An appeals court upheld the conviction for the man sentenced to life in prison for murdering the Han family at their Goleta-area home in 2016.
Dr. Weidong (Henry) Han, his wife, Huijie (Jennie) Han, and their 5-year-old daughter, Emily, were found dead, wrapped in plastic, in their home’s garage on March 23, 2016. They had each been shot multiple times, according to the Coroner’s Bureau.
Oceanside resident Pierre Haobsh, 35, was charged and convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and committing the murders for financial gain.
He filed an appeal in May 2022, shortly after the sentencing. The Second District Court of Appeal released an opinion Monday affirming the conviction.
Haobsh had a business relationship with the Hans, who owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic. In a community memorial, they were remembered for their dedication and generosity. The Hans’ daughter, Emily, was a kindergartener at Foothill School in Goleta.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Brian Hill presided over the court trial, found Haobsh guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 25-year sentences for each of the three first-degree murder counts.
Haobsh asked for a new trial and new attorneys after the conviction, which Hill denied, but the defendant was allowed to represent himself at the sentencing hearing. Public Defenders Christine Voss and Michael Hanley represented Haobsh during the criminal trial.
Prosecutors presented “extensive forensic evidence” connecting Haobsh to the murders, the appeals court justices said in the opinion.
As summarized by Court of Appeal Justices Kenneth Yegan, Hernaldo Baltodano and Tari Cody:
“Two days after the murders, appellant was arrested. A search of his vehicle revealed two firearms, including a 9-millimeter handgun and a .22-caliber Ruger pistol with a threaded barrel, which was later determined to be the murder weapon. Police also recovered a homemade suppressor, .22-caliber ammunition, Dr. Han’s and Jennie’s iPhones and Dr. Han’s iPad, each wrapped in aluminum foil, Dr. Han’s wallet, credit card, and various receipts for items purchased by appellant prior to the murders, including tools to make a homemade suppressor, plastic sheeting, and duct tape.
“After appellant’s arrest, Thomas Direda (“TJ”) contacted police and reported that appellant confessed to killing the Han family and needed help moving the bodies. Appellant repeatedly texted TJ, with his final text stating: “‘Yep. Am screwed. They just found everything. My lives [sic] over. Only if I got it all sooner, like this morning.’”
Haobsh was assigned attorney Jeralyn Keller for the appeals process. Their briefs to the court challenged the sufficiency of the evidence and claim the agreement to admit evidence from the preliminary hearing violated his due process, but “we are not persuaded,” the justices wrote in the opinion.
“Appellant’s contentions are simply a request to this court to reweigh the evidence and come to a different conclusion than the trial court. We decline to do so,” they wrote.
“The judgment is affirmed.”
Haobsh is serving his sentence in state prison in Los Angeles County, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.