A sister fights for her brother after he is accused of killing their parents | Forensic Files

on august 8 2013 firefighters were called to scott and janet pettit's house in modesto california after their
bedroom went up in flames first responders found them both dead with seven gunshot wounds the elite
detective called me he said there was an accident in your parents house and he said there was a fire your
parents didn't didn't make it i just started hysterically crying lauren pettit was shocked by the news of
her parents deaths and struggled emotionally you really miss them don't you they were amazing
[Music] scott pettit was the owner of a martial arts studio in nearby riverbank and a
local newspaper once named him citizen of the year janet pettitt was a neonatal nurse and
had recently earned her phd two of the pettit family's three dogs died in the fire but one of them bailey survived
is it kind of a miracle she's even here it's insane bailing means a lot to you now
everything she's like my lifeline things only got worse for lauren after police called her brother brandon pettit
in for questioning a week after the murders lauren pettit drove her brother to the modesto police
department without knowing that he was a suspect if you had known what was going on if
you had any idea your brother was a suspect would you have taken him over there so
willingly i wouldn't have taken them their period we would have had an attorney brandon pettit was ultimately arrested
and accused of hiring a friend to commit the murders in 2020 brandon went on trial and was
convicted and sentenced to life in prison lauren pettit has believed in her brother's innocence all alone
she maintains he loved their parents and that he had no involvement in their deaths
has there ever been a moment though through any of this that you've been wondering maybe my brother did it
no but you know i'm not gonna lie i'm not naive i still believe that my brother is
innocent but if someone can prove to me that he's not with actual evidence not just
words you know then it is what it is and i'll deal with that

When Lauren Pettit's parents were killed in 2013, she thought it couldn't get any worse. Then, her brother was convicted of their murders.

(Editor's note: On October 19, 2022, Brandon Pettit's conviction was overturned after an appeals court found that his statements to police should not have been admitted at his trial. Prosecutors say they plan to retry the case.)

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Brief Summary

Lauren Pettit discusses her parents' murder and her brother's wrongful conviction.

Key points

Tragic Fire Claims Lives. Scott and Janet Pettit die in a house fire, shocking their daughter Lauren.
Brother Becomes Suspect. Lauren drives her brother Brandon to the police station, unaware he is a suspect.
Brandon's Conviction. Brandon Pettit is convicted for hiring a friend to commit the murders of their parents.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You really miss them, don't you?

Reflecting on the loss of her parents.

0:37WatchJun 17, 2022

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