Most of the verbal swordplay of the Pierre Haobsh murder trial Friday morning went to impeaching witnesses, but the evidence presented later in the day reminded everyone in Judge Brian Hill's courtroom of the horrible crime the man at the defense table was accused of committing. From the witness stand, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Detective Travis Henderson verified that what looked like big plastic cocoons found in the Han family's garage on March 23, 2016, held the murdered remains of the well-respected herbalist Dr. Henry Han; his wife, Jenny Yu; and their 5-year-old daughter, Emily Han.
Prosecutor Ben Ladinig directed Henderson through a description of the photos, with the help of Deputy DA Casey Nelson, while a handful of reporters and a couple members of the public watched. The slideshow started with an aerial of the seven acres of avocado orchard and chaparral around the Hans' home on Greenhill Way in Noleta, narrowed to a side window in the garage, and then to the bodies wrapped in clear plastic sheeting and duct tape alongside the detritus of home life — a pink bicycle helmet, a car seat, boxes of stuff, random furniture, and clothing — beside two vehicles in the garage.
The scene switched to an Arco station in Bonsall, California, where Haobsh was arrested just after midnight on March 25, 2016, and photos of his red Lexus, cell phones, sales receipts, and a Glock 9mm barely visible beneath the driver's seat. Next was surveillance video from Arizona Firearms, where Haobsh is seen purchasing a Glock 9mm, a Ruger .22, and three boxes of ammunition on March 19. Several more photos displayed the plastic sheeting, rolls of duct tape, drill, grinder, and welding brazer that officers had bought in duplicating Haobsh's purchases per receipts found in his red Lexus. Other slides showed Haobsh visiting El Capitán State Park on March 22 and also evidence of his phone being used to search online for information on making a silencer, before Judge Hill noted it was nearly 4:30 p.m. and the presentation ended for the day.