Philadelphia men found guilty in 'murder for hire' of Lower Southampton nurse
Two Philadelphia men were found guilty of being part of the "murder for hire" of a Lower Southampton woman in Lansdale almost two years ago.
On Monday morning, following a week-long trial, jurors found Chong Ling Dan, 50, and Ricky Vance, 54, guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Ebony Pack, 30, on Nov. 28, 2020, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
The men were convicted on what would have been Pack's 32nd birthday. They face a sentence of life in prison.
Montgomery County authorities said Dan concocted a plan to have Vance and Terrence Marche, 48, kill Pack, who had been dating his ex-girlfriend, Jasmine Stokes, at the time. Prosecutors said Stokes owed Dan money, and he wanted to get back at her.
"This was a well-planned, well-executed, well-concealed murder for hire," Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Mills said during her opening statements last week.
She pointed to cellphone records and turnpike photo records that she said proved that Marche and Vance had followed Pack and killed her that night. She said a gunman "unloaded" at least 10 shots into Pack's vehicle that night.
She was fatally shot while stopped at the intersection of East Hancock Street and Church Road about 10 p.m.
Attorneys for Vance and Pack told jurors there was no evidence that that the men were involved in her death.
John McMahon Jr., Vance's attorney, said his client never left Philadelphia that night. Vance, who was friends with Marche, lent Marche his car that night, and Marche seemed to be acting "not quite right" when he came back to return it, he said.
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Vance, he said, did not have contact with Dan before, during, or after the killing.
Montgomery County authorities said Vance's car was seen following Pack on the turnpike from the Bensalem entrance to the Fort Washington exit between 9:27 p.m. and 9:42 p.m. that night.
Jury finds Chong Ling Dan and Ricky Vance both guilty of First-Degree Murder in the Killing of Ebony Pack.
— Montgomery County DA (@MontcopaDA) September 26, 2022
Marche was a mutual friend of Dan and Vance, and cellphone data showed all three of them were in the same vicinity in Philadelphia prior to the homicide, according to police. That data showed Vance and Marche headed back to near Vance's home together following Pack's death, police said.
Vance denied any involvement in the incident, however, police found gun residue inside his vehicle, which was consistent with a passenger shooting from his vehicle after pulling up alongside Pack's, authorities allege.
Vance was the first one arrested in the homicide last year, months after the killing. After that, authorities said Dan and Marche went to Honduras. Dan returned, however investigators have not been able to locate Marche, who also faces charges in Pack's death.
Guy Sciolla, Dan's attorney, claimed during his opening statements there was no evidence that Dan orchestrated the killing. He claimed Stokes had changed her story to police many times since Pack's death.
He questioned why Dan would do something to Pack, someone he did not know.
"If you're mad at (Stokes), why would you kill a third party?" Sciolla said.
Stokes was "holding" $19,000 for him, and when they split up, Dan demanded the money back, officials have said. She gave him $10,000, and spent the other $9,000, the DA's office said. Lansdale police said Dan had been abusive and harassed her after they broke up in July 2020.
In addition to first-degree murder, Dan was found guilty third-degree murder, solicitation to commit those offenses and conspiracy to commit those offenses. Vance was found guilty of first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit those offenses and prohibited possession of a firearm.
A sentencing date has not been set.
Pack was a nurse who cared for patients who suffered from COVID-19 at the time of her death, according to the Philadelphia Obituary Project Pack, who had two daughters, was known for her "happy and bright" energy, according to her obituary.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ebony Pack murder: Jury convicts men in fatal shooting in Lansdale
