Jennifer Pan, once hailed as the "golden" daughter by her parents, excelled academically at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in Markham, Ontario. Raised by Vietnamese refugees, she diligently followed her parents' strict rules, earning top grades and securing a scholarship to Ryerson University in Toronto.
Under the watchful eyes of her parents, Huei Hann and Bich Ha Pan, Jennifer adhered to a disciplined lifestyle. Prohibited from attending social events like school dances, she instead focused on extracurricular activities such as piano, figure skating, and martial arts. Despite the restrictions, Jennifer's efforts paid off, and she successfully transferred to the University of Toronto, eventually landing a job after graduation.
Contrary to the facade of academic success, Jennifer Pan's achievements were built on deception. She never completed college or high school, fabricating report cards and university transcripts for nearly a decade. Behind her parents' backs, she maintained a clandestine relationship with Daniel Wong for seven years.
Jennifer Pan and Daniel Wong, united in their efforts to conceal her falsehoods and maintain their relationship, devised a plan to orchestrate the murder of Pan's parents. In 2010, they enlisted the help of three hitmen to carry out the gruesome act against Huei Hann and Bich Ha Pan. Tragically, the assault resulted in the death of Pan's mother, while her father miraculously survived despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the head.
Subsequently, Jennifer Pan's elaborate web of deceit was exposed, leading to her arrest and eventual conviction. Her own father, a victim of her scheme, testified against her during the trial proceedings.
This narrative unveils the harrowing sequence of events triggered by Jennifer Pan's descent to her breaking point, culminating in her drastic decision to resort to murder as her perceived solution.
Inside Jennifer Pan's Elaborate Double Life Under The Rule Of Her "Tiger Parents"
Jennifer Pan Was So Fed Up With Her Parents' Strict 'Tiger Parenting' That She Resorted To Hiring Hitmen To Eliminate ThemJennifer Pan entered the world on June 17, 1986, in Markham, Ontario, to parents who had escaped Vietnam in 1979, seeking better prospects. Bich Ha Pan and Huei Hann Pan toiled at Magna International, steadily building a life for their family. Their hard work enabled them to acquire a spacious home, luxury cars, and significant savings, aspiring to provide Jennifer with every opportunity for success.
Imbuing discipline from an early age, Jennifer's parents enrolled her in piano lessons at four and introduced her to figure skating during her elementary years. Throughout high school, she excelled academically and socially, embodying the image of a well-rounded student.
However, a setback occurred when a knee injury dashed Jennifer's dreams of pursuing figure skating professionally. Additionally, in eighth grade, she turned to self-harm as a coping mechanism.
In the tumultuous landscape of 11th grade, Jennifer Pan found solace in a relationship with senior Daniel Wong. However, their connection faced adversity when Wong was compelled to switch schools following a drug-related incident. Concurrently, Jennifer's academic performance began to decline, transitioning from consistent As to Bs. Despite these challenges, she secured early acceptance to Ryerson University, only for her dreams to unravel when she failed calculus in her senior year, prompting the college to rescind their offer.
Jennifer Pan Was So Fed Up With Her Parents' Strict 'Tiger Parenting' That She Resorted To Hiring Hitmen To Eliminate ThemPan initiated her deception by fabricating her report cards, asserting she would commence her studies at Ryerson University in the fall of 2004. She assured her father of plans to transition to the University of Toronto after a two-year stint at Ryerson, even fabricating receipt of a $3,000 scholarship. Proud of her purported academic achievements, Huei Hann Pan purchased a laptop for her.
Throughout the fall term, Pan maintained the illusion of attending classes by commuting to cafes or visiting Wong's dormitory. She continued her charade, claiming to have seamlessly transferred to the University of Toronto in 2006, in accordance with her fabricated timeline.
As the anticipated 2008 graduation ceremony approached, Jennifer Pan concocted a new lie, asserting that the university allocated only one ticket per student for the event. She claimed to have selflessly relinquished her ticket to a friend to avoid excluding one of her parents from the occasion.
Jennifer Pan Hires Hitmen To Kill Her Parents
Presenting herself as a recent graduate, Jennifer Pan claimed to be engaged in volunteer work at a children's hospital in Toronto. However, her parents, growing suspicious due to the absence of a uniform or ID badge, decided to follow her to her supposed workplace.
Upon discovery of her deceit, Jennifer had her phone and laptop confiscated, and her parents forbade her from seeing Wong.
Jennifer Pan Was So Fed Up With Her Parents' Strict 'Tiger Parenting' That She Resorted To Hiring Hitmen To Eliminate ThemOver the following two years, Jennifer worked to regain her parents' trust, eventually having her phone privileges restored. Despite reaching 24 without experiencing alcohol or social outings, Jennifer reconnected with Daniel Wong. Wong provided her with a spare phone, which she used to solicit his help in staging a robbery to eliminate her parents.
Wong introduced Jennifer to an associate named Lenford Crawford from the criminal underworld. Through text messages, Jennifer agreed to pay Crawford $10,000 from her anticipated inheritance. Crawford prepared for the crime by surveilling Jennifer's neighborhood on Halloween 2010. On November 8th, he sent a text message to Jennifer: "After work ok will be game time."
With her father resting in bed and her mother downstairs reading, Jennifer bid her mother goodnight and unlocked the front door. At precisely 10:02 p.m., she illuminated the lights in the upstairs study. Three minutes later, Lenford Crawford, accompanied by David Mylvaganam and Eric Carty, entered the residence.
Eric Carty proceeded to restrain Jennifer Pan by binding her hands behind her back and tethering her to the banister using a shoelace. Meanwhile, the other assailants escorted her parents into the basement and obscured their heads with blankets. Tragically, Bich Ha Pan suffered three gunshot wounds to the head, while her husband sustained injuries to his face and shoulder.
The Aftermath Of Bich Ha Pan's Murder And What Happened To Jennifer Pan
Following the assailants' departure, Jennifer Pan promptly dialed 911 for assistance.
To the astonishment of authorities, Jennifer's father emerged from the basement, miraculously surviving the ordeal. Despite initially believing Jennifer's account during the initial questioning, law enforcement grew suspicious, particularly regarding how she managed to access her phone while bound. Their doubts intensified during a subsequent interview on November 10, during which they requested her to demonstrate how she achieved this.
Jennifer Pan Was So Fed Up With Her Parents' Strict 'Tiger Parenting' That She Resorted To Hiring Hitmen To Eliminate ThemUpon regaining consciousness from his coma on November 12, Jennifer Pan's father recounted to the police that he had observed his daughter whispering to one of the assailants "like a friend." Detective William Goetz confronted Pan once more on November 22, 2010, exposing the truth. Realizing the game was up, Pan broke down under the pressure.
In tears, Pan anxiously inquired, "But what happens to me?"
Daniel Wong and Jennifer Pan were apprehended, with Jennifer arrested on the same evening. Subsequently, Wong and the hired gunmen were also taken into custody during the spring of 2011.
On December 13, 2014, Pan, Wong, Carty, Crawford, and Mylvaganam were convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder. They were handed down life sentences without the possibility of parole, alongside additional concurrent life sentences. Carty received his own conviction for conspiracy to commit murder in 2015, resulting in an 18-year prison sentence.
During an appeal in 2023, Jennifer Pan successfully obtained a new trial for the murder of her mother, leading to the overturning of her conviction. The panel of judges overseeing the appeal determined that the original trial judge had made a crucial error by limiting the jury's consideration solely to first-degree murder, rather than allowing them to also deliberate on second-degree murder or manslaughter charges. However, as of August 2023, Canada's Supreme Court was still deliberating on whether to review the case.
In contrast, Jennifer Pan's conviction for the attempted murder of her father remains unchanged. Consequently, the life sentence she received for this offense is still pending execution.Regardless of the result of any potential retrial, Jennifer Pan will continue to serve a lengthy prison sentence for the crimes she committed.
