A Sister's Fight for her Brother: Sneak peek | Forensic Files

[Music] there's a house up on fire on the other side of the fence there's fire coming out of the window i
think they're screaming and crying i don't know yeah i think so 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 i flew up on the first flight i'm out
the next day and that's when they told us what had really happened the fire wasn't an accident my parents
had been shot and the fire was a cover how why and who neighbors on this usually quiet street
are stunned it's not real i wanted to know why this happened to scott and janet i
wanted to know who did this they were great people they were giving people and that's not the way it's supposed to
go did your parents have any kind of conflict with people that might want to hurt them not that i'm
aware of now it didn't make sense that this could or would happen how soon did investigators focus
on brandon pettit as the killer instantly they focused on brandon as soon as one
of the neighbors said oh they have a son that's weird is there any physical evidence
that ties your brother to the murder no there is no dna there are no fingerprints there is no blood
but what you do have here is a litany of statements and actions that point to brandon the most damaging evidence
against brandon came out of his own mouth he's terrible in his ability to figure
out what's appropriate he referred to his parents and that he wanted his dad dead i mean
this is like just a few weeks before the murder and then you have more than once
before your parents body said what you've been doing it's clear that your brother isn't like
everyone else isn't it he told them he had asperger's when somebody's autistic they're different than you he doesn't
act the same way as you were i might act here's your dad laying on a body bag anyway you're already past it
i'm not past it you have no emotional response do you want me to break down and cry
because i don't normally try autism is the reason i focused on him it's the reason
that they became convinced that he was guilty i don't know who killed my parents no i
don't no no your brother was working that night right he has an alibi yeah you murdered
your parents i didn't do anything he intended it he desired it and he did it i think
there's a lot more to this story i love my parents words don't make you a [Music]
murderer

A sister stands by the brother accused of murdering their parents. She insists that he's innocent and there's more to the story. Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports Saturday, June 18 at 10/9c on CBS.

(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.)

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

The episode covers the murder of Scott and Janet Pettit, focusing on their son Brandon as the prime suspect amid questions of autism and guilt.

Key points

Tragic Fire Incident. A house fire leads to the shocking revelation of a double murder.
Investigation Focuses on Brandon. Investigators quickly zero in on Brandon Pettit as a suspect in the murder.
Conflicting Emotions. Brandon's emotional response raises questions about his involvement in the crime.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I just started hysterically crying.

0:35WatchMay 13, 2021

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