By Lorelei Olivas & Eric Rodriguez
SANTA BARBARA, CA – It was announced Monday here in Santa Barbara County Superior Court that Pierre Haobsh—incarcerated since 2016 for an alleged triple homicide of herbalist and acupuncturist Dr. ”Henry” Han and his family—will be tried for murder starting Oct. 25 before a jury.
Haobsh, a business acquaintance of Dr. Han, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder, murder for financial gain and commission of felony, in 2016.
Haobsh was arrested on March 25, 2016, at gunpoint in Oceanside, San Diego, where multiple electronic items of the victims’ were found in his car, along with incriminating web searches and materials used to wrap the victims, as well as two guns.
According to the prosecution, “Web searches found to have been conducted on the defendant’s phone included Wells Fargo, how to change passwords, whether cars are searched in Tijuana, how cars can be tracked by authorities, how crime scenes and fingerprints are analyzed, and how fingerprints show up on plastic.”
The crime was allegedly committed to obtain $20 million dollars, which was believed to be in Han’s bank account. Haobsh allegedly wanted to wire transfer the 
money to his bank account from Han’s electronic devices.
According to authorities, Dr. Han, Huijie “Jennie” Yu, his wife, and five-year-old Emily Han, their daughter, were found dead in their garage bound in plastic wrap and duct tape on March 23, 2016, at their three-story house near Goleta.
The court reported that three gunshot wounds were sustained by Dr. Han and his wife and eight were inflicted on their daughter’s head from small 22-caliber ammunition, determined by Dr. Manuel Montez’s statement, the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsies of the victims.
According to the Santa Barbara Independent, District Attorney Joyce Dudley filed death penalty charges for the first time in her career in this case because of the evidence presented and the premeditation involved in committing the crime.
However, shortly after, Governor Gavin Newsom stated no executions would take place.
However, Judge Brian Hill, who oversaw the hearing Monday, said the trial was on and stressed that the trial should be accessible to the public.
“It’s supposed to be a public trial, you know—publicizing that is something that ought to be done so that people are aware they can watch the proceedings,” said Judge Hill.
A Zoom link has yet to be provided for those who cannot attend the trial in person, and it is expected that the courthouse will be open to those who can.
Haobsh’s trial is set to begin Oct. 25 at 8:30 a.m., with an expected schedule of Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays until the trial is over.
