Viswa Vanapalli‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ is a Netflix documentary directed by Fredrick Munk. It brings the viewers the tragic death of Crystal Theobald, a 24-year-old mother of two. She was fatally shot while in her car at an intersection close to her home. Her mother’s drive to see the perpetrators brought to justice eventually led to multiple convictions in the case. Chief among them was the arrest of Julio “Lil Huero” Heredia, the person who pulled the trigger that led to Crystal’s death. Curious to know where he is now? We’ve got you covered.
Who is Julio Heredia?
Julio Heredia had a difficult life growing up. According to his sister Amalia, it was tough living with their mother since she was into drugs and alcohol. This meant Julio was the one taking care of the family and had to make money to provide for them. Eventually, he had gotten into gang activities and became a part of 5150, a local gang in Riverside. On the night of February 24, 2006, Julio was responsible for the death of Crystal Theobald and injuring her boyfriend, Juan Patlan.
On that night, 18-year-old Julio and a few other members of the gang were driving around the neighborhood in two separate cars, hoping to respond to an earlier attack on one of their members by a rival gang. At the intersection, Julio got out of the car and shot multiple times at the car in which Crystal was present. The group at the time had wrongly believed that Crystal, her boyfriend, and her brother were members of the rival gang. Crystal’s mother, Belinda, who was in another car in front of Crystal, had seen everything unfold before the gang fled the scene. Crystal was shot in the head and had died two days later at a local hospital.
Belinda played an important role in the investigation because she had used fake profiles on MySpace to befriend William “Jokes” Sotelo, who later turned out to be the driver of the SUV in which carried Julio and the others. William then provided more information to the cops. Furthermore, Manuel “Tripper” Lemus and his brother, who were present in the SUV during the shooting, came forward with information regarding the events of that night. As a result, Julio Heredia was arrested and charged with the murder of Crystal Theobald.
Where is Julio Heredia Now?
Julio Heredia was convicted of first-degree murder in addition to other criminal offenses in 2011. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge had also sentenced him to a consecutive sentence of 138 years to life in relation to the other offenses. While the state initially sought the death penalty, it was later taken off the table at the request of Crystal’s family. As per prison records, he is imprisoned at the California State Prison — Sacramento in Represa, California.
Read More: Where is Manuel Lemus Now?
