The documentary dives into the events of November 8, 2010, when Pan called 911 and reported that three gunmen had forced their way into her Markham home and "demanded money."
According to the Netflix description, "Jennifer said that the intruders tied her up, shot both of her parents and fled." Her mother, Bich Ha Pan, died instantly, while her father, Huei Hann Pan, needed urgent medical care for his injuries.
At first, police thought the family were "random victims of a deadly home invasion," but as more information came to light, it became evident that Jennifer knew more than she had initially told officials.
The Canadian woman was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
With the 14th anniversary of the Markham attack and murder coming up, here's what we know about who Jennifer Pan is, what she did and where she is in 2024.
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Who is Jennifer Pan?
A young Jennifer Pan.
Jennifer Pan is a Canadian woman whose parents came to Canada as refugees from Vietnam. They lived in Scarborough before moving to Unionville, a neighbourhood in Markham, Ontario, in 2004.
According to the Washington Post, Jennifer's parents saw their daughter as a "golden" child who had achieved straight As throughout high school and graduated from the University of Toronto's pharmacology program.
However, the outlet reports that Jennifer had lied about her accomplishments and not only did she not graduate from UofT, she didn't graduate from high school either.
A story published in Toronto Life by Karen K. Ho, who says she was a year behind Jennifer at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in Scarborough, explains how Jennifer forged her report cards.
The story also outlines how "controlling" Jennifer's parents were and that they had high expectations for their daughter.
After finding out about her academic lies, Ho says Jennifer's parents took away her laptop and cellphone and kept the 22-year-old "housebound" for two weeks, also permanently forbidding her from seeing her then-boyfriend, Daniel Wong.
What did Jennifer Pan do?
According to Netflix, a then-24-year-old Jennifer became fed up with her parents' expectations and worked with Wong to plan her parents' murder.
The streamer says Jennifer hired three hitmen to break into her parents' home in November 2010 and kill them, making it look like a robbery gone wrong.
Shortly after the incident, Jennifer called 911 and told police that intruders had tied her up and shot her parents before getting away, per the Toronto Star.
Jennifer's mother, Bich Ha, was shot dead, and her father, Huei Hann, was seriously injured and put in an induced coma for days following the attack.
After interviews with friends, family and detectives, police later determined that Jennifer was involved in orchestrating the attack. She left the house unlocked to allow the intruders to get inside, and after waking up from his coma, Jennifer's father told police he saw his daughter speaking with one of the intruders "like a friend."
The Star reports Jennifer paid the hitmen $10,000 to carry out the attack.
Netflix says during a third police interview, Jennifer confessed to hiring the men but said the plan was for them to kill her, and not her parents.
However, investigators determined that it was a lie, and in fact, this wasn't the first time Jennifer had attempted to hire people to kill her parents.
Where is Jennifer Pan in 2024?
Jennifer Pan.
Jennifer Pan was found guilty of the first-degree murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her father in December 2014. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Three accomplices — Daniel Wong, David Mylvaganam and Lenford Crawford — were convicted as well and received the same sentence as Jennifer. According to Netflix, a fourth accomplice, Eric Carty's case was initially declared a mistrial, but a year later, he was handed an 18-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit murder. Carty died in prison in 2018.
In May 2023, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ordered new trials for Pan, Wong, Mylvaganam and Crawford's first-degree murder convictions.
According to a CTV News report, the trial judge should have given the jury second-degree murder and manslaughter as "other possible verdicts in the death of Pan's mother."
The Supreme Court of Canada is "currently deciding whether or not it will hear the case," the Netflix documentary description reads.
Jennifer remains incarcerated at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario.
Where is Jennifer Pan's father now?
Huei Hann Pan (left) and Bich Ha Pan (right).
During her trial, Jennifer was ordered by the court to have no further contact with her family, including her father, Huei Hann Pan, and her brother, Felix Pan.
According to Toronto Life, Huei Hann and Felix wrote victim impact statements that were read during the trial.
"When I lost my wife, I lost my daughter at the same time," Huei Hann wrote. "I don't feel like I have a family anymore. […] Some say I should feel lucky to be alive but I feel like I am dead too."
The 2015 article says Huei Hann, who survived being shot in the face, was unable to work due to his injuries from the attack and suffered from anxiety and insomnia.
He reportedly didn't want to live in his Markham home after the incident and moved in with family nearby.
It's unknown if he has spoken to his daughter since her trial and sentencing.
Where is Jennifer Pan's brother?
Jennifer has a younger brother named Felix, who, according to the 2015 Toronto Life article, moved to the East Coast following what happened to their parents.
He reportedly wanted to "escape the stigma of being a member of the Pan family" and suffered from depression.
It's unclear if he's spoken with his sister since then.
Jennifer Pan Netflix documentary
On April 10, 2024, Netflix released a documentary about the Canadian crime case involving Jennifer Pan.
What Jennifer Did details what happened on November 8, 2010, when Pan made a 911 call from her Markham home saying she and her parents had been the victims of an attack.
"Initially, the Pans appeared to be the random victims of a deadly home invasion, a shocking anomaly in their quiet residential neighbourhood," the documentary description reads.
"But as more details emerged, it became clear that Jennifer knew more about what happened that night than she was letting on."
The Netflix documentary is based on former Metroland reporter Jeremy Grimaldi's 2016 book A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story.
In an interview with YorkRegion.com, Grimaldi said his book and the documentary only touch on a small portion of the complex case and didn't rule out the possibility of a sequel in the future.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
