Evil torturer learns his fate for heinous killing of beloved California artist after date night
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Skip to main content MetroEvil torturer learns his fate for heinous killing of beloved California artist after date night
By Nina Joudeh Published June 30, 2026, 4:31 p.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The California Post on GoogleAn evil killer will likely die behind bars after being convicted of brutally murdering his California artist girlfriend and dragging her back inside their apartment as she fought to escape after a date night.
After a two-week trial, an Alameda County jury found 30-year-old Victor “Frito” Frieson III guilty of murder and torture Monday for the killing of ceramic artist and poet Zoe Reidy Watts, according to the Mercury News.
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Prosecutors said the fatal attack unfolded after the couple returned to Frieson’s Oakland apartment following a date at Johnny Foley’s Irish House in San Francisco on March 1, 2024.
The pair had posted videos from the outing to an Instagram account where they occasionally shared restaurant reviews and other content.
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Investigators later used those videos to establish the timeline, noting Reidy Watts showed no visible bruises or cuts before the couple left the restaurant.
They rode Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) back to Frieson’s apartment at 185 15th St. in Oakland, arriving around 10:45 p.m.
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Surveillance footage showed Reidy Watts “was walking but was clearly struggling to maintain her balance, at one point falling sideways into the street,” according to court filings.
Prosecutors said Frieson attacked her around midnight on March 1 or shortly before midnight the following night, leaving her covered in bruises, multiple cuts and a gash to her neck.
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During the assault, Reidy Watts tried to escape the apartment, but surveillance video captured her final moments as she staggered outside naked and badly injured before collapsing just beyond the doorway, according to court records.
The footage then showed Frieson dragging her back inside by the arm and shutting the door.
At his trial, Frieson testified in his own defense. His lawyers admitted he committed domestic violence against Reidy Watts but argued he was not guilty of murder or torture.
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After the attack, prosecutors said Frieson went to a neighbor’s apartment, said he needed help and led the neighbor to Reidy Watts’ body while implying he did not know how she had died. Prosecutors also argued he cleaned the apartment before seeking help, calling it another sign of guilt.
Jurors also heard that Frieson had assaulted previous romantic partners and that Reidy Watts had tried to get protection from him just months before her death.
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The couple met in 2023 while Reidy Watts was a student at San Francisco State University and living in her grandparents’ apartment on Turk Street in San Francisco.
At the time, she was building a name for herself as a visual and performing artist, working as a ceramicist, clothing designer and arts instructor.
Deputy District Attorney Nick Homer wrote in court filings that friends and family started noticing injuries on Reidy Watts soon after she began dating Frieson.
Just six weeks before the killing, she filed a domestic violence report with Oakland police. Homer wrote officers documented “two black eyes, and her legs were covered in deep bruises.”
Frieson’s sentencing is tentatively set for mid-September.
Filed under- artists
- Bay Area
- california
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- murders
- Northern California
- prisons
- san francisco
- trials
- verdicts
- 6/30/26
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Brendan Sorsby will not pursue path to NFL in 2026, QB to prepare for 2027 draft
Former Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is accepting the consequences for his gambling problems and will sit out both the collegiate and NFL seasons in 2026.
After his effort to join the NFL in a supplemental draft this summer failed, Sorsby will not seek litigation against the NFL and will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. The league won't punish Sorsby further for his known gambling conduct on top of what's unofficially a one-year suspension from football. Per the settlement between the NFL, the NFL Players' Association and Sorsby, he will be allowed to take part in the Senior Bowl, pro day and team visits in the lead up to the 2027 like any other draft-eligible prospect, per ESPN.
Sorsby released the following statement on the decision:
"There has been a lot of news about me out there, and I want to share this statement to make sure things are clear. I accept 100% responsibility for my actions. I did not have control of my gambling problem, and it took getting caught for me to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could've happened to me. Because of this, I have been able to get the help I need and fully focus on my recovery.
"The news about the supplemental draft changes nothing about my recovery journey. I will continue to take it one day at a time. Focusing on making myself better throughout this process and making sure to share what I have learned and will continue to learn with others going forward. I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft. God makes no mistakes, and I look forward to seeing the good that is to come from this."
Sorsby's 2026 has been a winding road to lead up to this decision. He transferred to Texas Tech as the transfer portal's No. 2 overall prospect, per 247 Sports on Jan. 4, after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors at Cincinnati in 2025, thanks to leading the conference in passer efficiency rating (155.1). The NCAA then alerted Texas Tech of Sorsby's gambling activity on April 14, which led to the quarterback entering a gambling rehab facility in Arizona on April 27. He then filed for his collegiate reinstatement on May 18 after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for thousands of bets placed during his four-year college football career. On June 8, he found a Texas judge willing to grant him an injunction to the NCAA's decision to make him ineligible, which appeared to clear a path for him to play for Texas Tech in 2026. Sorsby then decided to walk away from his college career to join the NFL via a supplemental draft this summer, after the Big 12 pursued legal action against him and Texas Tech on June 15.
| 45-plus pass TD and 1,000-plus rush yards in two-year span, Big 12 history | Two-year span |
|---|---|
Brendan Sorsby (CIN) | 2024-2025 |
Sam Ehlinger (TEX) | 2018-2020 |
Kyler Murray (OKLA) | 2017-2018 |
Trevone Boykin (TCU) | 2014-2015 |
Robert Griffin III (BAY) | 2010-2011 |
Colt McCoy (TEX) | 2007-2008 |
Zac Robinson (OKST) | 2007-2008 |
CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson views Sorsby as a potential first-round talent, and he now has a year to prove his worth through a year of training on his own while staying squeaky clean off the field.
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