Shivangi Sinha
When the police responded to a call from Jennifer Pan at her residence, they were shocked by the disturbing scene they encountered. Her mother, Bich Ha Pan, had been shot, and her father was seriously injured but had managed to escape the house. Initially, the police treated Jennifer as a victim who had witnessed a home robbery, which is what she claimed. In ‘Vengeance: Killer Families: Little White Lies,’ we explore how the police connected the dots and uncovered that Jennifer was the one who had orchestrated the killing of both her parents.
How Did Bich Ha Pan Die?
On November 8, 2010, around 10:30 p.m., the police received a distress call from Jennifer Pan, who was sobbing uncontrollably and claimed that intruders had entered her home in Markham, Ontario. The police promptly arrived at the scene within 15-20 minutes and discovered Jennifer tied to a banister upstairs. Additionally, they found a woman with a towel wrapped around her head lying face down, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Upon examination, the woman was identified as Bich Ha Pan, Jennifer’s mother, who had been shot three times in the back and once in the back of her head at point-blank range, resulting in her death.
The authorities discovered a blood trail leading to the entrance of the Pans’ home. Subsequently, they located Jennifer’s father, Huei Hann Pan, in a neighbor’s backyard. He had sustained gunshot wounds, with a bullet penetrating his head and exiting through his eye. Additionally, there was another bullet injury in his shoulder. Despite these injuries, he managed to survive and was promptly transported to the hospital.
Who Killed Bich Ha Pan?
Upon immediate questioning, JenniferPan recounted her account to the police. According to her, she was in her room while her father, Huei Hann Pan, was asleep in his room, and her mother, Bich Ha Pan had returned from a social event. She reported hearing noises and observed three black men entering her room, inquiring about the location of the money. After providing them with the limited cash she had earned from her restaurant job, they proceeded to her father’s room, posing the same question. Subsequently, they escorted him downstairs where her mother must also be. Jennifer asserted that one of the intruders bound her to the banister, and it was during this time that she heard gunshots and her mother’s screams. She maintained that, despite being restrained, she managed to maneuver her body, retrieve her phone from her back pocket, and successfully make a call to the police.
Huei and Bich, both first-generation immigrants, arrived in Canada from Vietnam in the 1970s, seeking refuge during the tumultuous Vietnam War. Having met and married in 1980, they successfully built a prosperous life from the ground up. The couple, who had two children—Jennifer in 1986 and Felix in 1989—enjoyed the fruits of their labor, including two luxurious cars, a well-appointed house, and financial stability. While the possibility of a robbery was initially considered, the police found no indications of forced entry. Notably, valuable items such as their cars and petty cash remained untouched in their home.
Upon awakening in the hospital on November 12, Huei informed the police that during the attack, he had observed two black men and one white man in his residence. Additionally, he asserted that Jennifer was conversing with the white man in a composed and seemingly familiar manner, suggesting prior acquaintance. The police, considering the possibility of confusion due to Huei’s injuries, were cautious about the accuracy of his account. Nevertheless, they deemed it necessary to investigate Jennifer in light of the information provided by her father.
It didn’t take long for the authorities to uncover that Jennifer, who had claimed to be a University of Toronto pharmacology graduate, was not genuine in her educational background. In reality, she hadn’t even completed high school; she had falsified report cards and a diploma, maintaining this deception in front of her unsuspecting parents. Furthermore, she had lied to them about working as a pharmacist at Sick Kids Hospital. When her family discovered the extent of her deception a few days prior, they decided to keep her at home, urging her to complete her education and they insisted she end her relationship with a man named Daniel Wong.
During subsequent police questioning, Jennifer, now a prime suspect, confessed to orchestrating the murder of her parents. She revealed that Wong had introduced her to Lenford Roy Crawford, also known as Homeboy, who then arranged for David Mylvanagam and Eric Carty to carry out the attack. However, Jennifer insisted that she had requested the assault to be directed at herself, expressing her dissatisfaction with life and feeling like a perpetual disappointment. Despite her intentions, the plan had gone awry, prompting her to contact the police. Subsequent scrutiny of Jennifer’s phone records substantiated her connections with these individuals, leading to the arrest of all involved parties.
The trial of Jennifer Pan and her co-conspirators, including Daniel Wong, Lenford Roy Crawford, David Mylvanagam, and Eric Carty, commenced on March 19, 2014, and lasted approximately 10 months. Prosecutors presented a substantial amount of evidence, including text messages, phone calls, and testimonies, to construct a compelling case. Jennifer’s father, Huei Hann Pan, also testified during the proceedings. On December 13, 2014, the verdict was delivered, finding all defendants guilty. They were convicted and handed down life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 25 years and Jennifer was also found guilty of the attempted murder charge against her father
Following the trial, Jennifer’s father filed a restraining order against her, preventing her from ever contacting any member of the Pan family and she was also barred from contacting Daniel Wong for the rest of her life. In May 2023, Jennifer and her co-conspirators were granted an appeal, but despite this, all their original charges were upheld.
