Triple-murder suspect Pierre Haobsh reportedly pleads not guilty

Update: Our partners at Noozhawk are reporting triple-murder suspect Pierre Haobsh plead not guilty in the Santa Barbara County Superior court today.
Haobsh told the court he is no longer requesting to represent himself in the case.
The 27 year old is accused of murdering Santa Barbara herb clinic doctor Henry Han, Han’s wife, and their 5 year old daughter in March of 2016. Haobsh faces the death penalty.

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Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley will seek the death penalty against Pierre Haobsh.

The announcement was made Friday afternoon in Santa Barbara Superior Court.

Haobsh, 27, is accused of killing Weidong “Henry” Han, his wife Jennie and their five-year-old daughter Emily in March of 2016.

Dudley told Superior Court Judge Brian Hill:

“Assuming he is found guilty of the crimes he is accused of committing, he should be sentenced to the most sever punishment under California’s law which is the death penalty.

By signing this document I put this case into the hands of the good people of Santa Barbara County to decide on both his guilt and if necessary his punishment.

Of course, as always, this and all defendants, must be persumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.”

Dudley has never requested a death penalty sentence during her tenure in office which began in June 2010.

She did say in court the “people were seeking a fair trial.”

Haobsh was a business partner of Han who ran the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic on State Street.

Haobsh was arrested in San Diego County soon after the Han Family was found dead in their Goleta Valley home.

Judge Hill also received a request from Public Defender Christine Vos who requested a ruling to prevent anyone associated with the case from speaking to the news media.

A court action was taken, and Dudley left the courtroom without making any further comments to the press. Her prosecuting team of Benjamin Ladinig and Hilary Dozer finished the proceedings.

An official ruling on the “gag order” would prevent not just the attorney teams on both sids of this case from talking to the media but it would also extend to investigators, office staffs, law enforcement officers, court clerks, bailiffs and witnesses. Judge Hill said he did not want anything to potentially bias the community, and he did not want anyone to hold a press conference or talk about the facts of the case.

He stressed that everything in the case would be done in open court.

Violating the order would be contempt of court.

Haobsh is scheduled to be back in court on September 19.

In court today it was learned that Haobsh has prepared a letter requesting that he represent himself in this case. Judge Hill said that will be discussed at the next hearing, saying “sometimes people do things impulsively.” Haobsh agreed to discuss the letter on the 19th.

Haobsh has appeared in prior court hearings in a shirt and tie with a nearly groomed haircut. Today he was in an orange jail uniform, chains on his arms and longer hair.

The hearing today was specially scheduled in the court calendar at the request of the District Attorney’s Office. A jury trial proceeding in the same court was delayed while the Haobsch case was heard.