SANTA BARBARA, CA – A chilling detail has emerged in the murders of a Santa Barbara physician and his family, with investigators revealing the convicted killer consulted an online psychic asking if he would be caught for the crime.
Pierre Haobsh was convicted in 2021 for the March 2016 murders of Dr. Henry Han, his wife Jennie, and their 5-year-old daughter Emily. The family was discovered shot to death in their garage, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. New details about the case are being featured in a “48 Hours” investigation that aired this week.
According to evidence presented at trial, Haobsh fled Santa Barbara after the killings and contacted an online psychic during his escape. In messages to the psychic, who went by the name Count Marco, Haobsh asked “will I get caught for what I did?” When the psychic responded asking what he had done, Haobsh never replied.
The online search history from Haobsh’s devices revealed his frantic attempts to evade capture. He searched for “how long do fingerprints take to process” and “how Crime Scene Investigation works” while on the run from authorities.
Investigators discovered the bodies on March 23, 2016, after the Palumbos, business partners of Dr. Han, became concerned when he missed a scheduled meeting. All three victims had been shot while sleeping, and evidence suggested Haobsh attempted to clean the crime scene with bleach before fleeing.
Police arrested Haobsh within 48 hours at an ARCO gas station in Oceanside. He was found armed with a 9mm handgun, carrying his passport and duffel bags packed for flight. Inside his vehicle, investigators found ammunition that ballistics tests later matched to bullets recovered from the victims.
The prosecution presented evidence showing Haobsh meticulously planned the murders for financial gain. Six days before the killings, he searched online for “Asian disguises” and “flesh masks.” Four days prior, he purchased firearms. A keylogger found on his laptop recorded searches about penetrable areas of the human skull.
After the murders, Haobsh attempted to drain $20 million from Dr. Han’s bank accounts using forged documents that falsely identified him as a business partner. Investigators found one such document signed on the day of the murders.
Witness TJ Direda testified that Haobsh confessed to him on the morning of the murders, saying “just so you know, I’m a monster” before providing details about the crime that only the killer would have known.
During his initial arrest, Haobsh claimed shadowy figures were targeting him over a “quantum energy source” invention and insisted he had left the residence on March 22, the day before the bodies were discovered. However, physical evidence and witness testimony contradicted his account.
Dr. Han was a renowned holistic medicine practitioner who had emigrated from China and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic. He married Jennie Yu in 2009, and the couple welcomed their daughter Emily shortly after.
A jury convicted Haobsh on three counts of first-degree murder on November 24, 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on April 15, 2022.
$20M for holistic medicine? Sounds like he was quite a crook himself.