She had faked report cards, a fake university acceptance, and an entire fake career for years to please her parents. When they finally discovered the truth, she chose to have them killed rather than face it.
High Expectations
Jennifer Pan, born in 1986 to Vietnamese immigrant parents Bich Ha Pan and Huei Hann Pan in Markham, Ontario, grew up under intense academic and extracurricular pressure. Her parents strictly controlled her social life, prohibiting dances, parties, and dating, and she had never gone on an unsupervised trip or had a drink by age 22.
A Web of Lies
After failing calculus in high school and losing her spot at Ryerson University, Jennifer began fabricating report cards and, later, an entire fictional academic career — claiming to be studying pharmacology at the University of Toronto on a scholarship while actually working as a waitress and piano teacher and living with her boyfriend, Daniel Wong. She maintained the deception for years, including fabricating volunteer work at a children's hospital, before her mother discovered the truth by secretly following her.
Conditions and Conflict
After the deception was uncovered, Jennifer's parents allowed her to stay in the family home but insisted she end her relationship with Wong. The couple maintained their relationship secretly for a period before Wong began seeing someone else, though he and Jennifer later reconciled.
The Plot
Jennifer and Wong arranged to have her parents killed, reportedly for a $10,000 payment to the men involved, with Jennifer expecting to inherit roughly $500,000 from her parents' estate. On the night of November 8, 2010, Jennifer left the front door of her family's home unlocked and spoke by phone with one of the men involved shortly before he and two armed accomplices entered the house.
The Attack
The intruders took Bich and Hann Pan to the basement, robbed the home, and shot both of them. Bich died from her injuries; Hann survived. Jennifer, who had been restrained, freed herself and called 911.
Investigation and Conviction
Police interviewed Jennifer multiple times in the weeks following the attack and took her into custody on November 22, 2010. During questioning, she admitted to arranging the attack but claimed she had intended for the men to harm only her, not her parents. She and her co-conspirators were convicted and received life sentences with no possibility of parole for the murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her father.
FAQ
Why did Jennifer Pan want her parents killed?
She was reportedly motivated by both a desire to avoid consequences for years of fabricated academic records and by an expected inheritance.
Did Jennifer Pan's father survive the attack?
Yes. Her mother, Bich, died from her injuries; her father, Hann, survived.
What sentence did Jennifer Pan receive?
Life in prison with no possibility of parole.