Man Who Murdered Soul Singer Betty Willis Sentenced to Life in Prison

A homeless man convicted of killing former 1960s soul singer Betty Jane Willis during an attempted rape has been sentenced. More than five years after the crime happened in Santa Ana on New Year’s Day in 2018, Rosendo Xo Pec, 28, in late September was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, per KTLA 5.

Pec’s sentencing came after he was first charged, and later found guilty, with murder with special circumstances just days after the killing occurred. His sentencing enhancement for rape made him eligible for the death penalty, The Orange County Register reported at the time. Pec was found guilty of murdering Willis, 76, shortly after 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day. According to prosecutors, Willis was sleeping in a strip mall parking lot in Santa Ana near a homeless encampment when Pec removed her blanket before sexually assaulting her. When Willis called out for help, Pec punched her multiple times in the head and choked her, prosecutors said.

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When police arrived at the scene after someone called 911, they discovered Pec with his pants down and on top of the victim, who was unconscious. Pec attempted to flee from officers and attempted “to go over a wall, but officers were able to detain him,” Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney said, CBS Los Angeles reported at the time.

Willis was pronounced dead at the scene and Pec was charged with her murder just days later. In September, after a jury deliberated for only an hour, Pec, who police say did not know Willis, was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation of attempted rape.

Willis was a soul singer who had numerous hits in the 1960s, including Someday You’ll Need My Love,” ”Act Naturally,” and “Take My Heart.” She ultimately left the music industry to raise her daughter in Orange County, the OC Register reported. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service in Santa Ana before retiring in the 1990s and had been living on the streets in southwest Santa Ana for more than a decade by her own choice, family said.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called Willis’ death a tragedy, adding that she had the “voice of an absolute angel.” In a statement, Spitzer said, “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.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.