Horse trainer discovers pre-dug grave of missing California teen

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It was Labor Day play 2003 erstwhile Matt Scribner, a section equine farrier and trainer who besides competes successful long-distance equine races, was connected his accustomed thrust successful a distant portion of the Sierra Nevada foothills — conscionable a fewer miles northeast of Auburn, California —when helium noticed a freshly dug spread on the way that piqued his curiosity.

"48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales revisited the tract connected horseback with Scribner, who told her, "The remainder of my ride, I kept trying to warrant wherefore [the hole] was there."

"It benignant of haunted you, it sounds like," said Morales.

"It did," Scribner agreed. And it would haunt him for years to travel arsenic Scribner tells Morales successful an encore of "Justine's Voice," airing Saturday, July 25 astatine 9/8c connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount+.

Scribner had returned with his equine to thrust the aforesaid way a week later. He saw a hunt squad gathering astatine the parkland and thrust nearby. Like everyone successful the community, Scribner was alert that section teen Justine Vanderschoot had been missing. As helium rode past the country wherever helium had seen the freshly dug hole, helium present saw a mattress. Scribner says helium didn't fishy thing since the country was utilized arsenic a dumping crushed of sorts. It would beryllium different week-and-a-half earlier helium would recognize helium was a cardinal witnesser successful a execution case, erstwhile the section insubstantial reported that Justine's remains had been found, and her boyfriend, Danny Bezemer, and his roommate, Brandon Fernandez, had been arrested and charged with her murder.

"The Auburn Journal had a photograph of conscionable the brushwood ... wherever Justine had been buried," Scribner said. "I went, 'Oh my gosh.' ... I saw the freshly dug spread 3 days anterior to her disappearance. ... I instantly ... contacted the [Placer County] sheriff's department."

Retired Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner told "48 Hours," "That was a large portion of grounds ... that's perfectly coldblooded, premeditated."

Justine's parents, Don and Lynnette Vanderschoot, had reported her missing connected Sept. 2, 2003, aft Lynnette had awoken successful the aboriginal greeting hours to find that Justine wasn't successful her chamber and her truck, usually parked successful the driveway, was gone. They reached retired to their assemblage for assistance uncovering her, but much than 2 weeks passed with nary motion of Justine.

"It felt sinister," Bonner told "48 Hours."

Sheriff's detectives spoke with radical wrong Justine's interior circle, and rapidly zeroed successful connected Bezemer and Fernandez. Bezemer was known to beryllium jealous and possessive, and, according to Justine's friends, helium believed she was cheating connected him.

"There is simply a content close away," Bonner said, "that [Bezemer and Fernandez] are concealing thing astir Justine's disappearance. ... We needed to abstracted them, fig one, but to person 1 rotation connected the other."

Placer County Sheriff's detectives enlisted the assistance of the FBI. On Sept. 17, 2003, FBI cause Jeff Rinek and his spouse Chris Hopkins interviewed Fernandez astatine the FBI gathering successful Sacramento portion Bezemer was questioned by detectives astatine sheriff's headquarters.

Rinek — who had earned a estimation for eliciting confessions, peculiarly successful cases involving children — asked Fernandez a cardinal question: "Have you ever seen anyone die, Brandon?" Under pressure, Fernandez confessed and led investigators to Justine's sedate — the aforesaid spot wherever Scribner had seen the spread freshly dug, past covered up. Fernandez said Bezemer had strangled Justine and made him assistance hide her. Her autopsy would aboriginal bespeak she was inactive breathing erstwhile she was buried.

Bezemer admitted to detectives helium strangled Justine, but alleged Fernandez was the mastermind. Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire told Morales, "Brandon does a beauteous bully occupation incriminating Danny, and Danny does a beauteous bully occupation of incriminating Brandon."

Danny Bezemer, left, and Brandon Fernandez

Taking into information Justine's family's wishes to debar a painful, prolonged trial, some men were offered plea deals. In 2005, Bezemer pleaded blameworthy to first-degree execution and received a condemnation of 25 years to life, portion Fernandez pleaded blameworthy to second-degree execution successful speech for a condemnation of 15 years to life.

But aft a 2018 alteration to the instrumentality of execution successful California, Fernandez petitioned to person his execution condemnation thrown out. The caller instrumentality reduced the culpability of defendants who didn't really bash the sidesplitting and didn't mean for anyone to die, similar a getaway operator successful a robbery gone wrong. Fernandez asked to beryllium resentenced arsenic an accessory aft the fact. His defence lawyer Steve Defilippis told "48 Hours" his lawsuit is not blameworthy of Justine's execution and insists Bezemer threatened him into helping him aft the fact.

Change successful California instrumentality could supply way to state for a convicted killer 03:34

"Clearly Brandon was ... successful the wrong," Defilippis said. "He shouldn't person participated successful the cover-up of this, and that's what helium did."

Both sides would person to contiguous their lawsuit successful an evidentiary proceeding successful May 2024. If Fernandez's petition is granted, helium would beryllium released connected clip served — a terrifying thought for the Vanderschoots, who accidental helium is inactive dangerous.

"He inactive has not taken immoderate responsibility," Lynette said. "He's blameworthy conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic Danny."

"We're warring for her," Justine's sister, Christine, told Morales. "She doesn't person a voice, truthful we're her voice."

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