情杀！麻省理工华裔研究员枪杀耶鲁大学华裔硕士，被判35年

三年前，麻省理工学院的研究员潘秦轩（QinxuanPan音译）残暴杀害了耶鲁大学的研究生江凯文（KevinJiang音译）。当地时间4月23日（周二），潘秦轩在康涅狄格州纽黑文法庭被判处35年监禁，没有假释或缓刑。

他在法庭上陈述时，说他得知被害者是独子，以及他生前诸多行善，是耶鲁颇有前途的年轻学子，甚为自责。“我为我的行为和所有受影响的人感到抱歉。”潘秦轩在法庭上说，“我完全接受我的处罚。”但自始至终他没有提到自己为何做这件事。

警方尚未透露潘和江之间是否存在关系。然而，麻省理工学院证实，潘自2014年以来一直是该校的研究生。江的未婚妻——耶鲁大学研究生锡安·佩里（现为博士一年级），于2020年毕业于麻省理工学院。两人在社交媒体有互动。

江的未婚妻告诉警方，她和潘“从未有过浪漫或性关系，他们只是朋友，但她确实感觉到在那段时间，潘对她是有兴趣的”。

就在案件发生前一周，江向未婚妻求婚成功。法官认为这或许是犯罪动机。

检察官在周一的举证中，出示了数小时的证人证词、照片证据、警方报告和视频片段，并有五名证人出庭作证，其中一人目睹了这起谋杀案，其他人则在潘驾驶SUV逃离时与他有交集。

潘在案发前，曾去两个州的租车行要求试驾。2021年2月，他偷了一辆深蓝色SUV前往江的未婚妻在纽黑文东岩社区的住所附近，并用假车牌掩盖身份。在附近跟踪的过程中，他曾因形迹可疑被警察带走，但因身份查验没问题被放回。在江与未婚妻拥抱告别离开后不久，潘在公路上恶意撞击了江的车辆，并向车外的江进行了多次射击。之后，潘逃离了现场。

接到911报警的警察在纽黑文劳伦斯街发现江躺在车外，当场死亡。相关尸检报告显示，江的面部和头部中了5枪，此外躯干、一只胳膊和一条腿也各中一枪，“性质极其残忍，而且极其暴力。”

潘带着7部手机、1.9万美元现金和父亲的护照潜逃，用假名字躲避警方抓捕数月。他于2021年5月在佐治亚州被捕并被控谋杀。

在周二的法庭上，法医呈堂证供的内容包括从潘偷来的车里、当日所穿的衣帽上取得的枪击残留物、血迹，在案发当晚潘入住的酒店对面找到的装有枪支和子弹的袋子。

潘的律师凯文·史密斯在总结发言中辩称，法庭上提供的证据不可靠，大多属于推断。但州高级法院法官JonAlander最终站在检察官这边，认为谋杀案证据确凿，动机可循。律师提出降低保释金的要求，也被法官拒绝了。

法院为江的父母以及未婚妻发布了保护令，有效期为60年。

26岁的江凯文是在芝加哥长大的华裔，是耶鲁大学环境学院的研究生。

认识他的人都说，江是一个有远大梦想、充满想法的人——一个聪明、快乐、忠于亲人、深受许多人爱戴的人。案发后许多好友在他被害地点纪念他。

江的母亲说，她唯一的儿子是一个温暖、善良、正派的人，他帮助他人，甚至为无家可归的人做饭。

“我的儿子是一个非凡的年轻人……他有一个光明的未来……”江的父亲说。

2006年6月，他从上海到美国求学，就读于马里兰州蒙哥马利郡的伍顿高中（WootonHighSchool），并在高中期间代表美国队取得国际奥数竞赛银牌。

2009年，潘进入麻省理工学院就读本科，并获得该校AnnaPogosyantsUROP奖——每学期只有一位本科生能够获得该奖，奖励是进入“计算机科学和人工智能实验室（CSAIL）”工作。

该实验室被誉为“世界上最重要的计算机科学和信息技术研究中心之一”。潘一直在MIT读到博士毕业，成为该实验室的研究员。

不仅成绩优秀，潘秦轩还在入学典礼上表演钢琴演奏，获得校方大篇幅报道。潘的家境也颇殷实，在马萨诸塞州拥有一栋房产。

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枪杀耶鲁华裔硕士，麻省理工华裔研究员被判35年：我完全接受惩罚
2024-04-24

三年前，美国耶鲁大学华裔研究生蒋凯文（音译）在康涅狄格州纽黑文遭遇枪杀，凶手是前麻省理工学院（MIT）华裔研究员潘勤轩（音译）。今年2月29日，潘勤轩在法庭上首次公开承认了自己的罪行。（此前报道：耶鲁华裔研究生遭枪杀案最新进展：嫌疑人案发三年后首次认罪 或面临35年刑期）

▲潘勤轩在庭上

4月23日，康涅狄格州纽黑文高级法庭对此案作出宣判，判处潘勤轩35年监禁。
宣判之际，法庭内挤满了蒋凯文亲友。近50人出席，不少人掩面拭泪，有人哽咽恳求法官从重惩处。蒋凯文亲友指出，这起凶杀案源于潘勤轩“因妒生恨”，蓄意谋杀。
蒋凯文的母亲刘琳达（音译）告诉法官，潘勤轩“因恐惧和仇恨，杀死了我唯一的儿子凯文”。接到儿子噩耗的那一刻，她如遭雷击，“瞬间晕厥在地”。而蒋凯文的父亲在法庭上缅怀儿子，称他是一个杰出的青年，本应有一个光明的未来。
潘勤轩曾经是一名前途无量的华裔研究员，但在23日的法庭上，他低着头在被告席上认罪，并向蒋凯文的家人和朋友道歉。他说：“我对我的行为造成的后果以及受影响的每个人感到抱歉。我完全接受对我的惩罚。”
蒋凯文是在芝加哥长大的华裔，他还是一名美国陆军退伍军人、美国国民警卫队预备役军人，也是耶鲁大学环境学院的研究生，他的生命在2021年2月6日晚上戛然而止。据警方和检察官称，26岁的蒋凯文驾车离开未婚妻位于纽黑文的公寓后不久，遭到潘勤轩的恶意袭击。潘勤轩驾驶着一辆偷来的深蓝色SUV，撞击蒋凯文的车。在蒋凯文下车后，潘勤轩对他进行了多次枪击。

▲蒋凯文和未婚妻

相关尸检报告显示，蒋凯文的面部和头部中了5枪，此外躯干、一只胳膊和一条腿也各中一枪，“性质极其残忍，而且极其暴力。”
在被枪杀前一周，蒋凯文刚向女友、耶鲁大学研究生锡安·佩里求婚成功。调查人员表示，他们发现潘勤轩和蒋凯文的未婚妻佩里在社交媒体上有联系，在麻省理工学院相识，潘勤轩在枪击发生时在该校担任研究员。文件显示，蒋凯文的未婚妻告诉当局，她和潘勤轩“从未有过浪漫或性关系，他们只是朋友，但她确实感觉到在那段时间，潘勤轩对她是有兴趣的”。
枪击事件发生后，潘勤轩逃离现场，并在3个月后（2021年5月13日）在阿拉巴马州被捕。官员们表示，他被发现时，用假名字在当地生活，身上有1.9万美元现金，一本护照和几部手机。

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Former MIT researcher sentenced to 35 years in prison in killing of Yale graduate student in 2021
April 23, 2024

In a series of photos shown in a New Haven courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, graduate student Kevin Jiang posed proudly outside Yale University, beaming toward the camera against the backdrop of the historic buildings on campus not far from where he would be gunned down in 2021 by Qinxuan Pan.

Pan, an MIT researcher, was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for Jiang’s slaying after pleading guilty in February as part of a plea agreement.

On Feb. 6, 2021, Jiang had just dropped his fiancé Zion Perry off at her home in New Haven when gunshots rang out. Jiang was found lying on Lawrence Street with multiple close-range gunshot wounds to his face, a prosecutor said in court Tuesday.

He died from his wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.

After a three-month nationwide manhunt that involved the FBI, United States Marshals and police officers from several states from New York to North Carolina, Pan was arrested in an Alabama apartment on May 14, 2021, and charged with Jiang’s murder.

Investigators learned that he had known Perry at MIT, though the two had not remained in contact other than on social media. Prosecutors said Tuesday that forensic evidence linked Pan to the murder, including Jiang’s DNA on his winter hat.

The killing, loved ones said at the sentencing, was a hateful plot motivated by jealousy.

Not far from the grounds of the university where Jiang was a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment, his loved ones filled the courtroom at Pan’s sentencing, watching a montage of photos play out, showing Jiang’s bright, wide smile.

Nearly 50 people packed into the courtroom, including Perry, her parents, and Jiang’s parents, as many quietly wiped tears from their eyes. Pan looked at the screen or his feet showing no emotion.

One after the other, nearly a dozen people stepped forward to express their devastation, grief, sorrow and fear in the wake of Jiang’s murder. They shared memories of Jiang, some speaking through sobs as they begged the judge for a harsher sentence, others addressing Pan directly and offering forgiveness.

Jiang, a Chicago native, was a United States Army veteran and National Guard reservist. He was described by his parents, fiance, friends, professors and military comrades as a joyful friend, a faith-filled Christian, a brilliant student and a brave soldier.

The 26-year-old had plans to head to law school to study environmental law and had grand ambitions to use his skills and knowledge to help protect the planet.

But his “beautiful and joyful life was shattered,” his mother Linda Liu told the judge.

Liu said Pan “killed my dear and only son Kevin out of fear and hatred.”

Perry also spoke, reading biblical scripture and offering Pan the hope of justice mixed with mercy.

Pastor Greg Hendrickson, who led the New Haven church that Jiang attended, said that just before Jiang’s murder, he received a call with the news that Jiang and Perry were engaged. He asked his pastor to officiate his wedding.

A week later, he got another call informing him that Jiang was dead.

Hendrickson said Jiang exemplified honor and devotion to his parents and had a bright future awaiting him.

That future, and the support he provided his family — emotionally, spiritually, and financially — “was snatched away.”

Liu also spoke of the moment she received the call that her only son had died.

“It was like a thunderbolt striking me,” she said who a friend who read her statement for her. “In an instant, I felt dizzy and fell to the ground.”

After immigrating to the United States and raising Jiang as a single mother, her life revolved around him. Her son had moved her to Connecticut, where the two spent their time attending weekly church services and gardening.

Now, Liu said, she is afraid nearly every waking moment. She is depressed, paranoid and cannot sleep.

“Murderer Qinxuan Pan is responsible for all of the damage I suffer,” she said. “I was dreaming that Kevin would have a few beautiful children after he got married.” But instead, “I am left alone by myself. In this world, I will never see Kevin smile again.”

One family friend who also spoke described Liu as a humble woman who only wished for the simple pleasures of watching her child graduate, marry and have grandchildren she could help raise.

He, too, spoke of his friend’s caring character.

“His heart was so pure and he dedicated his life to protecting the environment. But all of that was shattered,” he said.

A professor from Yale and instructors from other schools Jiang attended also made statements and read messages from other teachers who taught Jiang over the years.

They all said he excelled in academics and described him as an extraordinary and enthusiastic student with a “megawatt smile.”

A National Guard captain who served with him described him as strong, smart and well-trained, but said “More than that, he was a good man.” He said Jiang’s expertise in environmental science would have continued to save lives and protect members of the military.

“Those opportunities were severed forever when he was murdered in cold blood,” he said.

In stark contrast to the way her son was described, Liu described Pan as a “cunning, insidious and vicious person.”

She and prosecutor Stacey Miranda made mention of the intentional, pre-planned nature of Jiang’s killing.

Jiang’s father Mingchen Jiang said that he failed to find the words to describe the grief he felt when he thought of the way his son died.

“We’re grieving not only the loss of a beloved son but with the cruel manner in which he was taken from us,” he said. “He had a bright future, one that promised to spread god’s love far and wide, yet his life was cruelly cut short by a deliberate and calculated act.”

Pan spoke briefly, saying, “I feel sorry for what my actions caused. I feel very bad for what happened. It was very horrible.”

Judge Gerald R. Harmon, in handing down his sentencing, urged Pan to use his time in prison to realize the magnitude of his actions and the never-ending grief they caused. He called Jiang a “bright light.”

“I know this is a very sorrowful moment for everyone here, but what I’ve heard today is that Kevin is such a bright light,” he said. “There’s nothing that could have been done to extinguish that light in any manner and that light is going to continue to shine.”

Harmon said that Pan would not be eligible for parole or probation and instituted a 60-year protective order between Pan, Perry and Jiang’s parents, who he encouraged to live as Jiang did — in service to his country, to the earth and to those he loved.

“In terms of everyone here today, I ask that they all carry Kevin’s light forward,” he said. “Kevin is not going to be forgotten. And no matter what actions the defendant has done, none of that will extinguish Kevin’s life.”

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Man sentenced to 35 years for 2021 murder of Yale grad student
April 23, 2024

Qinxuan Pan was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for the February 2021 murder of Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang.

The former MIT student who pleaded guilty to the 2021 murder of a Yale University graduate student has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Qinxuan Pan, 33, pleaded guilty in February to the murder of Kevin Jiang, a 26-year-old graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment.

Pan faced up to 35 years in prison and he was sentenced to the full amount on Tuesday. There is no parole or probation.

It was on Feb. 6, 2021, when police officers responding to 911 calls found Jiang lying outside of his car on Lawrence Street in New Haven. He had been shot several times and died at the scene, officials said.

Jiang was set to graduate from Yale later in 2021.

Officials said Pan, who was a student at MIT at the time, had visited car dealerships in Connecticut and Massachusetts before the shooting and asked to test drive vehicles.

Then, on the day of the shooting, he stole a car in Mansfield, Mass. and drove to Connecticut, according to a police report. Officials said he also put a commercial Connecticut license plate on the vehicle to conceal its identity.

Police have not said whether Pan and Jiang had an existing relationship. However, MIT confirmed that Pan had been enrolled as a graduate student at the university since 2014.

Jiang’s fiancée graduated from MIT in 2020.

Pan was wanted for questioning and remained at large for three months before he was eventually arrested in Alabama in May 2021 during a nationwide search.

Several of Jiang’s family and friends, including his mother and father, his fiancé and the pastor who would have officiated their wedding, were in court on Tuesday for the sentencing and spoke.

“He was a true victim here. My son was a remarkable young man who cherished life and held deep believe in God. He had a bright future ahead – one that promised to spread God’s love far and wide,” Kevin’s father said.

Kevin’s mother said her only son was a warm, kind and decent man who helped others and fed the homeless.

She said she fears for her safety if Pan received a short sentence.

Jiang was a U.S. Army veteran and a National Guard Reservist and military service members knew him spoke, as did his classmates.

Those who knew him described Jiang as a man with big dreams who will filled with ideas – one who was smart, joyful, devoted to his loved ones and beloved by many.

Pan spoke during his sentencing hearing and said he learned that Jiang was an only child, a devout Christian who did missionary work and a promising student at Yale.

“I feel sorry for what my actions caused and for everyone affected,” Pan said.

“I feel very bad for what happened,” he added. “I fully accept my penalties.”

The court issued protective orders for three people which will be in effect for 60 years.

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Former MIT researcher who killed Yale graduate student sentenced to 35 years in prison
April 24, 2024

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A former researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for the killing of a Yale University graduate student found shot outside his car on a Connecticut street.

Qinxuan Pan, 33, who pleaded guilty to murder in February, apologized during a hearing in a New Haven courtroom packed with family and friends of the victim, Kevin Jiang.

“I feel sorry for what my actions caused and for everyone affected,” Pan said. “I fully accept my penalties.”

Jiang, 26, a U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Chicago and a graduate student at Yale’s School of the Environment, had just left his fiancée’s apartment in New Haven on the evening of Feb. 6, 2021, when he was shot multiple times by Pan, according to police and prosecutors. The couple had just gotten engaged days earlier.

Several of Jiang’s relatives and friends spoke in court before the judge handed down the sentence, which Pan agreed to as part of his plea bargain.

“My son was a remarkable young man who cherished life and held deep (belief) in God. He had a bright future ahead — one that promised to spread God’s love far and wide,” said Jiang’s father, Mingchen Jiang.

A motive for the killing was never made entirely clear. Investigators said they discovered that Pan and Jiang’s fiancée were connected on social media and had met while at MIT, where both had graduated from and where Pan was working as a researcher at the time of the shooting.

According to the documents, Jiang’s fiancée told authorities she and Pan “never had a romantic or sexual relationship, they were just friends, but she did get a feeling that he was interested in her during that time.”

After the shooting, Pan fled the scene and eluded police for three months before being apprehended in Alabama, where officials said he was caught living under a fake name with $19,000 in cash, a passport and several cellphones.

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Former MIT researcher pleads guilty to 2021 killing of Yale grad student
March 2, 2024

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A former researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has pleaded guilty to the 2021 killing of a Yale University graduate student found shot outside his car in Connecticut.

Qinxuan Pan faces 35 years in prison following his guilty plea Thursday in a New Haven court. The 32-year-old will be sentenced April 25.

Pan’s lawyer William Gerace said Friday that it was “prudent to take this reasonable plea bargain” as his client was facing 60 years if convicted.

Prosecutors say that on the morning of Feb. 6, 2021, Pan shot Kevin Jiang multiple times on a street in New Haven, which is home to Yale University. He fled, leaving Jiang lying by his car with gunshot wounds to his head, chest and extremities.

Pan had eluded authorities for three months following the shooting death and was apprehended in Alabama, where officials said he was caught living under a fake name with $19,000 in cash, a passport and several cellphones.

A graduate student at Yale’s School of the Environment, Jiang grew up in Chicago and was an Army veteran.

Thursday’s statement from prosecutors didn’t mention a motive for the killing, but court documents show Pan knew Jiang’s fiancée, Zion Perry, from when they both attended MIT.

But Perry told authorities “they never had a romantic or sexual relationship, they were just friends, but she did get a feeling that he was interested in her during that time.”

Jiang had just left Perry’s apartment after a day of fishing when Pan shot him. Jiang and Perry had been engaged just days earlier.

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Suspect in killing of Yale grad student arrested in Alabama
May 15, 2021

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A fugitive wanted in the killing of a Yale graduate student in Connecticut in February was arrested Friday in Alabama, U.S. marshals said.

An international arrest warrant had been issued for Qinxuan Pan on murder and larceny charges in connection with the killing of Kevin Jiang on a New Haven street on Feb. 6. Marshals offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Pan’s arrest.

It was not immediately clear if Pan, 30, has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.

U.S. marshals said Pan was taken into custody without incident Friday morning in Montgomery and brought to the county detention center. Authorities did not release details of how they found him, or when Pan would be brought before a judge. Law enforcement officials are expected to seek his extradition back to Connecticut.

“Once we received information that Pan was in Montgomery, a plan was developed and executed,” Jesse Seroyer Jr., the U.S. marshal for the Middle District of Alabama, said in a statement. “This is another example of hard work by federal and state partners to arrest violent fugitives.”

Pan is accused of shooting Jiang, 26, multiple times in New Haven, home to Yale. Jiang was found wounded and lying outside his car at about 8:30 a.m. that day.

Police have not disclosed a motive in the shooting. An arrest warrant obtained by Connecticut officials for Pan is sealed from public view until next month.

Jiang, who grew up in Chicago, was a graduate student at Yale’s School of the Environment who had recently become engaged to be married. He was an Army veteran who graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, according to an obituary prepared by his family.

Pan is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was working as a researcher in MIT’s computer science and artificial intelligence laboratory, according to his Facebook page. He is a U.S. citizen who was born in Shanghai, China. His last known address was in Malden, Massachusetts.

Jiang’s fiancee, Zion Perry, graduated from MIT last year. Law enforcement officials have not disclosed any connections between Pan, Perry and the killing of Jiang.

U.S. marshals allege Pan stole an SUV from a dealership in Mansfield, Massachusetts, the day of the killing before driving to Connecticut.

In the days after the killing, authorities said Pan was seen in the Atlanta suburbs driving with relatives and acting strange.

Interpol last month issued a “red notice” about Pan asking member countries to arrest him on murder and larceny charges.

“The successful apprehension of Qinxuan Pan this morning in Montgomery, Alabama, marks the culmination of countless hours of investigation and is a testament to the dedication of all the investigators involved,” Lawrence Bobnick, acting U.S. marshal for Connecticut, said in a statement.