Shivangi Sinha
In January 2021, Kevin Jiang had just left his fiancée’s home and was on his way back to his house in New Haven, Connecticut. Shortly after, an SUV rear-ended his car. Kevin stopped to assess the situation and stepped out of his vehicle. The driver of the other car approached him, but before any conversation could take place, the individual shot Kevin multiple times and fled the scene. CBS’ episode of ‘48 Hours’ titled ‘The Ivy League Murder’ explores how what initially seemed like a road rage incident unraveled into a far more complex murder plot.
Kevin Jiang’s Was Killed Two Blocks Away From His Girlfriend’s House
Kevin Jiang’s parents, Zhen Linda Liu and Mingchen Jiang welcomed him into their lives on February 14, 1994. He was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, where he demonstrated an early zeal and sharpness typical of a gifted child. He completed his schooling in Iowa and became involved with the youth group at the Chinese Bible Church of Oak Park as he was growing up in a religious family. In 2016, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington with a degree in environmental studies. After graduation, he joined the US Army National Guard as an environmental scientist and engineering officer.
2019 was a significant year for Kevin as he was accepted into the Yale School of the Environment. Eager to make the most of his time there, he engaged in various extracurricular activities, including being a part of the Rivendell Institute and the New Haven Salsa Group. His passion for helping others remained strong, and he volunteered at a homeless shelter and the Trinity Baptist Church. At 26, he found love on campus when he met Zion Perry, a fellow graduate student at the Ivy League. The two quickly became certain of their relationship, and on January 30, 2021, they got engaged and started looking forward to a lifetime of happiness together.
By this time, Kevin had moved in with his mother in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents had separated, and his father had remarried Jun Hua. He was on good terms with his stepmother, and life seemed to be falling into place for him. On February 6, 2021, at around 8:30 pm, he left Zion’s house and was driving home. Just two blocks away, a black SUV struck his car from behind. He stopped and got out of his vehicle, likely intending to address the situation. However, the other driver, dressed entirely in black, pulled out a gun and shot him eight times at close range. He passed away on the spot.
The Police Unknowingly Helped Kevin Jiang’s Killer Tow a Stolen Vehicle
The police arrived at the scene promptly and gathered witness testimonies from individuals who had seen or heard the shooting. Shell casings from a .45-caliber gun were recovered from the site. Interestingly, four other shootings had been reported in the same neighborhood, and casings of the same type were found at those locations as well. Thankfully, no one had been injured in those earlier incidents. Initially, the police operated under the theory that Kevin Jiang’s shooting was a case of road rage. However, doubts began to emerge as they suspected that the person responsible for the previous shootings might also have been involved in his murder.
A witness testified that the gunman continued firing at Kevin even after he was lying on the ground, which suggested a personal motive behind the attack. This observation prompted the police to dig deeper into the case. They theorized that the previous shootings were orchestrated by the same individual as a diversion to mislead investigators. Approximately 30 minutes after the murder, the police received a call from a man named Qinxuan Pan, who had gotten his vehicle stuck on an abandoned, snow-covered railroad track near a scrap metal yard. Pan requested assistance with his vehicle. Since such calls were common, the responding officer did not find the situation suspicious and provided assistance without further inquiry. At the time, the officer was unaware of Kevin’s shooting and, therefore, did not connect Pan to the incident. The officer had dropped Pan off at a nearby hotel.
Kevin Jiang’s Killer Remained on the Run For About 3 Months After the Murder
By 11 am the following morning, a call came from an Arby’s employee reporting the discovery of a bag containing firearms and a box of .45 caliber bullets. The Arby’s was located next to the hotel where Qinxuan Pan had been dropped off. By this time, the police were aware of Kevin’s murder, and the discovery raised suspicions. However, Pan never checked into the hotel and disappeared. Investigators later identified him as a PhD candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Further investigation revealed that the vehicle he had been driving was stolen.
Despite these findings, there was initially no apparent connection between Pan and Kevin. The police investigated Pan’s Facebook profile and discovered a connection to Zion Perry. The two met through a Christian group and interacted during their time at MIT. However, while Perry had not maintained contact with him, it appeared that he had developed an obsessive fixation on her. He evaded capture for several months and remained on the run. He was eventually apprehended in May 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama, where he had been living under a false identity. In February 2024, he finally pled guilty to the charges, admitting his culpability in Kevin’s murder.
Read More: Qinxuan Pan: Where is the Killer Now?
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