Suvechha Sarkar
In February 2021, Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang was fatally shot in New Haven, Connecticut, shortly after his engagement. As the investigation ensued, it pointed towards Qinxuan Pan, who had ties to Jiang’s fiancée, Zion Perry. It was followed by a manhunt before he was arrested and brought to justice. The brutal crime led to an intensive investigation that unraveled a tale involving possible obsession and a calculated escape. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Ivy League Murder’ delves deeper into the events leading up to the crime and the revelations that continue to haunt Kevin’s family to this day. It also features interviews with his loved ones and the officials who helped serve justice.
Qinxuan Pan Fled the Scene After Shooting Kevin Jiang Multiple Times
Qinxuan Pan was born in Shanghai, China, on April 16, 1991, to Hong Huang and Hao Pan, following which they immigrated to Malden, Massachusetts. He was a bright student who won a silver medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Bremen, Germany. Qinxuan graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in Computer Science and worked at MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) as an AI researcher. It was during that time that the officials identified him as a suspect in a brutal crime. 26-year-old Kevin Jiang was a Yale graduate and an army veteran who recently got engaged to Zion Perry. On February 6, 2021, he set out from her home around 8:30 pm, when he was brutally shot multiple times in a street close to Zion’s home in New Haven, Connecticut.
When officials arrived, they found Kevin deceased with fatal gunshot wounds to his upper body and head from .45 caliber bullets. A witness reportedly informed them that the person first heard what seemed like an accident and saw Kevin leave his car and walk towards a black SUV. The witness then heard gunshots and saw a gun being fired from the passenger side of the SUV. Another witness reported seeing a man dressed in black coming out and shooting multiple times while standing over Kevin. When detectives began the investigation, they looked into similar shooting incidents reported from that area on December 11, 2020, January 15, 2021, and February 5, 2021. Those were presumed to be random shootings since they were shot at residences where no one got hurt.
Around 9 pm, a 911 call from a local scrap yard informed the police about a vehicle that had driven through the premises. It turned out that the car was stuck in a snowy railway track nearby and was driven by Qinxuan Pan. Officials spotted a briefcase, a blue bag, and a yellow jacket in the vehicle but found nothing suspicious. They offered him a stay at the Best Western hotel and assured him the tow truck would help recover his vehicle soon. The following morning, investigators received a call from Arby’s restaurant, where they reportedly spotted a briefcase containing a .45 caliber handgun and rounds of bullets alongside a yellow jacket and a blue bag. Although that quickly led them to the nearby hotel where Qinxuan was staying, he had already left.
Qinxuan Pan Was Arrested After Three Months of an Intensive Manhunt
Upon checking Qinxuan’s Facebook account, officials found that Kevin’s fiancée, Zion, was in his friend list. It turned out that she was merely acquainted with him and had met him at MIT. They reportedly last spoke in May 2020, when he congratulated her on her graduation. She informed law enforcement that he wanted to FaceTime her, but she had declined. Since Zion had posted about her engagement on Facebook less than one week prior, they believed it indicated a possible motive for Qinxuan, allegedly stemming from a secret obsession with her. On February 8, a car dealership reported the black SUV to be stolen and mentioned that Qinxuan had asked for a test drive. When investigators reached his home to arrest him on the same day for the stolen car, they found he and his parents were not at home.
Although detectives tracked a number related to Qinxuan, the cell phone was found discarded at a gas station in Garysburg, North Carolina. Shortly after, they spotted his parents in their car in Atlanta, Georgia, but he wasn’t there. Upon questioning, his father claimed that Qinxuan had called asking for help from Connecticut, where they eventually picked him up. He alleged they were moving towards Georgia when Qinxuan exited the car and walked away. Despite their denial, officials noticed their suspicious banking activities, which reportedly showed large cash withdrawals, raising concerns during the investigation. On February 26, 2021, an arrest warrant was officially issued for him since his fingerprint was found on the gun, with gunshot residue on the steering wheel of the SUV and his yellow jacket.
Investigators also found that at the time of the other three shootings, Qinxuan had asked several car dealerships for vehicles for test drives. They considered it his way of trying to portray the crime as an act of random shooting. Under secret surveillance, detectives discovered that his parents had again set off for Georgia in May 2021. They stayed at a hotel on the way, where the CCTV footage captured his mother making a call. Ultimately, officials traced it to Montgomery, Alabama, where they found Qinxuan at a boarding house, living under a false name, Henry Choi. He was arrested on May 13, 2021, extradited to Connecticut, and was charged with felony murder, unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, and second‑degree larceny. They found his father’s passport, 7 SIM cards, approximately $19,000 cash, and cell phones at the scene.
Qinxuan Pan is Incarcerated at a Connecticut Prison Facility Today
After Qinxuan was arrested, he was held in custody for around three years. During that time frame, the trial got delayed since he and his attorneys were granted multiple extensions to review evidence. On December 6, 2022, Qinxuan first appeared before the court for his probable cause hearing. During that time, the prosecution reportedly brought several witnesses to testify against him, including the forensic expert. The judge reportedly ruled two days later that there was probable cause linking him to the crime. Initially, Qinxuan pleaded not guilty and continued to maintain his innocence.
However, on February 29, 2024, Qinxuan pleaded guilty to the murder of Kevin. He accepted a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence of 35 years in prison. During his sentencing hearing on April 23, 2024, he apologized, stating, “I feel sorry for what my actions caused and for everyone affected. I feel very bad for what happened. I fully accept my penalties.” He was sentenced to 35 years in prison without parole. Qinxuan’s projected release date is May 18, 2056, when he will likely be 65 years old. As of writing, he is serving his time at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Cheshire, Connecticut.
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