'What Jennifer Did': New Netflix documentary follows Ontario woman's murder-for-hire case

The story of an Ontario woman who was found to have hired hitmen to murder her parents is now the subject of a new Netflix documentary.

The woman, Jennifer Pan, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a 2010 incident at her Markham home that left her mother dead and her father seriously injured.

She was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years back in 2015.  

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Now, a new documentary titled ‘What Jennifer Did’ has been picked up by Netflix.

The feature-length documentary was added to Netflix in Canada on Wednesday. It examines the early years of Jennifer’s life, her love life that was intertwined with her alleged crimes and the event’s leading up to her mother’s murder. 

It also provides insight into three co-accused who were involved in the case and convicted on the same charges. They include Daniel Wong, her boyfriend at the time of conviction, and the two hitmen she hired – Lenford Crawford and David Mylvaganam.

During the trial, prosecutors said that Wong and Crawford acted as middlemen for Jennifer despite not being at the Pan home during the invasion. Another man, whose case proceeded separately, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 18 years.

The Crown said that Jennifer started plotting her parents’ murder after they forced her to choose between them and Wong. The ultimatum came after finding out that Pan had lied about her life for years, including lies about graduating both high school and university, volunteer experience and her career.

A woman accused in the killing of her mother and attempted murder of father during an apparent home robbery in November 2010 testified at her trial on Tuesday (CTV Toronto/John Mantha)

Despite moving home after the ultimatum, Pan continued to have a trying relationship with her parents. It was around that time, at 24-years-old, that she hired hitmen to go forward with the attempted murders.

CONVICTED TO GET RE-TRIAL, FIRST DEGREE MURDER CHARGES WILL HOLD

The documentary comes after a new development to the case announced last year. In May 2023, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a re-trial for the four accused due to a error by the trial judge in not also permitting the jury to consider manslaughter in the case.

The two scenarios offered by the trial judge included one in which Pan's plan was to murder each of her parents. The second scenario suggested that the plan was to stage a home invasion leading to her parents being shot.

According to the appeal court, the trial judge should have given the jury second-degree murder and manslaughter as options for the jury to consider.

• READ MORE: Ontario court orders new murder trial for Jennifer Pan convicted in plot to kill parents

All appeals on the attempted murder convictions were dismissed by the court.

Stephanie DiGiuseppe, a lawyer that represented Pan in the appeal, told CTV News Toronto that the scheduling for the re-trial has been temporarily put on hold.

“While no dates have yet been set, we expect the Supreme Court hearing to occur in late 2024 or early 2025,” she wrote in an email.

A cross-appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada has been requested, as well as a Crown appeal. The scheduling of the re-trial depends on these outcomes.

-With files from the Canadian Press