Placer County District Attorney
In a chilling case that has haunted California for two decades, Placer County prosecutors have recounted the brutal murder of 17-year-old Justine Vanderschoot, who was buried alive in 2003 by her boyfriend, Daniel Bezemer, and his friend, Brandon Fernandez. The two young men had already dug her grave deep in the California woods before carrying out their grim plan.
The tragic events unfolded on Labor Day 2003. Justine, along with her boyfriend Bezemer, 18, left a family gathering to meet up with 21-year-old Fernandez. Investigators say Bezemer, driven by intense jealousy, strangled Justine, and together, the two men placed her body in Fernandez’s car. They transported her to the woods, where they stripped her, poured what authorities believe was methanol on her, and buried her.
According to Deputy District Attorney Timothy Weerts, both Bezemer and Fernandez later admitted that Justine was still alive when they buried her, recalling that she “made noises and moved in the grave.” Her mother, Lynnette Vanderschoot, shared a haunting detail at a 2017 parole hearing: “She had dirt in her esophagus and lungs… She was gasping for air when they buried her.” A pathologist later confirmed that the evidence was consistent with her having been buried alive.
The couple’s relationship, which had once seemed like a typical high school romance, was reportedly marred by Bezemer’s controlling jealousy. Prosecutors claim that Bezemer’s increasing obsession with control ultimately “defined” their relationship and culminated in murder. On that fateful night, Placer County Sheriff’s detectives knocked on the Vanderschoots’ door, delivering the news that “your daughter’s not coming home.”
Both Bezemer and Fernandez were ultimately convicted of murder. In 2005, Bezemer was sentenced to 25 years to life for first-degree murder. Now 40, he was denied parole in both 2022 and 2023 and is set for another hearing in 2028. Fernandez, sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder, has also been denied parole twice and is scheduled for a third hearing in 2027. In recent years, Fernandez petitioned for resentencing based on a 2019 California law that allows for reduced liability for accomplices in murder cases. However, his petition was denied.
Justine’s family has expressed outrage over such reform laws, calling them “misguided.” “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?” they said in a statement following Fernandez’s petition denial.
In a powerful move to honor Justine’s memory, her family collaborated with Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire to draft state legislation that mandates teen dating violence education in California schools, aiming to prevent such tragedies. Gore praised the family’s resilience, noting how they’ve “turned their pain into purpose,” using their experience to advocate for greater awareness and prevention of relationship violence.
