Shivangi Sinha
In March 2016, police performed a welfare check at the Goleta, California, home of Dr. Henry Han. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Han, his wife Jennie Yu, and their 5-year-old daughter Emily. All three had been shot. Their remains were wrapped in plastic and left in the garage. The investigation quickly led to Pierre Haobsh, Han’s business associate, who was suspected of killing the family for financial gain. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Han Family Murders’ explores how Haobsh was identified, caught, and the evidence presented against him.
Pierre Haobsh Was Connected to the Han Killings for Financial Motives
Pierre Haobsh was born to Frederick Smith and raised in the Midwest region of the US. His father was reportedly born in Jordan and worked as a CIA agent during the 1980s and 1990s. It has been claimed that he was actively involved during the Iraq War and had held meetings with weapons procurement officers at the time. According to Haobsh’s sister, Nadine Courtney, their mother, Nancy Berchtold Haobsh, passed away from lymphatic cancer in 2008. By 2016, Haobsh was living in California and working as a business associate of Dr. Henry Han, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Santa Barbara. While the details of their professional relationship remain unclear, Dr. Han had been engaged in various ventures, which reportedly led to his connection with Haobsh.
Haobsh, a self-described entrepreneur, chemist, and technical expert, became a person of interest after the bodies of Dr. Henry Han, his wife Jennie Yu, and their daughter Emily were discovered in their home. A friend of Dr. Han informed police that Haobsh should be investigated, as the two had reportedly had a falling out. While searching the crime scene, detectives found a Trader Joe’s shopping bag containing a business partnership document for Obsidian Teradyne LLC, signed and dated by Han and Haobsh on March 22, just one day before the murders. Investigators traced Haobsh’s vehicle and learned he lived with his father in a small apartment in Oceanside, San Diego. Police conducted a stakeout outside the residence, but Haobsh was nowhere to be found.
On March 25, when Frederick drove to a nearby Walmart and discreetly exchanged a bag with his son, police arrested both men. His father was later released without any charges. From Haobsh’s car, officers recovered two firearms: a 9-millimeter handgun and a .22-caliber Ruger pistol with a threaded barrel, which was later confirmed as the murder weapon. They also found a homemade suppressor, .22-caliber ammunition, Dr. Han’s and Jennie’s iPhones, and Dr. Han’s iPad, which had all been wrapped in aluminum foil, along with Dr. Han’s wallet, credit card, and several receipts for items such as duct tape and plastic wrap used to cover the victims’ remains. The receipt showed that the items had all been purchased before the killings.
Pierre Haobsh’s Digital Footprint Confirmed His Culpability
After the arrests, a man named Thomas “TJ” Direda contacted police and said Haobsh had confessed the murders to him. Direda claimed Haobsh asked for help moving the remains and had texted about the possibility of “getting got” and his life being over after police were at Han’s residence. A check of Haobsh’s phone showed a $100,000 transfer from Han’s account to Haobsh after the killings. Investigators also found web searches on Haobsh’s devices after the murders that suggested consciousness of guilt, including queries such as how to disable GPS tracking, how to cross into Mexico, how long fingerprints remain on plastic, and how long it takes to get results from a fingerprint test. On March 22, he had also viewed a video about fabricating a handgun suppressor.
Pierre Haobsh is Being Held in a California Prison Today
On March 25, Pierre Haobsh was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, along with special circumstances including premeditation, lying in wait, and murder for financial gain. His trial began in November 2021, during which he took the stand in his own defense, claiming the killings were carried out by a third party connected to the Department of Energy. Despite his claims, Haobsh was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in April 2022.
During sentencing, he represented himself after dismissing his defense attorney, arguing that he had been misrepresented and demanding a new trial. The judge informed him that such motions could only be made after sentencing. In October 2025, Haobsh filed a petition requesting a new hearing and trial, but his request was denied. He is now 35 years old and is incarcerated at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California. Haobsh will never be eligible for parole and is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Read More: Who is TJ Direda? Where is He Now?
