Her name was Betty Willis.

♪ THEY'RE GONNA PUT ME IN THE MOVIES ♪ THEY'RE GONNA MAKE A BIG STAR OUT OF ME ♪ ALL I GOTTA DO IS ACT NATURALLY

♪ THEY'RE GONNA PUT ME IN THE MOVIES ♪ THEY'RE GONNA MAKE A BIG STAR OUT OF ME ♪ ALL I GOTTA DO IS ACT NATURALLY

  • 9/29 — STATEMENT RELEASED BY ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

    Man Sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole for 2018 New Year’s Day Murder of 76-year-old Former Soul Singer in Santa Ana

    A homeless man was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole Thursday for the special circumstance murder of a 76-year-old former soul singer who was sleeping in a Santa Ana strip mall when she was killed on New Year’s Day in 2018.

    Betty Jane Willis, who recorded songs that included “Someday You’ll Need My Love,” ”Act Naturally” and “Take My Heart” in the 1960s, had worked with a number of prominent musicians, including Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers and pianist and songwriter Leon Russell. After retiring from the Santa Ana post office following her singing career, Willis became homeless and was living on the streets of Santa Ana.

    It took a jury an hour to find Rosendo Xo Pec, 28, guilty of one count of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation of attempted rape.

    In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in 2018, Santa Ana police responded to a 911 call that reported a woman who was yelling for help. When police arrived at a strip mall in the 1600 block of W. 1st Street, they found Pec hiding and then running away from Willis, who was lying on the ground.

    Pec attempted to sexually assault the victim while she was sleeping and then punched and strangled her.

    “This woman had the voice of an absolute angel and it is a travesty that her voice was forever silenced in such a brutal way,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “No one should have to suffer the indignity and disrespect she suffered in her final moments. I’m thankful the jury quickly and decisively determined that this individual was guilty of this horrific murder and that he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.”

    Deputy District Attorney Anna McIntire of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case.

    — Orange Co Dist Atty Offc

    - END -

  • SANTA ANA, CA — On Thursday, September 28, 2023 Rosendo Xo Pec was sentenced to LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE for the 2018 murder of 76-year-old Betty Jane Willis.

  • 9/20 — 28-YEAR-OLD ROSENDO XO PEC, CHARGED WITH RAPING AND MURDERING BETTY JANE WILLIS ON 1/1/18 – WHEN HE WAS 22 AND SHE WAS 76 – HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER AND RAPE.

    SANTA ANA, CA — Around 4 o’clock on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, a California jury returned a GUILTY verdict after hearing a week of trial arguments, testimony as well as hearing directly from witnesses in the murder case of Betty Jane Willis. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, September 28.

    Charge: MURDER 187(a) PC

    Verdict: GUILTY

    Charge: RAPE 190.2(a)(17) PC
    Verdict: GUILTY

WHO WAS BETTY WILLIS?

In the 1960s, Betty Jane Willis was at the center of California’s soul music scene.

Betty sang with Bill Medley, worked with Leon Russell and cut tracks for Phil Spector at Hollywood’s famed Gold Star Studios.

On New Year’s Day 2018, Betty was raped and murdered on the streets of Santa Ana, California.

Finally — 5 years and 8 months after her murder — the man police caught attacking Betty will stand trial for her murder.

In September, Rosendo Xo Pec was found guilty of killing Betty Willis and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Email Joseph Fenity Here

Media coverage of the Betty Willis case

  • Celebrating the sound of Betty Willis during Black History Month on Valley Public Radio

    ▸ Listen now at KVPR

  • Elex Michaelson of FOX 11 News speaks with Joseph Fenity about Betty’s alleged killer finally standing trial

    Watch via YouTube | Stream via KTTV

  • Ana Garcia breaks down the details of the Betty Willis murder on a special live edition of the True Crime Daily podcast featuring Joseph Fenity

    Watch via YouTube | Listen via Apple Podcasts

  • The Betty Willis case covered on Liam Collins’ Crime Over Wine podcast along with an September 2023 update

    Listen via Spotify | Apple | Amazon

  • The Betty Willis case featured live on Ti’s Hot Mess History channel on YouTube

  • Read Joseph Fenity’s original Los Angeles magazine article Killing Betty Willis at LAMag.com

JUSTICE FOR BETTY

The murder of Betty Willis was caught on security camera in the early morning hours of January 1st, 2018 in Orange County, California.

Minutes later, the 22-year-old man suspected of her raping and murdering the 76-year-old grandmother and former soul singer was in police custody.

In 2023, more than five years after her murder, suspect Rosendo Pec was sentenced to life in prison for killing Betty Willis.

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