Bezemer, convicted in Vanderschoot murder, denied parole

Parole was denied Wednesday for Daniel Lee Bezemer, 37, who was convicted in March 2005 in the murder of Christian Valley teenager Justine Vanderschoot. The virtual hearing was attended by Dan Moseley, representing Bezemer, Placer County Deputy District Attorney Timothy Weerts and members of the Vanderschoot family. During the hearing, which lasted more than five hours, parole commissioners asked Bezemer questions regarding his life choices, rehabilitation and how he would maintain his rehabilitation if released. The commissioners received statements from Moseley, Weerts and Bezemer. "I wish I had become who I am today without killing her … or putting her family through this," Bezemer said, noting he has "learned to live in a way that does no further harm" during his incarceration. After Bezemer's statement, the Vanderschoot family read their impact statements to the commissioners opposing his release. Christine Vanderschoot, Justine's sister, spoke on how she would be unable to create new memories with her sister, that, "Daniel needs to spend the rest of his life behind bars" and what the message his release would send to young men of similar circumstances. "Justine deserves better," she said. "Young women deserve better. Victims of crime deserve better." Justine's parents, Don and Lynnette, spoke on the impacts this has had on their lives and having to go through the hearing process. "It's like tearing the Band-Aids off, pouring salt in the wound and starting all over again," Don Vanderschoot said. Lynnette Vanderschoot noted the impact of Justine's death on the family as a life of misery due to missed opportunities to make memories and living with the effects of Bezemer's actions. "It didn't just end with taking Justine's life; it began there," Lynnette said. Vanderschoot was last seen at a family dinner on Labor Day in September 2003. The Maidu High School student was 17 years old when her parents reported her missing from their Christian Valley home. Following weeks of searching, Vanderschoot's boyfriend, Bezemer, and his roommate, Brandon Alexander Fernandez, were arrested and charged with her murder. According to an Auburn Journal report, Fernandez led FBI investigators to Vanderschoot's body in a remote location in Applegate. According to a Placer County news release, Bezemer and Fernandez admitted to the strangulation murder of Vanderschoot in 2003. Bezemer was convicted of first-degree murder and received a sentence of 25 years to life in 2005. He is currently serving his sentence at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. According to CDCR Information Officer Joe Orlando, Bezemer's next hearing will be scheduled in 2025. Fernandez was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005. He is imprisoned at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, serving a sentence of 15 years to life. Fernandez was denied parole for the second time on July 28. Orlando confirmed Fernandez's next hearing will be scheduled in 2027. The parole board denied Bezemer's parole for three years, citing it did not find him suitable for parole and believes he has not addressed all the behaviors that led him to commit the crime. The commissioners' recommendations included Bezemer work on self-help, stay discipline free, look inward to address his behaviors at the time of the crime and update his parole plan before his next hearing. "We are pleased with CDCR's decision to deny parole for Daniel Bezemer," Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a written statement following the hearing. "Bezemer planned and carried out the cruel and vicious murder of Justine. He exhibited a frighteningly sophisticated level of deceit and depravity during and after the murder that defies all sense of humanity. A beautiful young life was senselessly taken, leaving a loving family and an entire community devastated. The Vanderschoot family has shown incredible strength and grace throughout this process, and we are honored to fight alongside them for justice for Justine."