Peter Hsuntse Pan, a 66-year-old accountant, was tragically murdered on August 18, 1985, in his home in Lake Merced, a suburb of San Francisco. On that fateful night, both Peter and his wife, Barbara Pan, were found in their blood-soaked bed, having been shot in the head. Peter was pronounced dead at the scene, while Barbara, though severely injured, survived but was left an invalid for the rest of her life.
The crime scene was marked by a chilling message scrawled on the wall in lipstick: an inverted pentagram and the words "Jack the Knife," a reference to a song by the heavy-metal band Judas Priest.
The investigation into Peter Pan's murder quickly revealed that the killer had entered the home through an open window. The brutality and specific markings at the scene led local police to suspect that the infamous "Night Stalker," Richard Ramirez, was responsible. This suspicion was confirmed when a bullet removed from Peter Pan matched those found at other crime scenes attributed to Ramirez. The Night Stalker had been terrorizing Los Angeles and San Francisco throughout 1985, committing numerous murders, rapes, and assaults.
Richard Ramirez, known for his satanic rituals and gruesome crimes, was eventually apprehended and charged with multiple counts of murder, including the killing of Peter Pan. The trial of Ramirez was a high-profile case, drawing significant media attention. He was convicted and sentenced to death, though he remained on death row until his death in 2013. The case of Peter Pan's murder remains a stark reminder of the terror inflicted by Ramirez during his reign of terror in California.
