Charlie Tan, a sophomore at Cornell University, was charged with second-degree murder in the 2015 shooting death of his father, Jim Tan. The prosecution argued it was a cold-blooded, premeditated killing, while Charlie claimed he was protecting his mother after years of domestic abuse. The trial ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict, leading to the dismissal of charges against Charlie, but there’s much more to the story.

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Sources:

1. https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/local-news/charlie-tan-timeline-from-fathers-fatal-shooting-to-admission-of-the-crime/
2. Dateline S24 E40, “House of Secrets”
3. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/blogs/watchdog/2016/01/17/liang-jim-tan-pittsford-dynamax-charlie-tan-trial/77409802/
4. https://cornellsun.com/2019/11/21/former-cornell-student-cleared-of-murder-charges-admits-in-affidavit-to-killing-father-in-2015/
5. https://cornellsun.com/2018/07/18/former-cornell-student-cleared-of-murdering-father-pleads-guilty-to-purchasing-gun/
6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/111126380/
7. https://cornellsun.com/2018/11/27/former-cornellian-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-on-gun-charges/
8. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/11/07/charlie-tan-marijuana-mushrooms-cornell-university-sentencing-gun-charges-murder/1918931002/
9. https://cornellsun.com/2018/07/18/former-cornell-student-cleared-of-murdering-father-pleads-guilty-to-purchasing-gun/
10. Self Defense or Premeditated Murder? The Story of Charlie Tan, Kendall Rae https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEhvYzx-m7E&t=966s
11. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/10/02/charlie-tan-exclusive-911-calls-murder-liang-jim-tan-qing-jean-tan-dateline-nbc/1291732002/
12. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2017/03/27/charles-tan-judge-james-piampiano-censured-judicial-ethics/99483500/
13. Random Acts of Kindness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsfYJhSFM7U
14. https://www.mpnnow.com/story/news/courts/2020/04/11/tan-lawyers-file-to-have/986304007/
15. https://www.mpnnow.com/story/news/courts/2020/04/11/tan-lawyers-file-to-have/986304007/