Suvechha Sarkar
The episode titled ‘Justine’s Voice’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ sheds light on the heartbreaking homicide of 17-year-old Justine Renee Vanderschoot in September 2003. She had suddenly disappeared from her home, and a few days later, her remains were discovered in a wooded area in Applegate, California. During the investigation, detectives discovered that her boyfriend, Daniel Lee Bezemer, AKA Danny, and his friend, Brandon Alexander Fernandez, had committed the murder. Through in-depth interviews with the officials, the episode explores the circumstances surrounding the crime.
Brandon Fernandez and Daniel Bezemer Were Roommates When Justine Vanderschoot Disappeared
Brandon Alexander Fernandez was born sometime around 1982. Reports state that he had always been interested in computers and had once been prosecuted for computer hacking. However, no records suggest that he was convicted of the charge. From his early years, he had been friends with Daniel Lee Bezemer, also known as Danny. However, in the early 2000s, their friendship deteriorated when Daniel’s girlfriend, Justine Renee Vanderschoot, reportedly gave him an ultimatum to choose between her and Brandon. Although the two friends had fallen out of touch for a while, they reconnected and became roommates in 2002.
Daniel and Brandon came under the scrutiny of law enforcement when Justine suddenly went missing on the morning of September 2, 2003. According to reports, when questioned, they claimed they had been together at their apartment the night before. However, the alibi was refuted when Brandon’s cousin, Clayton Cole, contacted officials. In his statements, Clayton revealed that he and his friend were also present at Brandon and Daniel’s home, but the duo had gone out that fateful night and didn’t arrive until hours later. Brandon’s then-girlfriend, Lindsey Morris, stated on the show that he disliked Justine because he believed she had come between him and Daniel.
A detective on the show stated that Brandon had also created a website that ranked levels of violence and featured gruesome pictures. According to official reports, authorities learned from Justine’s friends that her relationship with Daniel had turned tumultuous since he suspected she was cheating on him. A breakthrough came when digital forensic experts checked Justine’s phone records and discovered that she had received the last two calls from Brandon before her phone was turned off. On September 17, 2003, when Brandon was questioned again, he claimed that on that fateful day, he spent the afternoon with his coworker, ran some errands, then returned home and fell asleep.
Brandon and Daniel Were Arrested After Their Confessions
As Brandon’s interrogation continued, he claimed that Daniel returned shortly after dinner with Justine’s family on that fateful day, contradicting the initial accounts that he and Daniel had been together. Court records specify that detectives then revealed a recorded call between Brandon and Clayton, in which the former asked his cousin to lie to police by saying Clayton and his friend were not at his apartment the night of the murder. Brandon then finally confessed that he, Daniel, and Justine had met at a park-and-ride, from where Daniel gave the directions leading them to a wooded area in Applegate, California. In his statements, he claimed that he had walked away from the scene when his friend wanted to speak to the 17-year-old alone.
Reports suggest that Brandon revealed that when he came back, he saw Daniel strangling Justine, but claimed that by then the 17-year-old was already dead. Brandon reportedly admitted to helping his friend bury her remains. Shortly after, he changed his statements and claimed that Justine was still alive when he reached the spot. On September 18, 2003, Brandon led officials to the location where the teenager’s remains were buried. Following that, when they questioned Daniel, he admitted to strangling Justine and pouring drain cleaner on her remains, per the records. In his statements, he claimed that he had stopped strangling his girlfriend, but Brandon asked him to continue since it was already an attempted murder.
According to official records, Daniel told officials that he and Brandon had dug the grave over the days leading up to the murder. Further search at the home of Brandon’s parents helped investigators recover the shovel that was used in the crime. Additionally, at his workplace, they found a shredded receipt for the purchase of new tires, which indicated his attempt to cover his tracks. Ultimately, Brandon and Daniel were arrested in September 2003 and charged with the murder of Justine. Police records indicate that during another statement to the prosecution, Daniel claimed that his friend had insisted on helping with the cover-up and had poured the cleaner down the 17-year-old’s throat.
Brandon and Daniel Are Incarcerated at Separate California Prison Facilities Today
On February 24, 2005, Brandon avoided a jury trial when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. By the following day, Daniel entered into a plea deal with the prosecution, pleading guilty to first-degree murder. On March 9, 2005, Brandon was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, while Daniel received a term of 25 years to life in prison. After the former’s parole suitability hearing on September 01, 2017, he was denied parole for the next 5 years. Things took a turn in 2018 when a murder law in California changed, which focused on reducing the defendant’s liability if he/she did not actually commit the murder but acted as an accessory after the fact.
In October 2020, Brandon filed a petition seeking to overturn his second-degree murder conviction and sentencing and insisted he should be resentenced on the charge of accessory after the fact under the revised law. However, the court dismissed his motion. Shortly thereafter, the Appellate Court overturned the dismissal, and the case proceeded to an evidentiary hearing. The hearing began in May 2024, during which the prosecution presented Daniel as a witness. He testified that he and Brandon had planned the murder for days and had dug up the grave before the crime was committed. Court records state that a witness testified seeing freshly dug earth at the same location three days before the murder, confirming that statement.
On the other hand, the defense insisted that although Brandon tried to hide his role in the cover-up, he never participated in the murder. On August 1, 2024, the judge denied his petition for resentencing and upheld his conviction. In the meantime, his parole was denied for another 5 years on July 28, 2022, and his upcoming parole suitability hearing is scheduled for July 2027. Similarly, Daniel was denied parole three times in August 2022, March 2023, and December 2025. His next parole suitability hearing is set for December 2028. As of writing, Brandon is serving his sentence at the San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California. Daniel is currently incarcerated at the Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California.
Read More: Daniel “Danny” Bezemer: Where is Justine Vanderschoot’s Killer Now?
