Jason Chen was back in court on Monday for a motions hearing before his trial begins in June.
Chen is charged with the murder of 22-year-old Jasmine Pace back in November of 2022.
Several of Pace's family members took the stand and were cross examined, including her mother.
Catrina Pace was questioned thoroughly about her personal investigation and efforts to find her daughter after she went missing, a search that she says led her to Chen's apartment.
"Is it normal for you to break into apartments?" asked Chen's Attorney, Josh Weiss.
"No," answered Catrina Pace.
"And it's not normal for you conduct a search like this?" asked Weiss.
"It's not normal for my daughter to go missing," said Catrina Pace.
Weiss pushed Catrina to explain what led her to Chen's apartment on Tremont Street on November 27, 2022.
"Did you do anything to Jason Chen's apartment to make it appear incriminating that he had done something?" asked Weiss.
"No," answered Catrina.
Pace's mother broke down the events that took her to Tremont Street saying Jasmine text her location the morning of November 23. She says at the time she had no idea it was Jason Chen's apartment.
"How did you know to go to apartment 210?" asked Weiss.
"Because his neighbor heard a loud distressed woman's voice, enough to put it on his note pad, and he told me he heard that three minutes before my daughter sent me the pin drop," said Catrina.
Catrina admitted the door to 210 was locked and Pace's father Travis, who was also there, forced it open.
She says it became obvious to them the apartment belonged to Chen after finding Jasmine's driver's license and personal items, along with cleaning supplies.
"What was you're reaction when you found those cards?" asked Weiss.
"I knew it wasn't good," said Catrina.
After contacting police, they were told to leave. She admitted once law enforcement left the scene they re-entered the apartment several more times collecting phones, iPads and notebooks.
"Because he had lied to me. I found my daughter's stuff in his apartment and I knew he was key to helping me find my daughter," said Catrina.
The items she took were eventually turned over to law enforcement.
A few days after searching Chen's apartment, on November 30, Chen was detained in Nolensville, Tennessee. The day after on December 1, Jasmine's body was found.
"And I was sitting there waiting to hear if my daughter is...what state she was in when she was found. That's what I remember next," said Catrina.
Jason Chen remains in the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center on a $5-million bond.
His trial is scheduled to begin on March 15, 2024.
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