Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, Why Did You Kill Me, delves into the murder of 24 year-old Crystal Theobald on February 24, 2006 in Riverside, California. An investigation by both the local police and Crystal’s family followed, spanning more than a decade until the final suspect, William “Jokes” Sotelo, was apprehended in 2016. Sotelo pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2020 and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Why Did You Kill Me largely focuses on the efforts by Crystal’s mother, Belinda Lane, to track down her daughter’s killer. This included using fake MySpace profiles to engage with members of the 5150 gang, whom she believed to be responsible for the shooting, but escalated until Belinda tried to stir up violence between the 5150 and a rival gang, called ICE to try and have them deported, and even planned to lure them to an isolated location so that she could shoot them herself.
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With its 83 minute runtime, Why Did You Kill Me feels a little thin on the ground when it comes to certain aspects of the case – particularly regarding Crystal’s own life before she was murdered. Though it’s clear that she was deeply loved by her family, only a few details about her life are revealed, such as the fact that she was married but left her husband when, according to Belinda, he fell back into drugs and violence. Here are some of the details missing from the Netflix documentary.
Crystal’s Boyfriend Was In The Car & Was Also Shot
Crystal’s boyfriend at the time of the murder is briefly mentioned when Belinda says that “Juan” was also in the car, but he was not interviewed for Why Did You Kill Me and otherwise isn’t referenced. In fact, 20 year-old Juan Patlan was the second victim of the shooting, though he survived his injuries. When the bullets entered the car he was hit in the abdomen, and Juan can be seen in the CCTV video with blood on his shirt, holding his stomach. He rushes into the store to ask for help while Crystal’s brother, Justin Theobald, holds her by the car. At the time they started dating Crystal had two young daughters from her previous relationship with her husband, but the documentary does not touch on what happened to the children after her death. Crystal died in the hospital, two days after being shot in the head.
Ten Other 5150 Gang Members Were Convicted
According to The Press-Enterprise, Julio Heredia and William Sotelo weren’t the only 5150 members convicted on charges related to Crystal’s death. Ten other gang members were convicted over the years for charges including attempted murder and witness intimidation. Their sentences ranged from a few months of probation to 18 years in prison. As seen in Why Did You Kill Me, the police conducted a series of raids in a crackdown on gang activity in 2006/7, and information gathered during these raids led to Heredia’s arrest and conviction. The 5150 gang no longer appears to be significantly active in Riverside.
Belinda’s Brother Was Also Murdered
In a Facebook page started by Belinda to promote the search for those involved in Crystal’s murder, she has also posted about another unsolved murder within the family: her younger brother, Kendall Lane. According to Belinda’s statements, Kendall was 44 years old and a father of three daughters when he was shot and killed in San Bernardino on October 10, 2008. Belinda states that she believes, like Crystal, Kendall was an innocent bystander in a drug-related gang shooting. The case currently remains unsolved.
William Sotelo Took A Plea Deal
10 years after Crystal Theobald’s death, a Facebook tip led Belinda to the discovery that William Sotelo was living in Mexico with his wife and four children, and working as a chili farmer. After Belinda passed the information on to the police Sotelo was subsequently arrested and charged as an adult, though he was only 17 at the time of Crystal’s murder. Sotelo was initially charged with first-degree murder, but on January 13, 2020 he entered a guilty plea deal in exchange for reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter alongside gang and firearm charges. Per The Press-Enterprise, Sotelo’s deal was helped by changes in law that abolished charging crime participants with felony murder. Speaking in an interview at the time, Belinda Lane said, “It played well for him to hide out for those 10 years. Victims’ rights — we really took a hit.”
As noted at the end of Why Did You Kill Me, Sotelo was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in Crystal Theobald’s murder. However, this includes about four and a half years time served, since he had been in jail since 2016 awaiting trial. This makes his sentence around 18 years starting from January 2020. Heredia received a sentence of 138 years to life, without parole.
Belinda’s Fiery Victim Impact Statement
Though Belinda Lane may have stepped back from pushing for the death penalty in Julio Heredia’s trial, she became fixated on William Sotelo as the gang member who had escaped justice. When he was finally put on trial, Belinda was allowed to make a victim impact statement in court – and she did not hold back. Per The Press-Enterprise, Belinda called Sotelo a “coward,” a “monster,” a “punk,” and “despicable,” and expressed her hope and belief that he would be killed by other gang members while in prison. She was eventually reprimanded by the judge when she turned her ire on Sotelo’s family for helping him to escape and hide in Mexico, and was told that she must limit herself to addressing only Sotelo.
Belinda gave her impact statement in front of a large portrait of Crystal that she had brought with her to the sentencing. However, Sotelo did not look at her while she gave her statement. Speaking outside of the courtroom after the sentencing, Belinda said, ”I’m still processing. He wasn’t even sorry.”
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