. At 22 years old, she had a warm, inviting smile and a sharp sense of determination. Her family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, remembers her as friendly, caring, and focused on her goals. But during the week of Thanksgiving 2022, Jasmine suddenly vanished, and the peaceful rhythm of her family’s life was shattered.

She had last FaceTimed her mother around 2 a.m. on November 23. Everything seemed normal. Jasmine didn’t sound upset, didn’t seem in distress. But when her family couldn't reach her later that day, and still hadn’t heard from her by Thanksgiving, they knew something was wrong. The silence was not like her.

By November 26, Jasmine was reported missing. Her photo was everywhere: news outlets, social media, shared by concerned friends and strangers alike. Her disappearance sparked a massive search effort. But what began as a missing person case would soon evolve into something much darker.

A Break in the Case

Investigators quickly traced Jasmine’s last known location. Surveillance footage and phone records pointed to one person, Jason Chen, her on-again, off-again boyfriend. He was 22, like Jasmine, and had interacted with her shortly before she disappeared.

Police brought him in on November 28, and what they discovered in his apartment was chilling.

Inside, crime scene investigators found blood, lots of it. There were signs of a violent struggle. Blue Star blood detection lit up areas that had clearly been cleaned in a rush.

A carpet stained with blood. A knife. Even a broken knife tip, later found lodged in Jasmine’s body. The amount of blood made it impossible to ignore what had happened there.

Then, on November 29, the worst was confirmed. Investigators found Jasmine’s body off Suck Creek Road. She had been stuffed inside a suitcase, wrapped in three garbage bags. She was naked from the waist up, handcuffed, and shackled.

Her body was curled into the fetal position. The medical examiner later testified that she had been stabbed 60 times. Most of the wounds clustered in a space no larger than a sheet of paper. Her jugular vein was severed. The blade had entered her lung and snapped off at the rib.

This was not a quick death. It took Jasmine five to ten minutes to die.

Dr. Steven Cogswell, the Hamilton County Medical Examiner, testified in court that this wasn’t just violent, it was deeply personal. The knife used was described as a chef’s knife with a broad blade, not the kind of knife typically found in a utensil drawer. He noted that the handcuffs and shackles used were not standard law enforcement grade, but more like decorative chains.

What Happened in That Apartment?

Jason Chen claimed it wasn’t murder it was a crime of passion. He told investigators that Jasmine attacked him with a wine bottle after discovering messages on his phone to other women. In a panic, he stabbed her. He claimed he blacked out and only regained awareness after finding her body. The defense argued this emotional outburst did not fit the profile of premeditated first-degree murder.

But the evidence said otherwise.

Investigators found surveillance footage of Chen buying cleaning supplies after the murder. A timeline found in sticky notes on his wall detailed Jasmine’s past, including allegations about her childhood and mental health. Prosecutors painted this as obsessive behavior, an attempt to control the narrative after the crime. The wounds, the way her body was packed into a suitcase, and the attempts to hide it all none of it supported a spontaneous loss of control. It looked calculated.

Jasmine’s family had played a key role in keeping the case alive. They tracked her phone to Chen’s apartment and even broke in using a credit card. They found her belongings and urged police to act. The intensity of their pursuit helped pressure investigators and move the case forward quickly.

When Chen fled Chattanooga, he went to his parents’ home in Nolensville, about three hours away. His parents, Shu Fang and Min Yong Chen, were later accused of harboring their son and obstructing justice. They reached a confidential settlement with Jasmine’s mother, Catrina Bean, who filed a $17 million wrongful death lawsuit against the family. The suit accused them of knowingly hiding a murderer.

At trial, Chen’s mother testified through a translator, saying, “He knows right from wrong.” But the damage was done.

Guilty

In January 2025, after weeks of testimony and mountains of forensic evidence, a jury found Jason Chen guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jasmine’s mother is still pursuing justice through the civil case, which remains open despite Chen’s conviction. Her attorney stated plainly: even if Chen cannot pay millions in damages, they will not abandon the lawsuit. If it makes his time behind bars more difficult, so be it.

For Jasmine’s family, the loss is permanent. She never made it to Thanksgiving. What they have now is memory, grief, and a justice system that, this time, listened.

She was only 22.