Justine Vanderschoot: Family Fights to Keep Killers Behind Bars

Justine Vanderschoot was a 17-year-old high school student from Placer County, California, who was brutally murdered on Labor Day in 2003.

A Brutal Murder

Her body turned up two weeks later in a remote, hand-dug grave in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Investigators quickly learned her boyfriend, Daniel Bezemer, and his roommate, Brandon Fernandez, strangled Justine Vanderschoot and buried her alive.

Decades later, her parents and sister aren’t just living with the loss. They are locked in a grueling battle against California’s legal system to keep both men behind bars.

The Family Impacts

According to CBS News, “It was Sept. 18, 2003 when Justine Vanderschoot’s remains were discovered,” but outside her bedroom window, her parents Don and Lynnette still tend a quiet spot they call “Justine’s Garden.”

“It’s…21 years since we’ve lost Justine…but it’s still very fresh in our mind,” Lynnette Vanderschoot told CBS News. Her sister, Christine, summed up the two decades without her best friend saying how much she missed her.

Finding The Grave

The murder was carefully planned. Bezemer was possessive and convinced Justine Vanderschoot wanted out of the relationship.

The investigation took a major turn when horse trainer Matt Scribner came forward. As reported by CBS News, Scribner was riding his horse through the Auburn trails days before she vanished when he spotted a freshly dug hole.

When he rode past the same spot a week later, someone had filled the hole and covered it with dirt and brush.

Scribner called the Sheriff’s Department. That tip led detectives straight to her remains.

A Confession

When investigators separated the two men for questioning, the alibis fell apart. FBI Agent Jeff Rinek asked Fernandez, “Have you ever seen anyone die, Brandon?” Fernandez broke, confessed to helping bury her, and led officers to the site.

Bezemer then admitted to strangling her and using chemicals to try to hide the evidence. Autopsy results showed dirt in her lungs. She was still breathing when they threw her into the ground.

Sentenced But Parole Looms

Bezemer got 25 years to life for first-degree murder. Fernandez got 15 years to life for second-degree murder. The family remains deeply troubled that despite planning the murder and burying a teenager alive, both convicted killers continue seeking parole.

For crime victims in California, a prison sentence seldom means an end to the ordeal for the family. Sometimes it ends up with prolonged years of hearings.

California’s parole system is designed to balance public safety with rehabilitation. For many victims’ families, however, repeated hearings mean reliving traumatic events over and over again.

According to Prism News, the proceedings end up as a “steady series” of painful court dates, each one reopening wounds. Rather than offering closure, the system keeps both the accused and the victims’ loved ones trapped in a legal cycle with no end in sight.

Repeated Revisitations

The cases involving Brandon Fernandez and Daniel Bezemer have continued through repeated parole hearings and in July 2022, the California Department of Corrections denied Fernandez parole.

A month later, Bezemer had his own hearing, but officials dismissed it over technicalities. By March 2023, Bezemer faced the board again and was denied once more. Then in August 2024 there was another rejection, and finally in late 2025, Bezemer lost yet another bid for release.

For the family of Justine Vanderschoot, it feels like a never-ending nightmare. Every hearing forces them to relive September 2003 all over again. Yet they continue advocating for teen dating violence education in high schools.

The Next Hearings

In the meantime, the next parole hearing for Brandon Fernandez is set for July next year, and Daniel Bezemer’s for 2028. However, in the case of Bezemer, he can petition for an earlier hearing.

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