The Han Family Murders

Summary

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48 Hours – The Han Family Murders

Date: November 10, 2025
Host: CBS News
Correspondent: Natalie Morales

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode of 48 Hours delves into the tragic and shocking 2016 murders of Dr. Henry Han, his wife Jenny, and their five-year-old daughter Emily in Santa Barbara, California. Through extensive interviews with friends, partners, law enforcement, and witnesses, the episode reconstructs the Han family’s promising life, the uncovering of their deaths, the disturbing investigation, the arrest and trial of their killer Pierre Hopsch, and the lingering trauma their community still carries. The program combines deeply personal anecdotes with detailed forensic evidence, shining a light on how a trusted partner's betrayal led to a crime that rocked all who knew the Hans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Han Family: Healers, Friends, and Community Pillars

• Intro to the Hans: Dr. Henry Han, a renowned holistic healer and TCM doctor, is described by friends and colleagues as deeply compassionate and devoted to family and patients. Jenny, his wife, became his right hand in the clinic, and together with Emily, they were seen as a tight-knit, positive force.
  • Quote: “He had the magic… being with the three of them…was good therapy.” (01:34, Mark Palombo)
• The Events Leading Up to the Crime: Friends recount the last moments spent with the family, including a dinner and playing games with Emily just days before the tragedy.
  • Quote: “She was just goofing around with a book, making all these funny faces…loving life.” (05:32, Narrator / Mark Palombo)

2. Discovery of the Crime (03:00-04:48)

• Alarm Bells: The Hans’ absence from a 10am meeting triggers anxiety among friends and business partners; repeated calls go unanswered.
• Welfare Check: Don Goldberg enters the house with police after failing to reach the family. Both vehicles are still in the garage. Deputies discover the three bodies wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
  • Quote: “Within a minute or two, sunk in that the three bodies were Henry, Jenny and Emily. My friends were gone. There’s a certain amount of shock that sets in.” (03:39, Don Goldberg)
• Forensic Clues: Heavy scent of bleach, bedding stripped and in the laundry, attempts to clean up the scene, bullet evidence, and shell casings tied directly to the victims.

3. The Investigation: Early Breaks and Pierre Hopsch’s Emergence (09:08–19:37)

• Evidence and Suspicions: Investigators find exhaustive biological evidence at the scene. A key discovery is a business contract between Henry Han and Pierre Hopsch, signed the day Henry was last seen alive.
  • Quote: “It was basically a four page business contract…Partner one Pierre Hopsch and partner two Dr. Hahn.” (11:16, Interviewer)
• Pierre’s Background: Pierre Hopsch was young, uncredentialed, and involved in failed business ventures with the Hans. Friends recount being unsettled by Pierre’s presence and actions, including fraudulent charges for escort services and quality concerns about his lab work.
  • Quote: “He could talk a game and stay over the folks' heads a bit scientifically.” (15:54, Interviewer)
• Material Evidence: Surveillance video confirms Pierre buying duct tape and plastic wrap at Home Depot days before the murders, matching what’s found at the scene.
• Digital Footprints: The Hans’ missing phones ping as they travel south, ultimately leading police to Oceanside, CA.

4. Manhunt and Arrest of Pierre Hopsch (19:37–22:23)

• Coordinated Surveillance: Santa Barbara and Oceanside police track Pierre using cell phone data and stake out his father’s home.
• Crucial Moment: Pierre is spotted meeting his father, receiving duffel bags, then is stopped at an Arco gas station in a dramatic midnight arrest.
  • Quote: “All of a sudden, you see an unmarked car drive…pulls in and lays on the brakes. Two huge dudes get out...pull a gun on him and prone him out. And our eyes are like saucer. We’re like, Whoa.” (21:51, Interviewer)
• Pierre’s Claims: Quickly after arrest, Pierre claims he’s the target of an international conspiracy over a “quantum energy source” and that shadowy enemies killed the Hans, not him.

5. Breakthrough Witness: TJ Dorito (24:26–27:34)

• TJ’s Account: Marijuana grower TJ Dorito testifies Pierre confessed to the murders, described details only the killer would know, and asked for help moving the bodies. Pierre claimed his motive was to access $20 million from Henry’s accounts.
  • Quote: “The first thing out of his mouth: Just so you know, I'm a monster. He had told me right then and there that he had killed Dr. Henry, his wife, and his child and needed help.” (25:55, TJ Dorito)
• Failed Escape: Pierre tries to lure TJ to Vegas (possibly to silence him), then laments in text, “Yep, I’m screwed. They just found everything. My life’s over.” (27:34)

6. Mountain of Evidence (29:18–36:47)

• Searches and Forensics: Pierre’s car contained Henry’s wallet, murder weapon, suppressor, and the victims’ devices wrapped in foil. Autopsies revealed 14 shots total; Emily, heartbreakingly, was shot eight times.
• Digital Trail: Investigations found Pierre researching how to impersonate Dr. Han, purchasing ammunition, and deploying a keylogger on Henry’s computer.
  • Quote: “What part of the skull is more penetrable? What ammunition would be better?” (34:53, Interviewer, citing keylogger evidence)
• Prosecution’s Theory: Pierre planned the murders for financial gain, setting up digital tools to siphon money immediately afterward.
• Missed Escape Window: The normal meeting that Henry missed triggered an early welfare check, disrupting Pierre’s plan to dispose of the bodies.

7. The Trial, Defense Arguments, and Verdict (36:47–41:24)

• Defense Tactics: Christine Voss, Pierre’s attorney, presses on discrepancies in the evidence, timeline, and star witness credibility, but the circumstantial and physical evidence is overwhelming.
  • Quote: “You called him a lying liar who lies about lying, right? ‘Lie, lie, lie, lie. Hundreds of lies we found on him. His life was a con.’” (41:16, Prosecutor Ben Ledenig)
• Pierre’s Testimony: Pierre insists throughout the trial the government framed him, invoking outlandish conspiracy theories, but only he alleges anyone else’s involvement.
• Guilty on All Counts: Judge Hill finds Pierre guilty “beyond a shadow of a doubt,” sentencing him to three life terms without parole. (41:48)

8. Aftermath and Enduring Pain (42:16–43:01)

• Community Reaction: Pierre’s sentence brings little comfort; friends grieve the irreplaceable loss.
  • Quote: “I don't understand how there really could be justice. He's still alive and they're not. He took precious moments that we'll never get.” (42:16, Interviewee)
• Legacy of the Han Family: Their legacy as healers and friends lives on: “They lived too short, but their name lives on forever.” (43:01, Interviewee)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:34 | Mark Palombo | “He had the magic… being with the three of them…was good therapy.” | | 03:39 | Don Goldberg | “Within a minute or two, sunk in that the three bodies were Henry, Jenny and Emily. My friends were gone. There’s a certain amount of shock that sets in.” | | 11:16 | Interviewer | “It was basically a four page business contract…Partner one Pierre Hopsch and partner two Dr. Hahn.” | | 15:54 | Interviewer | “He could talk a game and stay over the folks' heads a bit scientifically.” | | 21:51 | Interviewer | “All of a sudden, you see an unmarked car drive…pulls in and lays on the brakes. Two huge dudes get out...pull a gun on him and prone him out. And our eyes are like saucer. We’re like, Whoa.” | | 25:55 | TJ Dorito | “The first thing out of his mouth: Just so you know, I'm a monster. He had told me right then and there that he had killed Dr. Henry, his wife, and his child and needed help.” | | 34:53 | Interviewer | “What part of the skull is more penetrable? What ammunition would be better?” (evidence from keylogger) | | 41:16 | Ben Ledenig | “You called him a lying liar who lies about lying, right? ‘Lie, lie, lie, lie. Hundreds of lies we found on him. His life was a con.’” | | 42:16 | Interviewee | “I don't understand how there really could be justice. He's still alive and they're not. He took precious moments that we'll never get.” | | 43:01 | Interviewee | “They lived too short, but their name lives on forever.” |

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Key Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 00:30–01:55: Introduction to Han family, their character, early suspicions
• 03:00–04:48: Discovery of bodies, immediate shock
• 09:08–11:31: Crime scene, early evidence, and business clues
• 15:02–17:46: Warnings about Pierre Hopsch, background
• 19:09–22:23: Arrest and bizarre police chase/arrest moment
• 24:26–27:34: Pierre's confession to TJ Dorito, attempted escape
• 29:18–36:47: Forensic evidence, financial motive, and prosecution theory
• 36:47–41:24: Defense, trial, and judge's verdict
• 42:16–43:01: Reflections on justice and the Han family’s legacy

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Tone & Atmosphere

The episode uses a somber, investigative tone, candid and unflinching in describing both the warmth of the Han family and the horror of the crime. Friends’ heartbreak, prosecutors’ determination, and the bizarre delusions of the perpetrator are laid bare, lending credibility and gravity to the story. The reporting is sensitively delivered, with the pacing matching the urgency and devastation of the real-time investigation.

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Conclusion

This episode of 48 Hours provides a compelling and empathetic look into the Han family murders—a story of trust betrayed, a meticulous investigation, and community grief that endures long after justice is served. Through expert reporting and poignant interviews, the legacy of Henry, Jenny, and Emily Han—and the lessons their loss imparts—live on.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Narrator]

We were business partners with Henry and we were becoming friends.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We really had a beautiful road ahead of us. He had a 10am meeting with his normal investment group.

[Narrator]

It was probably, you know, a good 45 minutes after the meeting was supposed to start that we all kind of went, where is Henry?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

If he was going to be two minutes late, he called.

[Narrator]

We're trying to call Henry. And was going straight to voicemail. So for him to miss this meeting would be a big deal.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Yes, you just wouldn't. Something was not right.

[Narrator]

We all had a pit in our stomach and we were trying to find a reason why that pit shouldn't be there. Emily's birthday is coming up. Maybe they took her to Disneyland. Somebody's got to go over to their house and check on them. Mark finally gets in touch with Don Goldberg.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Very unusual not to get any communication from either Jenny or Henry. By midday, I decided to go to the home. From the outside, it looked normal. Went to the front door. Door was closed, but it was not locked. The two vehicles were in the garage, which you could see through the windows at the top of the garage door. Then I called 911. They came over and did a welfare check. Around 5:30 that evening. Two deputies arrived, made entry, called out, no response, and then started to look to see if there was any sign of foul play. And that's what led them to open the garage door. And then if you walk around the first car, they can see what appears to be three bodies wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Within a minute or two, sunk in that the three bodies were Henry, Jenny and Emily. My friends were gone. There's a certain amount of shock that sets in.

[Narrator]

We didn't hear back from Don. We didn't eat that night. We didn't sleep that night.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

A five year old three days short of her birthday. It shook us all to our core. It was rough. Things started rapidly going into the next phase. Who, how and why. It's a huge home. There was biological evidence throughout, primarily in the upstairs and the bedrooms where the murders took place. The smell of bleach was there, indicating a cleanup attempt. An entire family killed, presumably while they slept. We knew there was a monster out there and we were gonna find him and get him. Natalie Morales reports. The Hahn family murders.

[Narrator]

Mark and Marla Palombo were concerned when their friend and business partner, Dr. Henry Hahn, failed to show up for a meeting on March 23, 2016. They would learn the horrific reason why the following day from a news report. I was in the kitchen on my computer and I kept checking and I just remember screaming, they're all dead. Dr. Hahn, his wife Jenny, and their five year old daughter Emily were found dead in the garage of their Santa Barbara home. Mark had just seen them on his way back from a business trip.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We went out for dinner, played Connect 4 with Emily.

[Narrator]

He brought his phone to me and I'm just looking at all these pictures of Emily and they were taken the Friday before. Just horrific. Yeah, and she was just goofing around with a book, making all these funny faces and you could tell she was loving life. The Palumbos had recently embarked on a new business venture with Dr. Hahn.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I really loved the guy. I mean, he really was smart and curious and open minded.

[Narrator]

He had to come with food and in shorts and flip flops, you know, just no air about him. But what made you trust him? His passion?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Yeah, we cared about people.

[Narrator]

Don Goldberg had known Dr. Hahn for more than 25 years and thought of him as a Brother to Don, he was just Henry.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I was approximately 10 years older than Henry, but he still called me his younger brother. You just don't come across a friend like Henry. It's once in a lifetime friendship.

[Narrator]

When they met, Henry was making a name for himself. After emigrating from China, where he came from a family of physicians, he would soon take over the Santa Barbara herb clinic.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I had several patients who had had medication side effects. They would say I went to see Dr. Hahn and it went away and it was like, I gotta meet this guy.

[Narrator]

Dr. Glenn Miller, a psychiatrist, says he and Henry developed a mutual respect and even partnered on a book about how eastern and western medicine could work together to improve patients quality of life.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Henry's practice was flourishing as far as active patients. He would see like in a month, it was hundreds. But he also tried to balance it.

[Narrator]

In 2009, that balance he was seeking became a reality. When Henry met and married Jenny Yu.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He seemed incredibly happy. It was good to see Henry that happy.

[Narrator]

Jenny was absolutely warm and lovely. When they had Emily, the dream was complete.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Henry was just on cloud nine. He was very proud father.

[Narrator]

They were often together at the clinic where Jenny had quickly become Henry's right hand. Says her friend Isaiah, Oregon.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He really trusted her and that her kind of take the reins.

[Narrator]

In the spring of 2016.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

It's my turn.

[Narrator]

They were getting ready to celebrate Emily's sixth birthday.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Where should I go? Wherever. Go wherever. We were making plans for her birthday party and you know, had all her presents wrapped.

[Narrator]

But just three days shy of her birthday, her loved ones were stricken with grief.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I don't really have adequate words to describe how I felt. The sadness is too deep.

[Narrator]

As night fell on the hahn estate on Wednesday, March 23, Don tried to process what he had just witnessed. He had called 911 when he couldn't find the hans anywhere. And he was with sheriff's deputies when they discovered the bodies in the garage wrapped in plastic.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

None of it made any sense at all.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Ben ledenig says it was shortly before midnight when Santa Barbara sheriff's investigators obtained a search warrant and began to piece together what had happened inside the house. It appeared the family had been shot while they slept upstairs on the second floor. Henry in the couple's bedroom and Jenny and Emily across the hall in Emily's room.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Emily's room was tough to see. Mom probably read her stories. To have Emily go to sleep that night and was sleeping with her.

[Narrator]

What did that tell you about the depravity of the kind of person who could do something like that. What were they after?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We didn't know what he was after. But the depravity, I've never seen anything like it.

[Narrator]

Detectives picked up on the distinct smell of the murderer's attempts to cover his tracks.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

The smell of bleach was there. We had bleach bottles found. There were bleach stains on the carpet and throughout other items upstairs. And then you see bloody things in a washing machine.

[Narrator]

All the bedding which had been stripped from the beds was found piled in the laundry room and in the machine, the washing machine.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

The alarm had gone off because the load was unbalanced. And within there are a huge group.

[Narrator]

Of bloody sheets wedged in pillows. In the laundry. Crime scene Investigators found a.22 caliber bullet and bullet fragments. Three matching shell casings were found within the wrapping of Jenny's body and one was later found lodged between the baseboard and box spring of Emily's bed.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We had one bullet that was a through and through. It was perfect for comparison for the murder weapon. As things are going, we start to find clues as to who potentially could be involved.

[Narrator]

Inside a paper bag next to Henry's bed, detectives found a document signed the last day Henry was seen alive. It provided a name.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

It's basically a four page business contract between two partners. Partner one Pierre Hopsch and partner two, Dr. Hahn.

[Narrator]

Don Goldberg knew a Pierre that Dr. Hahn was associated with. But Don thought he was harmless.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I did not think that Pierre was capable of murder. I never really saw Pierre become angry or agitated.

[Narrator]

But the Palumbos had a bad feeling. You didn't trust him?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I did not.

[Narrator]

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[Interviewer/Reporter]

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[Narrator]

The indelible scar left by the murders was the kind that not even Dr. Hahn could have healed.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Wow.

[Narrator]

It was like a bomb exploded.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Nobody could move for weeks.

[Narrator]

There was something very, very, very dark going on. Kimberly Ruff says Dr. Hahn treated her family for two decades.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He could do anything.

[Narrator]

Ever since she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after giving birth to her son. Kimberly says Dr. Hahn's holistic approach allowed her to nurse her newborn while still treating her tumors. No matter how scared you might be.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Or frightened, you just left feeling like.

[Narrator]

It'S gonna be okay. Yeah, he was something. Instilling hope may have been one of the secrets to why his patients say Dr. Hahn could heal just about anything. Dr. Hahn, like, saved my life. Sherry Buron was also a young mother with cancer when she went to Dr. Hahn. My daughter Abby was 15 months old. I felt a lump under my armpit. Even though she had the prescribed surgery and chemotherapy, she credits Dr. Hahn with her survival. There were so many people that passed away around me. He got me through it. What was the impact for you of his loss? It's the fear of if something comes back. And I'm trying every day to be positive and try to stay with his level of calm and how much confidence he had that like, everything's taken care of. That conviction is what had drawn the Palumbos, who worked in the skincare industry, into their partnership with Dr. Hahn, hoping to treat various skin maladies. Henry was very interested in cbd. Having used CBD in his practice to treat pain and inflammation, Henry wanted to harness its full potential. It was groundbreaking science at the time, and he wanted 25 year old Pierre Humpsch to help develop it.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Pierre, from what we gathered, had a lot of experience in laboratories, in this case relating to cbd.

[Narrator]

Henry had taken a liking to Pierre after meeting him through another associate. But the Palumbos were uncomfortable with Pierre from the start. You know how when you meet somebody, you can't put your finger on it, but something's not right? That was Pierre.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

There was always this kind of little.

[Narrator]

Boiling simmer when it came time to do the lab work, the Palumbos say the results were disturbing. What we came to find out was he was using toxic materials. When we called him on it, he said, you know, I'm just learning more about the molecules it was just weird. As it turned out, Pierre wasn't a formally trained scientist. He didn't even have a college degree.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

The more you got onto that surface, the more you realize that he could talk a game and stay over the folks heads a bit scientifically.

[Narrator]

Sounds like he was sort of a snake oil salesman type, right?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He was sophisticated one, but yes.

[Narrator]

Yeah, very sophisticated one. There was more eyebrow raising behavior. Pierre had also made odd charges on Henry's account. I was doing all the finances and I'm like, this doesn't look right. Not a business expense. Not at all. After Marla flagged the charges to Henry, he discovered they were for escort services. Henry was. You won't believe this. Pierre's out. That was the final straw. That was Henry's final straw. But then a few weeks before the murders, Mark and Marla say Henry brought up Pierre out of the blue. Henry mentioned that he had learned a lot more about Pierre's upbringing, how much Pierre had to overcome from his childhood. Mark nor I really responded. We didn't want to have Pierre back in our fold at all. The Palumbos were not alone in being wary of Pierre. Jenny's friend Isaiah says Jenny also had concerns and confided in him about them four days before the murders.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

It was weighing on her heavily. Do we trust him? Do we give him another chance? I was like, absolutely not. If he stole from you before, he's going to steal from you again.

[Narrator]

But Pierre had already ingratiated himself back into Henry's goodwill.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Henry had a very trusting nature. Henri had shared with me that Pierre told him that he was ill, that it was late stage cancer, and that he was going to do what he could to help Pierre, using Henry's good nature by lying to him, by manipulating him.

[Narrator]

Authorities learned that Pierre had been an overnight guest at the Hansholm before the murders and had formed a new partnership with the healer. There was that contract found in the master bedroom. They had signed the last day of Henry's life. But prosecutor Ben Ledenig says it didn't seem legitimate.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

It was like a college sophomore drafted it. It was not notarized, not witnessed.

[Narrator]

Detectives had found something else of interest.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

A brilliant detective found packaging to the plastic wrapping that all three of the Hahn family were wrapped in in a trash can in the kitchen area next to packaging of 3M duct tape, similar to the duct tape that was used to wrap all three of the bodies.

[Narrator]

He recognized the plastic wrap was a Home Depot brand and reached out to the company's security department.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And Home Depot was within Hours of us getting entry into the house, able to run those two items together to see if they had been purchased in the Southern California region within the last several days or weeks.

[Narrator]

A Home Depot in Oceanside, California, had security footage of a man who matched the DMV photo of Pierre Hopschool, who also happened to have an Oceanside address.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And that was. Bam. We knew he's walking out with three huge plastic rolls and sure enough, duct tape.

[Narrator]

So within hours of the crime scene being discovered, Pierre Hopsch became person of interest. Yes, but where was Pierre now? Detectives had a hunch. Data from the Han's cell phones, which were missing, showed they were traveling south, further and further from Santa Barbara.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Then, inexplicably, Henry's phone goes dark, but Jenny's is still on, and it keeps going south. We're getting, basically digital footprints leading down to the Oceanside area from a dead woman's phone. Anytime you're trying to stop somebody that is wanted for homicide, the stakes are going to be high.

[Narrator]

The day after the Hahn family was found murdered, a manhunt was underway in Oceanside, California, nearly 200 miles from the crime scene. Sergeant Anthony Flores and his partner were part of the local Oceanside police team assisting the Santa Barbara investigation.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We had come in to work with our special enforcement section, and we were going to be the stop car for that day, if given a window of opportunity, to take him into custody or potentially stop him.

[Narrator]

Meanwhile, undercover detectives were conducting surveillance at the residence Pierre Hopp shared with his father and updating all units, including the homicide team that had driven down from Santa Barbara with prosecutor Ben Ledenheim.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

All of a sudden, we get chatter on our intercoms. Dad's on the move.

[Narrator]

The surveillance team followed Pierre's father as he drove to a Walmart parking lot, where security cameras captured him meeting up with none other than Pierre.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

That's dad driving in sedan. And then you see the Lexus following shortly behind. They appear to be communicating briefly together. You can just see that trunk pop on dad's car.

[Narrator]

After transferring two large duffel bags to Pierre's car, they both drove off.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We got to move quickly. It was a little after midnight, and we just got the update that the suspect was on the move. As we're traveling, we're hearing that he's pulling into the Arco station. He had a few miles of a head start.

[Narrator]

The other units and Ledenig had pulled over by the Arco station station, waiting for the arrest team to arrive.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And all of a sudden, you see an unmarked car Drive right through the middle of that intersection. Sparks fly and it just basically comes in and pulls in and lays on the brakes. Two huge dudes get out of the car and pull a gun on him and prone him out. And our eyes are like saucer. We're like, Whoa.

[Narrator]

Wow. It's 200 miles away. That this investigation started and it culminated here. Sergeant Flores had handcuffed Pierre. What do you remember about that arrest?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I remember it going down really fast. All of our senses were heightened.

[Narrator]

Within 48 hours of the murders, investigators had the Hahn family's alleged killer in custody. Pierre Hopsch waved his Miranda rights and started talking to detectives. What he told them was something out of a spy thriller. He claimed that his life was is in danger.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Over the past couple of days, I kid you not, I've been shot at probably about five individuals so far that I shot in self defense.

[Narrator]

He claimed he was being targeted because of a scientific marvel he had invented.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

What does it do? It's a very, very advanced energy source. It's a quantum kind of energy source. I think probably at least 15 individuals who have been connected to this project are dead.

[Narrator]

Pierre said he had gone to Dr. Hahn's house earlier in the week to install one of his perpetual energy devices and that the plastic wrap and duct tape he was seen purchasing were for that purpose.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Dr. Henry we signed a contract together. He was going to facilitate taking the technology out to China. Love the guy to death. He really, really like this project.

[Narrator]

Pierre said he had left Santa Barbara around 2pm on March 22, the day before the murders, after signing the contract. But detectives pushed back.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Is there more to this story that you're not telling me? Dr. Hahn is dead. What? I had no clue that, oh my gosh, everything was perfectly fine when I left.

[Narrator]

Pierre was adamant he would never hurt the family and insisted the shadowy figures who had been after him had killed the Hans and were trying to frame him for murder.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I wanted a technology that changes the world. Oil companies and people don't want this technology out there. It was this massive conspiracy to keep this next level energy system from getting out to market. James Bond Mission Impossible this fantastical life. I jumped out the window.

[Narrator]

Pierre's outlandish story continued. But then detectives received an unexpected call from someone who claimed to have information about the murders.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I'm a pretty rough around the edges guy. I have rough around the edges friends.

[Narrator]

TJ Dorito was a marijuana grower who said Dr. Hahn had approached him about supplying CBD rich strains. TJ had also met Pierre.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Dr. Henry had told me that he was like a prodigy street chemist. He had done some stuff that was ahead of his time.

[Narrator]

So a little bit of a mad scientist? Yeah, I would say, yeah. According to tj, Pierre had a penchant for making up grandiose stories to seek attention, but he befriended him nonetheless.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He was that awkward kid that wanted to fit in, and I was the guy in high school that stuck up for kids like that. So I took an interest in him in that regard.

[Narrator]

Do you think he trusted you then?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Oh, he absolutely trusted me.

[Narrator]

As TJ revealed to detectives Pierre had reached out to him via text the morning of the murders. The message sent at 9:39am said, I need your help with something urgently, like it's urgent. What was he asking for?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He needed my help moving something.

[Narrator]

He says Pierre told him he was in Santa Barbara and needed to talk face to face. So TJ had him come to his house in Thousand Oaks, about an hour away.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

The first thing out of his mouth, Just so you know, I'm a monster. He had told me right then and there that he had killed Dr. Henry, his wife and his child and needed help.

[Narrator]

Did he give you details of what he did?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He did.

[Narrator]

TJ told detectives Pierre said he had tried to put the bodies in his car, but they wouldn't all fit and Henry was too heavy. Details. Ledenig says only the killer would know.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

How the killings were done, how the bodies were wrapped up, how he had the doctor's phone.

[Narrator]

TJ told detectives Pierre had also revealed his motive. $20 million that he planned to drain from Henry's accounts after killing the family. TJ says he didn't know if what he was hearing was another one of Pierre's far fetched stories. And until he knew for sure, he decided to play along.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I just wanted to get him out of the house and confront whether what he had just said was true or not. I said, let me work on it and I'll call you later.

[Narrator]

Once Pierre was gone, TJ tried to reach Dr. Hahn and anyone who might have information, to no avail.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I didn't want to call the police because I didn't. I wasn't sure yet, but it was chaotic, it was scary and also confusing.

[Narrator]

Pierre kept messaging him. Around 5pm when TJ still hadn't provided any assistance, Pierre texted him with a proposition. Want to come to Vegas tonight? I'll pay. What did you think the reason for that all of a sudden trip to Vegas?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

At that point, I wasn't sure. It didn't sound right. It was probably going to kill me and somehow make it look like I had something to do with it.

[Narrator]

You were going to be the fall guy, right? TJ made up an excuse why he couldn't go, and Pierre would send him one final tag at 7:35 that night. Yep, I'm screwed. They just found everything. My life's over. Only if I'd got to it all sooner, ledenig says. Pierre had just returned to the crime scene with a big truck to transport the bodies, but law enforcement had beaten him to the scene.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He knew his goose was cooked.

[Narrator]

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[Interviewer/Reporter]

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[Interviewer/Reporter]

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[Narrator]

Rush has their back. Head to your local Walmart or Target and grab Degree Cool Rush, the fan favorite scent from the world's number one antiperspirant brand. Pierre Hopch's arrest near Oceanside, California had come at a critical juncture. He was armed with a 9 millimeter handgun that was in plain view on the driver's side floorboard. He also had his passport and those duffel bags which he had received from his father minutes earlier.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Two go bags, basically whatever you need. Clothes, everything for the person to live for months.

[Narrator]

Hopch's father was also detained and questioned, but he was released later that morning.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We could have charged him as an accessory, but we didn't have any indication that dad was involved in any way, shape or form in the killing.

[Narrator]

The next day During a closer examination of Hopch's car at the crime lab.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

You name it, we found it in that car.

[Narrator]

There was Henry's wallet, credit card and Social Security number, along with an expended shell casing. There were also the victim's phones and tablet, all wrapped in aluminum foil in an attempt to evade tracking.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

In the trunk, you lift up where the spare tire would be. The murder weapon, suppressor, silencer, ammunition.

[Narrator]

A week after the murders, the autopsies revealed the victims had been shot 14 times. Three each into Henry and Jenny and most disturbing, eight in Emily.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

That ammunition is the same stuff that we found at the crime scene in the decedent's bodies. Match, match, match, match, match everything.

[Narrator]

Pierre Hopsch was charged with three counts of first degree murder, making him eligible for the death penalty. It was one of the most challenging cases, if not the most challenging case I ever came upon. Defense attorney Christine Voss, who was with the public defender's office at the time, represented Hopsch. He really wanted to be vindicated. To me the goal was for him to not get death. At the 11th hour, the DA's office agreed to waive the death penalty in exchange for a more expedient bench trial, which meant a judge, not jury would render a verdict. On October 25, 2021, more than five and a half years after the murders, the prosecution delivered its opening statement and laid out its theory of the case. That Pierre Hopsch had plotted the murder of the Hahn family for financial gain. They painted him as a career con man who up until the murders flaunted his intelligence and supposed wealth. His entire life strive was being rich.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He sent screenshots of his Chase account from anywhere from about 3 million up to $940 million to various people attempting to dupe them that he's this jet setting billionaire.

[Narrator]

Hopch claimed he had received big offers for his energy technology. I'm not a scientist, but I don't know that there's a such thing as a perpetual energy machine. But several years before the murders, Hopche was actually being paid to build one. It was going to be a new source of energy, as if he was, you know, an Elon Musk. Samantha Speidel met Pierre Hopch circa 2012 when he moved into a penthouse apartment in in a luxury high rise she managed in Tempe, Arizona. He pulled up and had this bright red Ferrari. It was very flashy. Ladinnig says Hopch had duped a group of high rolling investors into financing his invention until they realized it didn't actually work.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He had Basically defrauded all these people and the money dried up. When the murders were committed, I think he had less than $500 to his name.

[Narrator]

Prosecutors presented a detailed timeline retracing Hopch's movements, including his digital footprint in the days before and after the murders. They say as early as March 17, six days before the murders, he had looked into impersonating the doctor at his bank.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He's searching for Asian disguises and real.

[Narrator]

Flesh masks, like a Mission impossible face mask.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

100%. This is his fantastical world that he lived in.

[Narrator]

Evidence he ever purchased a mask. But a timestamped receipt and security video placed him at an Arizona gun store four days before the murders, purchasing ammunition and two firearms, including the alleged murder.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Weapon.22 pistol with a threaded barrel for what is a silencer or suppressor.

[Narrator]

On March 20, he was back in Oceanside, California, buying supplies before driving up to the Hans house under the guise of installing the energy machine. Instead, Ledenig says Hopsch bugged Henry's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

What keyloggers do is every stroke, every click of the mouse, every navigation page, you go, it documents all of it.

[Narrator]

To their surprise, investigators also found the keylogger on HopSch's laptop. On March 21, while HopSch was still at the Hahn's home, the keylogger had recorded chilling search terms on his laptop.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

What part of the skull is more penetrable? What ammunition would be better?

[Narrator]

As a guest in Dr. Hahn's house, he'd been staying there for the two nights before planning this execution style murder. Yes, Pierre Hopsch left the Hahn residence on March 22. But prosecutors allege he went back around 4am the next morning to carry out the murders. They say later that day, he began frantically trying to siphon money from Henry's accounts.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He's using phones, he's using fake email accounts. He's doing all these things from personal identifying information of Dr. Hahn's that he stole.

[Narrator]

Earlier that week, a chase fraud alert had flagged an attempted payment for $72,000. Meanwhile, Hopsch also rented that big truck he allegedly drove to the crime scene, hoping to move the bodies.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

There are black and whites all over that house. The crime scene's being processed.

[Narrator]

The Palumbo say the meeting they were supposed to have with Henry just hours after he was murdered had foiled Pierre Hopsch's plans. He thought that he had that whole day to clean up his mess before Henry would be missed.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

He wasn't missing.

[Narrator]

I think we screwed it up for Him. Happily, that's when prosecutors say he fled, driving south toward Oceanside. Ladenig argues Hopch's subsequent searches betray his guilty conscience. Is car searched entering Tijuana? How crime scene investigation works? And how long do fingerprints take to process? Incredibly, he even consulted an online psychic named Count Marco and asked him, will I get caught for what I did?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And Count Marco replies, well, what did you do, Pierre?

[Narrator]

Pierre Hopsch never gave Count Marco an explanation. But on the stand, he couldn't see. Stop talking. This was a tough case, but that didn't change the fact that Pierre was entitled to a vigorous defense. Defense attorney Christine Voss was in an unusual position. This was a really well investigated case because my client wanted to have a trial and wanted me to turn every stone. I did turn every stone and raise any possible reasonable doubt. You argued that there were elements presented that were implausible, unprovable, and simply impossible. Those were your words. Yeah. Voss expressed concerns that the alleged murder weapon and silencer found in Hopch's car didn't match up. It absolutely did not connect to the firearm that they believed was the murder weapon. She seized on discrepancies in the location data from Hopch's car and phone that the prosecution had used in its timeline. He could not possibly have been in San Diego and Santa Barbara simultaneously, or Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara simultaneously. But that's what the GPS data showed. And she attacked the credibility of the prosecution's star witness, T.J. durita. Voss questioned why Dorita waited nearly two days to contact authorities and argued in that time, he could have gotten details about the crime scene that the prosecution claimed. Only the killer knew it was not the best kept crime scene. He was making various phone calls after he heard about the death of Dr. Hahn. But Voss concedes much of Dorita's testimony was corroborated by the evidence.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

This case was over within the first 72 hours.

[Narrator]

In fact, the only witness who provided testimony that someone other than Pierre Hopsch was the killer was Pierre Hopsch. During three days on the stand, he repeated the action action packed account he had given detectives about having shootouts with shadowy figures. Now, he said he was sure they were sent by the Department of Energy. It sounds like there'd be a trail of bodies, but yet is there proof of this trail of bodies anywhere, to your knowledge? No. Which further made him believe it was the Department of Energy. And what about all that evidence investigators.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Found that DOE planted them there? It's all a frame. All that stuff is framed. The banking stuff, Frame job. What's in my car frame job.

[Narrator]

It was difficult for me to embrace Pierre's testimony. Do you think he himself believed some of the things he was saying were true? Oh, yeah, definitely. He was obsessed with the government. Samantha Spidell attests there were some kernels of truth in his stories. Pierre mentioned that his dad had ties to the CIA, and I could tell that he wanted his dad's approval. When his father died in 2023, his obituary stated he was a key player in clandestine Central Intelligence Agency operations during the 1980s.Hopsch also told Spidell that his sister was going to star in a reality TV show. She got cast on a newlyweds reality show and Pierre was going to be in it. Come to find out, that was true. In fact, both Hopch and his father made appearances on the second season of the Bravo TV series Newlyweds the first year.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Start by filling that up.

[Narrator]

Pierre was even shown giving his brother in law a cooking lesson.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

More black pepper.

[Narrator]

But prosecutor Ben Ledenig argued any grains of authenticity in Haupcha's life were far outweighed by deceit. You called him a lying liar who lies about lying, right?

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Lie, lie, lie, lie. Hundreds of lies we found on him. His life was a con.

[Narrator]

On November 24, 2021, Judge Brian Hill would get the case. None of Pierre Hopsch's family members attended his trial. The judge made his ruling guilty on all counts. The judge, when he issued his ruling, said his decision was beyond a shadow of a doubt. Absolutely no doubt of Pierre Hopsch's guilt.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Yeah, very satisfactory to hear that.

[Narrator]

I wasn't surprised. And what was Pierre's reaction upon hearing that ruling? Well, he was visibly disappointed. On April 15, 2022, Pierre Hopsch was sentenced to three life terms without the possibility of parole. It was little comfort to those still mourning Henry, Jenny and Emily.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

I don't understand how there really could be justice. He's still alive and they're not. He took precious moments that we'll never get.

[Narrator]

I want him to feel every pain possible for what he did.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Not enough bad things can happen for him.

[Narrator]

Nearly a decade after the murders, the wounds are still raw.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

It's hard to think of them. He was a really good man. You don't replace a Henry Hahn. No. Pretty much every day I think of Henry and Jenny and Emily.

[Narrator]

I love you.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

There's an old phrase that a good man in a good family lives for a limited time, but a good name shall live forever. They lived too short, but their name lives on forever. Now streaming on Paramount plus It's the epic return of Mayor of Kingstowne. Warden, you know who I am. Starring Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner. I sway in these walls. Emmy award winner Edie Falco.

[Narrator]

You're an ex con who ran this place for years. And now. Now you can't do that.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

And BAFTA award winner Lenny James. You're about to have a plague of outsiders descend on your town. Let me tell you this. There's gonna be consequences. Mayor of Kingstowne New season now streaming on Paramount plus Now streaming. Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery.

[Narrator]

We don't know what we're looking for.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Their bodies are the scene of the crime. No. Symptoms and history are clues.

[Narrator]

You saved her life.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

We're doctors. And we're detectives.

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I kind of love it, if I'm being honest.

[Interviewer/Reporter]

Solve the puzzle, save the patient. Watson. All episodes now streaming on Paramount plus.