Brandon Pettit

Brandon Scott Pettit (born October 10, 1987) is an American prisoner who was charged with murdering his parents, Janet and David “Scott” Pettit (both 59) in Modesto, California on August 8, 2013. Brandon's friend, Felix Valverde, whom he allegedly hired to commit the murders, was also arrested and charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The case was profiled on 48 Hours. 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. In February 2023, Felix Valverde pleaded guilty to arson in the first-degree murders of Scott and Janet Pettit.

Background Scott owned a martial arts studio in Riverbank, California and organized car shows; he was voted “Citizen of the Year” for 2007 by a local paper. Janet was a neonatal nurse who had finished her PhD shortly before her death. They had two children, Lauren and Brandon. He enrolled in the Fire Training Academy at Modesto Junior College in the fall of 2010 and began working as a security guard in May 2011.

Murder and investigation A 911 call was placed early on August 8, 2013, by a witness who reported seeing flames at the home of David and Janet Pettit. An investigation revealed that David and Janet, both found deceased at the scene, had been shot and that an accelerant was used in their bedroom. Brandon admitted to giving house keys and bullets to Valverde, and giving him money days after the murders, but denied asking Valverde to commit murder.