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when scott and janet pettitt were found dead after their bedroom had gone up in flames police soon discovered it was no
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accident police quickly eyed the couple's son brandon after one of the neighbors said
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he was strange the alleged motive to inherit his parents money but his sister says there was no motive
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for him to kill their parents adding brandon loved them and actually benefited more with their parents alive
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she even said brandon had an alibi the night of the fire working the graveyard shift as a security guard
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but investigators were soon tipped off to another suspect by brandon himself felix valverde
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in his first interview with police brandon mentioned other friends but failed to mention felix as they searched
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felix's apartment police found keys to the pet at home their wallets a box of ammunition and seven spent shell casings
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in his second interview with police brandon admitted he had given felix bullets in the weeks leading up to the
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murders and had also given him a hundred dollars just days after the murders but brandon denied it had anything to do
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with the murders and brandon also made a stunning admission he said a month before the fire felix threatened to kill
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his parents unless he paid him ten thousand dollars so he tells you he has killed his
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parents you give him ammunition and then you give him a hundred bucks he said he had paid his bills and needed
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some money i had a hundred bucks so i figured i'd help him out until he got paid to the
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guy that just was threatening to kill your parents you didn't pay money you're helping them out
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in fact you're hanging out with him afterwards oh buddy buddy i didn't believe he would actually do it
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police quickly arrested felix and brandon for the murders but martha carlton magana an attorney appointed to
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represent brandon after his arrest suggests police should have handled the interview differently pointing to
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brandon's asperger's diagnosis which he received in high school do you believe they were taking
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advantage of his condition i think they were doing what they always do and because of brandon's condition he was
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more vulnerable to that kind of interrogation everything in that second interview
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needs to be taken with a grain of salt even though the physical evidence connected felix valverde to the murders
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of scott and janet pettit prosecutors argued that brandon was the mastermind a former federal prosecutor 48 hours hired
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to look at the case says the totality of the evidence shows brandon planned his parents murders the keys were given to
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him by brandon and that was so that he could access the house so he'd get into the house and kill his parents easily