Jia Yann James Chao, 33, was found shot to death in his Atlanta apartment on April 25, 1990. A colleague who checked on him after he missed work was let in by a security guard and discovered Chao’s body on the floor. Investigators reported two close-range gunshot wounds, one to the chest and one behind the left ear. The apartment was locked from the outside, there were no signs of forced entry or struggle, and Chao’s wallet with cash was left untouched.

A pair of scissors was in his right hand and a small amount of cocaine was found; detectives believed both items had been planted to mislead the inquiry. Chao had recently moved to Atlanta from Austin and was awaiting his wife and eight-year-old son, who had flown to Atlanta the day his body was found to go house-hunting with him. Detectives developed a possible motive tied to an affair and identified Chien Chyun Lee as a suspect; Lee was arrested and charged in connection with the killing, and prosecutors said the motive was jealousy and anger.

Was anyone in the Atlanta or Austin communities aware of tensions around this relationship before April 25, 1990?