Robert Pape & Cristin Smith expected to be sentenced Friday
In September 2006, authorities discovered the bodies of Vicki Friedli, her boyfriend Jon Hayward, and Vicki’s 18-year-old daughter Becky Friedli following a fire at their home in Pinyon Pines.
“We knew right away that everyone was dead. I learned that Becky was found in a wheelbarrow. Apparently, she had been placed in this and set on fire. My baby sister was gone,” said Tanya Friedli, Becky’s sister, told 48 Hours.
The burning was so severe the cause of Becky’s death was undetermined. However, authorities were able to determine that Vicky and Hayward had both been shot.
For nearly seven and a half years, the case went cold. New evidence presented in a 2014 grand jury investigation led to the initial arrests of Becky’s ex-boyfriend, Robert Pape and his friend Cristin Smith. The Friedli family remained hopeful they would receive some justice, however, the charges against Pape and Smith were eventually dropped and they were set free.
In 2016, a decade after the murders, Pape and Smith were arrested again after new evidence surfaced. Cell phone tower analysis suggested Pape and Smith were traveling together towards Pinyon Pines just before the murder.
An informant also told authorities that Smith admitted to him that he set the fire. That informant spoke exclusively with KESQ & CBS Local 2 about his time working with Smith at a Palm Springs water park in 2007.
Earlier this summer, after 10 grueling days of deliberations, jurors reached a guilty verdict for both Robert Pape and Cristin Smith.
Pape was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Becky Friedli and the first-degree murders of Vicky Friedli and Jon Hayward. Smith was found guilty in the first-degree murder of Vicky Friedli and Jon Hayward. Smith was found not guilty in the killing of Becky Friedli.
“I’ve waited 11 years and 9 months for this day and I’m very happy. I’m glad to see they were found guilty, and I think the whole Coachella Valley can sleep better now,” said Ron Friedli, Becky’s dad.
Pape and Smith expected are to be sentenced tomorrow, facing the possibility of life in prison without parole. Tune in to KESQ & CBS Local 2 throughout the day for the latest on the sentencing. And follow our reporter Jake Ingrassia on Twitter @JakeKESQ for live updates from inside the courtroom.
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