As documented in the true crime film Why Did You Kill Me?, William Sotelo and Julio Heredia were both sentenced to prison for the tragic killing of the 24-year-old mother of two Crystal Theobald in 2006. Since the film was released by Netflix on 14th April, everyone has been wondering where they are now. Here’s what happened to William Sotelo and Julio Heredia, as well as others who appeared in the documentary 15 years after Crystal Theobald’s death.
Where is William Sotelo now?
William Sotelo was known as “Jokes” on MySpace, the website where Crystal Theobald’s mother Belinda Lane and cousin Jaimie tracked down her killers. He was identified as a suspect when they used their fake profile to discover that he owned a white Ford Expedition. After being questioned by the police, he was let go. He then disappeared off the grid, and he was not located again until 2016, a decade after Crystal’s murder took place. When he was eventually tracked down, officials found him residing in Mexico with his wife and four children. He was arrested, and he pled guilty to a single count of voluntary manslaughter before his case went to trial. This meant that the murder, attempted murder, and shooting at an occupied vehicle charges against him were dropped. Finally, in 2020 (14 years after Crystal’s murder), he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. By this time, he was 31 years old. He was the final suspect associated with the case to be arrested and sentenced.
Where is Julio Heredia now?
After William Sotelo’s initial police interview, Julio Heredia (nicknamed “Little Huero”) became a suspect for the murder of Crystal Theobald. It was ultimately thought that it was Heredia’s shots that killed Crystal. Five years after Crystal’s murder, in 2011, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Taking his other criminal offences into consideration, his full sentence totalled 138 years. He is reported to be serving this sentence in California State Prison. He was initially set to face the death penalty, but Crystal’s family ultimately decided against it. Her mother, Belinda, describes this as the first time in her life where she has done the right thing.
Where is Belinda Lane now?
Belinda Lane currently manages a Facebook page called “Unsolved Murders in Riverside”, which was founded in 2014, eight years after Crystal’s murder. She uses this page to share information about murders that have taken place in the area in an attempt to bring about justice for victims and their families. The account is still active to this day. It was also revealed in Why Did You Kill Methat since the day of Crystal’s murder, Belinda has stopped using drugs.
What happened to the other gang members?
Various other gang members were also mentioned throughout the Netflix documentary. Six other associates were convicted of lesser charges and received prison terms. These sentences ranged from probation to 18 years in prison. Within the documentary, it was revealed that Manuel and William-David Lemus, who provided the police with valuable information that assisted them in solving the case, were not charged for their involvement.
