‘Why Did You Kill Me?’: Air time, how to live stream, plot and all you need to know about Netflix documentary

Late at night on February 24, 2006, Crystal Theobald, 24, was shot down. Her mother, Belinda Lane, made it her mission to find the killer and she had MySpace to help her on her quest
PUBLISHED APR 12, 2021
Belinda Lane in ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ (Netflix)
Belinda Lane in ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ (Netflix)

Late at night on February 24, 2006, 24-year-old Crystal Theobald was sitting between her boyfriend and her brother in a car. They were following behind Theobald’s mother, Belinda Lane, who was in another car in Riverside, California. 

At an intersection, gang members were waiting in a Ford Expedition. They had been looking for rival gang members to “mess with”. Authorities said that they may have mistaken Theobald’s car for one that belonged to their rivals. As the family’s two cars approached the Ford Expedition, a suspect climbed out of the vehicle and opened fire. Theobald’s boyfriend was shot in the stomach but survived. Theobald was struck in the head and died from her injuries.

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A new Netflix documentary explores this story. Here’s all you need to know about ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’

Jamie McIntyre and Crystal Theobald (Netflix)

Air time

‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ will premiere on Netflix exclusively on April 14, 2021 at 8:30 AM ET

How to live stream

You can stream Netflix from any Internet-connected device that offers the Netflix app. Netflix-ready devices include streaming media players, smart TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops.

Plot

As per Netflix’s official summary of the 83-minute long documentary: “After her daughter is killed, a mother uses the social networking site MySpace to investigate the people she believes are responsible, resulting in reverberations for multiple families.”

In an older interview with KABC, Lane recalled: “I told her, ‘Baby girl, I promise you if it takes my last breath, I will get them; I promise you, you will have justice.’ It could have taken a lifetime, I never would have stopped.”

“I was just a mess; I was just so enraged, angry, sad, overwhelmed,” Lane said. “I just didn’t even want to live. I just wanted to die.”

A screengrab from the documentary. (Netflix)

“You know, the streets talk,” she told the media in 2011. “We were given information by various sources, so we created a couple of bogus profiles on MySpace.” Lane said she created an account using the name “Rebecca,” then another using “Angel.” She started sifting through sources until she found the man she wanted: William ‘Jokes’ Sotelo.

“hey what upp im new to myspace and i found ure myspacee,” she wrote to him. “u look hott we should chill sometime u would like me and my friends.” He replied with, “hey they call me jokes from varrio 5150×3 south side but my real name is William.”

Soon after, Lane went to the police and gave them what she found, something they would need to pull Sotelo in for an interview. “He was the first one that gave us the clearest insight, and then other pieces began falling into place,” Detective Rick Wheeler said then. “He laid out quite a bit of the shooting to us.”

Trailer

The trailer for ‘Why Did You Kill Me?’ shows how Lane and her niece impersonated Theobald on MySpace, attempting to catfish those who she believed would know something about her death. The film looks intense and promises to be a compelling watch. Take a look at the trailer right here.



 

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