Behind the Scenes of Dateline NBC

Sara
Apr 23
2 min read

"The Pin at Apartment 210"

A few weeks ago, I got an unexpected message: Dateline NBC wanted to feature me in an upcoming episode about the Jasmine Pace case. It was surreal, emotional, and honestly kind of wild — and I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes look at how it all went down.

🎥 Returning to Chattanooga… with Cameras This Time

I packed my bags and headed back to Chattanooga, where everything started — where I was sequestered as Juror #11 for ten intense days. This time, though, I wasn’t in a courtroom. I was in front of Dateline’s cameras.

They put me up at The Dwell Hotel, a super cool boutique hotel with mid-century modern vibes, bold wallpaper, funky art, and vintage furniture. It was the perfect place to ground myself before returning to this story.

Dateline filmed three scenes with me — one of which made it into the final broadcast.

Here’s the breakdown:

The Interview in My Room. This was the part you see on TV. We filmed the interview right in my hotel room at The Dwell. That’s where I shared my perspective on the trial, Jasmine’s story, and what it was like sitting in that jury box. It felt intimate, honest, and so important to say out loud.
The SEQUESTERED Setup. They also filmed me at a desk, mic, and computer set up, reading a portion of the SEQUESTERED script. It was such a cool moment—it showed how this podcast came to life and how I processed everything after the trial. That footage didn’t air, but I loved bringing that part of the story to the table.
Tremont Apartments. We rigged GoPros onto my truck and drove to Tremont — the apartment where Jason used to live. They interviewed me about watching the surveillance footage during the trial, and seeing Jason Chen dragging the suitcase up those stairs. Seeing it again in real life brought everything flooding back.

None of that footage made it to the episode, but filming it was powerful. And it reminded me why telling this story matters.

📺 Catch Me at the End of “The Pin at Apartment 210”

The episode aired on Dateline NBC and is called "The Pin at Apartment 210". I’m grateful to be part of a show I’ve watched for years, and even more grateful to represent Jasmine’s story.

🎧 BONUS: Dateline’s True Crime Weekly Podcast

Today, I also sat down with Andrea Canning for an interview on Dateline’s True Crime Weekly podcast. That episode drops this Thursday, and we talk about the case, the experience of being sequestered, and what it was like to carry Jasmine’s story in the courtroom and now into the world.

📨 Got Questions?

We’re working on a bonus episode for SEQUESTERED, and we’d love to hear from you. Got a question about the trial? The Dateline shoot? What it’s like being a juror? Hit us up at sequesteredpod@gmail.com — we might answer your question in the next episode!