All charges against 50-year-old Chong Dan, of Philadelphia, were held over for trial on Wednesday night following a five-hour preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
Dan was charged in early December with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and related offenses, in connection with the investigation into the November 2020 shooting death of Ebony Pack in Lansdale. Dan is the second suspect to be arrested in connection with the incident — following the arrest of Ricky Vance in April 2021 — and the third to be charged in connection with the investigation, following Vance and Terrance Marche, who is still being sought by law enforcement.
With the charges being held over trial, Dan’s next court appearance will be a formal arraignment at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Norristown. A date for his arraignment has not been scheduled at this time.
The Incident and Investigation
Police were dispatched to the intersection of East Hancock Street and Church Road for a report of a vehicle accident with shots fired at 9:59 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2020. Upon arrival, police located a Nissan sedan — driven by Pack — which was stopped on a curb at the intersection. Police said the vehicle sustained numerous bullet-strikes to the driver’s side door.
Pack sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the incident, including two gunshot wounds to the chest and one to the leg, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Pack was transported from the scene via ambulance to Abington-Lansdale Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Following the shooting, a joint investigation was launched by the Lansdale Borough Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau. Investigators pulled surveillance footage from the nearby North Penn School District Educational Services Building, which showed that as the victim’s vehicle stopped at the intersection, a second vehicle pulled along-side her vehicle and then quickly drove away, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim’s vehicle then slowly rolled through the intersection until it crashed into a light pole, the report states. A total of 10 fired 9mm casings were found at the scene, according to the complaint.
Investigators learned that the victim would travel the same route every evening from her residence in Feasterville to her girlfriend’s house in Lansdale via the Pennsylvania Turnpike. On the evening of the shooting, Pack went through the Bensalem Plaza at 9:27 p.m. and exited the Fort Washington Plaza at 9:42 p.m. Investigators said that at both points, her vehicle was followed by a dark-colored Cadillac with counterfeit paper registration tags — the same vehicle captured on surveillance at the scene of the shooting — and they later determined that the vehicle was owned by Ricky Vance, 52, of Philadelphia, according to the report.
Vance was arraigned in April 2021 on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possession of a prohibited firearm and related conspiracy offenses in connection with the incident.
Testing on the vehicle showed particles indicative of gunshot residue on the passenger side of the Cadillac, which was consistent with the video of the shooting, the report states.
In the wake of the shooting, investigators spoke with the victim’s girlfriend, who stated that she began dating the victim in July 2020 and broke up with her ex-boyfriend — identified as Dan — at the same time, the report states. The girlfriend said Dan referred to the victim as “that dyke,” and was aware of the type of vehicle that the victim drove, according to the report.
The girlfriend told investigators that since she ended her relationship with Dan, he became abusive and harassing towards her, the report states. At one point, the girlfriend recalled hearing Dan say either “I’m going to fix her” or “I have something for her” in relation to victim, however the girlfriend did not believe that it was a direct threat toward Pack, according to the report.
Ultimately, the girlfriend secured a protection from abuse order against Dan, investigators said.
Investigators said that on the evening of the shooting, cellphone tracing showed that Vance, Dan and a third man — identified as Marche — travelled from different directions to an area of East Mount Airy Philadelphia just after 7:50 p.m. The location was determined to be signification due to it being in the area of a residence of Dan’s current girlfriend, according to the report.
According to information from the district attorney’s office, Marche has been identified by investigators as the person responsible for procuring the counterfeit registration tags for Vance. Additionally, cell phone records showed that Vance and Marche were together at a residence in Philadelphia prior to the shooting, and then all cell phone activity stopped, investigators said. The cell activity resumed after the shooting, and they met back up at Vance’s residence in Philadelphia following the shooting, according to the criminal complaint.
Marche then returned to his home in King of Prussia, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators believe he was the trigger man, firing the shots from the passenger seat of the vehicle that Vance was driving, according to the release from the district attorney’s office.
After the announcement of Vance’s arrest, Marche was driven to the Philadelphia International Airport by his fiancé for a flight to Honduras, where he was going to meet with a man believed to Dan, investigators said. While Marche was in Honduras, he spoke regularly with his fiancé, however all communications ceased abruptly in mid-May 2021, according to the district attorney’s office.
Dan told Marche’s fiancé that Marche had gone missing in Honduras, investigators said.
“Detectives have worked diligently to solve the puzzle of Ebony’s death and the evidence they have uncovered points to Dan, whose anger and jealousy provided the clear motive for the killing of his former girlfriend’s new love interest,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “Ms. Pack was an innocent victim, and we will continue to work to get justice for her.”
Dan was arraigned on Dec. 3, 2021 by District Judge Ed Levine, who remanded Dan to county jail without bail.
Anyone with information regarding this homicide or the whereabouts of Terrance Marche is asked to contact the Montgomery County Detectives’ Tip Line at 610-278-DOIT (3648) or Lansdale Borough Police at 215-368-1801.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Third Suspect Charged in Connection with November 2020 Fatal Shooting in Lansdale
Arrest Warrant Issued for Second Man in Connection with Lansdale Homicide
Philadelphia Man Charged with Murder in Connection with Shooting Death of Ebony Pack in Lansdale
Police Renew Calls For Public Assistance In Lansdale Shooting Incident, Reward Of $10,000 Available
Reward Offered For Info Leading To Arrest In Shooting Death Of Ebony Pack In Lansdale
Investigators Provide Update To Fatal Shooting In Lansdale, Renew Calls For Public Assistance
Lansdale Police Chief Addresses Public Concerns Following Weekend Shooting
Lansdale Shooting Victim Identified, Homicide Investigation Launched
Report: Shots Fired Into Vehicle, At Least One Wounded In Lansdale
