Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Justine’s Voice’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ delves deep into the horrific murder of Justine Vanderschoot, a 17-year-old high-school goer who was killed by someone she held close to her — Danny Bezemer, her boyfriend. He reportedly took help from his best friend, Brandon Fernandez. The tragedy rocks the entire community and scars the victim’s family, which includes her parents — Don and Lynnette Vanderschoot — and her sister, Christine. The documentary also highlights the family’s collective fight against the justice system during the killers’ parole hearings.
Justine Vanderschoot’s Family Fought Hard to Keep Her Killers Incarcerated
Justine Vanderschoot was the younger daughter of Don and Lynnette Vanderschoot, who considered her the apple of their eyes alongside her older sister, Christine Vanderschoot. The loving and caring household was torn apart on Labour Day of 2003 when Justine was killed by her 18-year-old boyfriend, Daniel “Danny” Bezemer, and his 21-year-old roommate and best friend, Brandon Fernandez. In order to avoid a lengthy trial, the prosecution offered both the perpetrators plea deals upon the family’s request. They pleaded guilty and received multiple years of sentence but with the possibility of parole.
Fast forward to 14 years later, the Vanderschoot family’s fight to keep the killers behind bars began as Brandon became eligible for parole in 2017. In August of the same year, they held a vigil in remembrance of Justine and highlighted the pending release of one of the murderers. During the night vigil, Don Vanderschoot stated, “She was only 17. He served 14 years. What’s right about that?” Meanwhile, her sister, Christine, said, “Danny was a little soft. He was a follower, he wasn’t leader. Whereas Brandon, yes, he was a leader. And he could get people to follow him. That’s why my family and I are fighting extra hard. We really do believe he was the number 1 plotter and planner behind the events that happened.”
Thanks to pressure from the family and the rest of the community, Brandon’s appeal for parole was denied three times in the course of the following five years. In August 2022, even Daniel Bezemer was up for parole with the emergence of the state’s Youthful Parole Act. However, his appeal was denied due to a technical issue from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His appeal of March 2023 was also denied by the state. The family became concerned in December 2023 when Brandon’s resentencing hearing was granted, but they were able to breathe a sigh of relief when his release was denied, and his sentence was upheld in the summer of 2024.
While Don and Lynnette Are Leading a Life of Privacy, Christine is Now Engaged to the Love of Her Life
Following this personal win, the Vanderschoot family can stay care-free for the next three years or so, when the two killers would be up for parole once again. Don, Lynnette, and Christine Vanderschoot released a collective statement: “We are deeply grateful to the DA’s office, our loved ones and the community, who have stayed by our side even decades later. With that said, we hope this hearing is a reminder to our state Legislature of the pain their laws are inflicting on everyday residents. We ask, what kind of message are we sending to our young women – that someone can plan, scheme and execute a horrific murder against a teenage girl and be eligible for legal relief?”
The statement also addressed their issue with the reform laws. It added, “Violence against women should never be tolerated and we hope our politicians will listen to the experts next time when drafting these misguided reform laws. While we are happy with today’s result, we also wish this continued trauma on no other family.” Residing in Auburn, California, Don and Lynnette keep their late daughter in their memories and celebrate her life every now and then, especially on special occasions like her birthday. From what we can tell, Lynnette leads a quite active social life as she regularly meets up with her friends.
Supporting Christine Vanderschoot in her quest for justice for her sister is her fiancé, David Thorsnes-Mueller, whom she has been dating since 2022. The Colfax High graduate currently resides in Rancho Cordova, California, with David. On November 23, 2023, he popped the question to her, and ever since then, the couple has been engaged and looking forward to taking their relationship to the next level and making it official.
Read More: Justine Vanderschoot: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
You must be logged in to post a comment.