The Hamilton County medical examiner testified the locations of the knife wounds on Jasmine Pace's body were consistent with the fetal position she was found in, as gory autopsy photographs were displayed for the jury.
Jason Chen, 24, was met with his fourth day of trial Thursday in connection with the death of his girlfriend Pace, 22.
He is charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
Pace is believed to have been stabbed about 60 times on Nov. 23, 2022, inside Chen's Tremont Street apartment. Her body was wrapped in three black trash bags, stuffed in a hard-sided suitcase and disposed of in the Tennessee River.
Her right ankle was handcuffed to her right wrist, and her left ankle was shackled to her right arm above the elbow, medical examiner Steven Cogswell testified Thursday.
(READ MORE: Detective describes blood-filled crime scene as Jason Chen trial continues)
The handcuffs and shackles were not heavy duty, law enforcement types, Cogswell said, but rather something that could be found at a novelty store such as Spencer's.
Pace was stabbed repeatedly on and around her face from the scalp to the chin. Several audience members walked out.
A type of butcher knife went into and out of her neck, Cogswell said. The metal autopsy table could be seen through the exit hole.
Some of those stab wounds were perimortem, Cogswell said, which means they were inflicted while or very close to the time of death.
If an individual is in a fetal position, there are areas of the body that are very protected while others are vulnerable, Cogswell said.
Pace mostly or only had wounds and abrasions on the body surfaces that were exposed from her fetal position, Cogswell said.
He has yet to make any direct testimony about what the location of Pace's injuries indicate.
But the state has previously argued that Chen shackled her prior to allegedly stabbing her.
Chen's defense attorney, Joshua Weiss, said straight out during opening statements that Chen killed Pace, but it was a crime of passion during a heated argument rather than premeditation.
Any arguments that Pace was restrained prior to being stabbed would undermine that defense strategy.
Cogswell is expected to retake the witness stand around 1:30 p.m.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.