Attorney for Modesto man found guilty of hiring person to kill parents seeks new trial
The case involving Brandon Pettit, who was found guilty of hiring a friend to murder his parents in 2013 by a jury last month, took a twist on Tuesday when defense attorney Robert Winston said he was in the process of writing a brief for a motion for a new trial.
Pettit was scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Tuesday before the new circumstances came to light.
Winston said he had new evidence regarding the case and information that could lead to jury misconduct. He asked for court transcripts, which the clerk said would take six weeks.
Deputy District Attorney Rick Mury said the people didn’t oppose the delay and Superior Court Judge Thomas Zeff scheduled a Jan. 29, 2021, date for a hearing on the new motion.
Pettit gave his friend Felix Valverde $500 as a down payment to kill his parents, David “Scott” Pettit and Janet Pettit, and provided him with keys to the house and the bullets to do it, according to testimony during the two-and-a-half-week trial.
David and Janet were shot multiple times and their bodies were burned inside their north Modesto home.
