In late March 2016, the bodies of Dr. Henry Han, his wife Jennie and their 5-year-old daughter Emily were discovered in the garage of their Santa Barbara home. The trio had been reported missing after Henry missed a business meeting; friends and deputies conducting welfare checks found the three wrapped in plastic, bound with duct tape and moved to the garage. Crime-scene evidence indicated the victims had been shot while asleep upstairs. Autopsies later showed Henry and Jennie were each shot three times and Emily had eight gunshot wounds. Bedding had been stripped and run through washing machines, and the smell of bleach suggested an attempted cleanup.
Henry Han had immigrated from China and established a respected holistic medical practice in Santa Barbara; Jennie worked with him and their daughter was about to turn six. In the weeks before the murders Han had entered a business venture exploring CBD and other therapies with partners Mark and Marla Palumbo. A young man who identified himself as a lab or chemistry specialist, Pierre Haobsh, became involved. The Palumbos and others soon grew uneasy about his credentials and behavior: he had no formal scientific training, handled suspicious chemicals, made unexplained charges on Han’s accounts and — according to the Palumbos — arranged escort services billed to Henry’s card. Han initially cut ties, but later allowed Haobsh back after Haobsh said he was ill and asked for help.
Investigators uncovered several links tying Haobsh to the crime. A four-page contract bearing the name “Pierre Haobsh,” dated the last day Henry was seen alive, was found in the master bedroom. Packaging for Home Depot plastic wrap and 3M duct tape that matched the materials used to wrap the bodies was recovered, and store video showed a man matching Haobsh purchasing large rolls of plastic and duct tape at a Home Depot near Oceanside. The victims’ cell phones left a digital trail south from Santa Barbara: Henry’s phone went dark while Jennie’s continued moving toward Oceanside.
Police launched a manhunt. Surveillance placed Haobsh travelling in the area and captured a late-night meeting in a Walmart parking lot with his father during which duffel bags were exchanged. Haobsh and his father drove off; officers later stopped Haobsh near Oceanside and arrested him. In Haobsh’s car investigators found Henry’s wallet, credit card and Social Security card, the victims’ phones and a tablet wrapped in foil, an expended shell casing and — in the trunk beneath the spare tire — a firearm, a suppressor and ammunition. At the time of arrest Haobsh also had a 9mm handgun in plain view, his passport and packed bags. Ballistics evidence linked the scene to a .22 weapon; investigators compared bullet fragments and ammunition recovered at the scene, on the victims and in Haobsh’s possessions to connect critical pieces of physical evidence.
Haobsh waived his Miranda rights and spoke to detectives, offering a dramatic account that he had come to install a “perpetual energy” device and that shadowy forces were after him. He later told an acquaintance, marijuana grower TJ Direda, that he had killed the Hans and described details of the scene — how he wrapped the bodies and how he struggled to move Henry — facts prosecutors said only the killer would know. Direda alerted investigators after Haobsh texted him seeking help moving something; Direda led police to a Thousand Oaks location where Haobsh had been earlier that day.
Prosecutors assembled a timeline and forensic case showing Haobsh’s involvement in the days before the murders. While staying at the Hans’ home he installed spyware on Henry’s computer that recorded searches about ballistics and vulnerable parts of the skull. Records and video placed Haobsh buying a .22 pistol with a threaded barrel days earlier in Arizona, and he purchased the plastic wrap and duct tape later used to bind the victims. Investigators found receipts, security footage, an expended shell casing in his car, and evidence he tried to use the victims’ personal information to access money after the killings; he had also rented a large truck authorities believe he intended to use to move bodies.
Haobsh’s pretrial statements were inconsistent and often fantastical — claims of being shot at, conspiracies involving government agencies and being framed. The defense argued some forensic links were not definitive and raised timing and GPS questions, while challenging witness credibility, for example why Direda did not immediately call police after Haobsh’s alleged confession. Prosecutors countered with a web of digital, physical and surveillance evidence: store and Home Depot video, the keylogger searches, attempts to use Han’s identity, and the material evidence in Haobsh’s vehicle.
Haobsh was arrested within 48 hours of the bodies’ discovery and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He waived the possibility of a death-penalty jury trial and opted for a bench trial; the judge found him guilty on all counts, saying the verdict was beyond a shadow of a doubt. On April 15, 2022, Pierre Haobsh was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
The killings stunned the Santa Barbara community. Patients, friends and colleagues remembered Henry as a trusted healer, Jennie as his collaborator and Emily as a bright, playful child. For the family and community the conviction brought some measure of accountability but little comfort. Those who knew them continue to grieve the loss and to struggle with the senselessness of the crime.