A hearing to determine whether Jason Chen is legally entitled to a new trial has been set for May 4 after his attorney Wednesday asked for more time to file a motion.
Chen, 25, is serving life without parole after his conviction for the murder of his girlfriend, Jasmine Pace, 22, and abuse of her corpse. He repeatedly stabbed her in his Tremont Street apartment Nov. 23, 2022, and then disposed of her body in the Tennessee River.
Three days after Chen’s sentencing, his lawyers filed a motion for a new trial because the jury verdict was allegedly contrary to the evidence and without evidence to support it. The filing, submitted Jan. 23, 2025, said Chen was denied a fair trial by a combination of several errors.
On Wednesday, Chen’s lawyer, Amanda Morrison, asked Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson for more time regarding the request for a new trial. She said she’s made some progress on the motion but needed between 45 and 60 additional days. She did not immediately respond to emailed questions.
Jason Chen’s lawyer requests, gets more time for new trial motion
(READ MORE: Tennessee lawmakers aim to shore up death penalty for child rape)
The trial concluded more than a year ago, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said. In the minds of the victim’s family, she said, as long as the case is in Patterson’s court, it’s not over. The murder happened over three years ago, she said.
“And that’s a long time,” she said, “for a family to have to wait for ultimate closure in this county.”
Wamp wanted a scheduling order, which sets deadlines for procedures, that would give the state 30 days to respond to Morrison’s yet-to-be-filed motion.
A long appeals process in a case like Chen’s is not uncommon, she said by text, and the defendant does have a right to a hearing on a new trial request. Still, Pace’s family is ready for the case to end.
“We would never infringe on the defendant’s rights,” she said, “but victims have rights, too.”
Patterson scheduled the filing deadline for Chen’s attorney for April 10, and he gave the prosecution until April 24 to respond. Ben McGowan, attorney for the victim’s family, said the family declines to comment while litigation is pending.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.