Going West: True Crime - Becky Bliefnick // 481

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

In February of 2023, a 41-year-old woman failed to pick her kids up from school in Quincy, Illinois. When her father went to her home to check on her, he discovered her dead on the bathroom floor with 14 bullet wounds to her body. After police uncovered disturbing Google searches and a distasteful segment on an episode of Family Feud, a suspect was arrested. This is the story of Becky Bliefnick.

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host, T and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to going West. Hello everybody. Hope you're having a great week. Keith and I just got back from a little trip with our pals over at Love Murder, which is a true crime podcast you should absolutely be listening to if you're not already. But we are here today with another case.

Yes, we are. We had a wonderful vacation down in Mexico. It was amazing, but now we are back with a crazy case for y'all today. Yes, and big shout out to Ashlyn, Laura, and Izzy for recommending this one. I first saw it on TikTok. I feel like we talked about this last year, Heath,

because of that, you know, family feud clip that was going around. Yes, we're gonna talk about that a little bit today. Yeah, this is that case, and I will say there is so much more to it than like an out of context clip, so we're gonna get into all the details today. Which there is a lot, there's a lot of timestamps.

There's a lot of surveillance clips and a lot of suspicious clues. So make sure you pay attention to all those little details today. Absolutely, and for photos, head over to our socials. We're on Instagram at going West Podcasts and we're also on Facebook. So all right, without further ado.

All right guys, this is episode 481 of Going West. So let's get into it. This man was a contestant on the family feud and he joked that the worst mistake he ever made was marrying his wife. Now he's on trial for her murder. As Jumare reports, family members say the victim warned them that she was afraid or a strange husband meant to harm her. He pulled the trigger. Not once, not twice, not three times, but 14 times.

Riddling her body with bullets. I ran up the stairs. I went to the bedroom to see if she was laying down. Didn't see anything in her bedroom. Went into the attached bathroom. And that's when I found her body lying on the floor. If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim.

As that is who would do something to me. There was also this courtroom bombshell. Prosecutors say around the time of the murder, Tim Bliefnick's internet history showed that he'd searched how to open a door with a crowbar, how to make a homemade silencer, and how to wash off gunpowder. Bliefnick has pled not guilty. His attorney says it may have been a prowler who committed the murder. Rebecca Possell, who went by Becky, that's what we're going to call her today, was born in Quincy, Illinois on November 19th, 1981.

She joined parents Bernadette and William and an older sister named Sarah. Now Sarah described Becky as a selfless and incredibly loving soul. She was passionate about caring for animals and volunteered with multiple animal rescues, including one that trains horses to be therapy animals. Becky enjoyed a happy upbringing with her tight-knit family and was an accomplished academic from a young age. At her high school, Quincy Notre Dame, she was named valedictorian and went on to study at Quincy University, majoring in biological science and minoring in chemistry. Then after graduating

cum laude with a bachelor's degree, she was hired as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. But it was only a matter of time before she pursued her true calling of helping others. And she decided to enroll in the Blessing Riemann College of Nursing and Health Sciences, which is also based in Quincy. She graduated summa cum laude from her nursing school and began working in an operating room and then an emergency room before working as a travel nurse throughout the Midwest during the pandemic in her early 40s. It was also very important for her to earn her certification as a sexual assault nurse examiner

and a trauma nurse specialist, so that she could take on the responsibility of being the first person to address survivors of sexual assault. And while building her career, she was also fostering a family of her own. So Becky was doing it all, and she was helping a ton of people along the way. So, now that you guys have a good overall picture of Becky's professional path,

let's go back for a second to her college days again, because while studying at Quincy University, Becky met fellow student Tim Bliefnick. But they didn't start dating until two years after they graduated. Then in 2009, when Becky was 27 years old and Tim was 26, they got married and she became Becky Bliefnick. And in the years after their wedding, they had three sons together. While Tim worked in the recycling industry, Becky stayed home with their three boys until deciding that she wanted to pursue her nursing degree. Which Daphne, of course, just told us about.

But she remained an active participant in her son's lives, and was always willing to take them fishing or frog hunting, which were two activities that her boys absolutely loved, like, she was still with her kids all the time and also working really hard. She was also a fixture at their school and friends recall that her whole world revolved around her boys. Her marriage, however, wasn't going very well. Basically, things between Becky and Tim were not as great as her relationship with her kids. Tensions had really risen between them over the years, and Becky's sister Sarah recalls that Becky pulled more than her fair share of the weight.

Sarah described Tim as manipulative, controlling, and helpless, and said that all the household duties basically fell on Becky, and the burden of the chores and caretaking duties for their sons only worsened when she went back to school. So the pressure of their relationship just became too much, and they wound up separating. In January of 2021, while Becky was working as a traveling nurse and working towards her sexual assault nursing certification, Tim actually filed for divorce. He later pointed the finger at Becky, alleging that her behavior was the reason that he petitioned for divorce, saying, quote,

"...she struggled with patience and stress a lot, especially when it came to the kids, and it created some conflict." But those closest to Becky said that this was completely outlandish, and that she had limitless patience for her sons, raising them the way that she knew that they deserved to be treated. Thus, the divorce turned bitter as Becky and Tim constantly fought over money, custody of the children, and the Quincy, Illinois family home. After their separation, Tim moved just about a mile or 1.6 kilometers away from their family home in Quincy, and the two shared custody of their children, who by the way, were 12, 10, and five,

when the crux of this story takes place. So just remember, Tim lived very, very close by. However, though they were initially sharing custody jointly, both Becky and Tim were vying to remove power from the other parent. And I feel like that's really when divorces become most contentious. I feel like in a lot of cases we cover a big motive

for one person to kill the other, even though that's obviously never the answer, is because they don't wanna lose the kids. This is always the major topic of debate, if not money. Right, and in Tim's initial complaint against his wife, he requested a 60-40 split in this whole situation. Right, so he is agreeing to split custody with her, but he wants the 60%. He wants to be with the kids more, he wants to have more say in what happens with the

kids, but here's the thing. He's offering no child support, and on on top of this he also wanted to regain possession of their former home that Becky is living in. He also demanded unsupervised, unrestricted access to the children for his father, Ray Bliefnick, belief, Nick, whom Becky actually had reason to believe was an unsafe presence around their son so she did not want Tim's dad coming around her kids. Because for those wondering, their divorce court documents stated that Ray had a history of quote, perversion and abusing minor children. Yeah, so this is really not a good look on Tim's part because your dad's a pedo and your wife doesn't want your kids around him.

Yeah, and so fair of Becky to say that, but then so weird of Tim, who has a clear bias over the situation because that's his dad, requesting something like that. You know, requesting unrestricted, unsupervised visits for his dad. And Becky's friend Nicole later revealed that Becky had texted her about this issue with Ray before, and that she feared the wrath of both her estranged husband Tim and his father Ray. In this text, Becky wrote, quote, I'm afraid of what Tim might do. He told me if I outed his dad that he would probably

have to move then kill himself. So there's a little bit of that manipulation that Becky's sister Sarah was talking about earlier. Exactly, but that's such a selfish point of view to say that you can't out my dad. If your dad is abusing children or whatever the specific details are He should not only not be around the kids, but he should not be on the streets You know so the fact that he's saying this is just so many red flags Now she also texted another friend revealing quote. He has screamed in my face He shoved me in front of the kids and has thrown things across the room he shoved me in front of the kids and has thrown things across the room." She described him to multiple friends and family members as unpredictable and

vengeful and expressed concern over what she felt were increasingly deteriorating mental health problems. She also admitted that he had an affair and was battling an addiction to alcohol, though Tim has refuted both of those claims. During this time, Becky also sent a text to her sister that read, quote, "'If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim, because that is who would do something to me. I'm putting this in writing that I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me, or will

try to do something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me. He already has lied multiple times to paint himself as a victim and me as the perpetrator when it is absolutely the other way around. No, I have not sent this to mom or dad as I don't want them to be out of their mind with worry." But grossly, Tim's divorce attorney Casey Schnock, who later became his defense attorney, dismissed all of these claims as a lot of girl talk. Tim instead alleged that he himself was the victim of harassment, and that his treatment was being overlooked in Becky's favor.

He accused her of stalking him and even submitted as evidence a recording of her in the halls of their children's school in which he demanded quote, I'm asking you to stop harassing me. Becky then responded calmly saying I'm not harassing you. And then she asked him to stop recording her, and when she swatted at the camera, Tim inferred that he was under threat of physical harm. In response to this incident and his allegation of predatory behavior, Tim filed for an order of protection against his estranged wife,

but it was not granted In return Becky then filed for an order of protection against Tim Claiming that he was falsifying accounts of their interaction. So she's saying This is not happening. Like he's saying it's happening. He's creating the scenarios So that she'll look like the guilty party. Yeah, absolutely And she also filed an order of protection against his father, Ray. In the court documents, she explained that Tim had broken into the Quincy home that they used to share, of course before he moved out when they were separated, you know, where she was now raising their children.

And remember that, she's saying that he had previously broken in. Now her request for the order of protection against Tim was denied but the judge ruled that they avoid each other completely except to exchange their sons. They were even ordered to remain within three feet of their vehicles when transporting the boys back and forth. Tim was also ordered to return a 9 millimeter handgun that Becky had purchased for him as a gift, which was valued at about $800.

And remember this because Tim claimed that he returned it and had not seen it again since. But Becky told her lawyers that she never got the gun back, which is, you know, a terrifying item to be claiming is missing, and a very suspicious item to be claiming that you returned when you did not. Especially with what's to come. But Tim's defense team later alleged that he had made every attempt to return the gun back to her, even invoking the Quincy Police Department to help safely broker the passage. But then obviously we have to remember that Tim is saying he did return it, not that he

tried and failed, so he's not really sticking to one story here. Cause 13 days before Becky's murder, Tim called the police department and told the record supervisor that he was in possession of a gun that he had been court ordered to return to his soon to be ex-wife, but that he didn't want to face her in order to do so. And as far as the police department is concerned, this was the extent of their interaction with Tim regarding the proposed delivery of this weapon. So him saying that he tried time and time again to get it back to her, even with the police's help,

and then did so successfully was just not true. On January 5th, 2023, 41-year-old Becky ran into a friend named Melissa Young at a TJ Maxx, and Melissa claimed that Becky seemed mentally exhausted and emotionally depleted. Like, in the weeks leading up to her murder, you know, she wasn't doing very well, and she also confided in Melissa that Tim had allegedly texted her, quote, You'll be dead before you get any of my money. Well, despite how dramatic their divorce had become, Becky remained thankful for the tireless support and love that she received from family and friends during this time. Actually shortly before her death, she said, quote, If the past year has reinforced any

of my beliefs, it is that of the importance and value of family, and I clearly have the best one. The night of Becky's murder fell only about a week before her and Tim's divorce proceedings would go to trial. So this was a very contentious time for them and a lot was riding on this trial. So this was a very contentious time for them and a lot was riding on this trial. That evening, February 22nd, 2023, Tim had their three children at his Quincy home. He claimed that it had actually been Becky's night with them, but that she hadn't been feeling well and had asked him to keep them for another two nights. So Becky had just undergone abdominal surgery days prior,

and she spoke excitedly of the reunion with her kids, but she just wanted a few more days to get to feeling better. So she called Tim on Tuesday, February 21st, asking him that the exchange take place on Thursday, February 23rd instead. They agreed that Becky would pick up the kids from school that afternoon, the afternoon of February 23, if Tim would drop them off in the morning.

And according to what he described as an airtight alibi, Tim was home with their children on the night that Becky was killed. His next door neighbor, Kelly, whom he happened to be casually dating, said that she saw him on the afternoon of February 22nd, so the day before, you know, the kids were supposed to see Becky, but that she spent only 30 minutes at his house before leaving. But she never came over when Tim had the boys and she didn't see him for the rest of the night nor the following day. So the next day, Thursday February 23rd 2023, 39 year old Tim says that he continued to contact Becky without hearing back and that he eventually called her father to check in on her.

Before he did so though, at 1151 a.m. he called the boys' school, which is St. Peter's School, and asked them not to allow the boys to walk home from school that day. Now, Tim could be seen on surveillance footage arriving at the school a few hours later at 1 50 p.m. 57 minutes before school was released. Which is weird because he had agreed with Becky that she was gonna pick up the kids right Then at 303 p.m. That afternoon is when Tim texted William Possell who's Becky's father Asking him to check on his daughter Mildly concerned that st. Peter's school contacted him saying that she failed to pick up their kids

Yeah, there he was calling the school earlier and arriving at the school before pick-up, so this is just a little bit odd. And then tragically, everything changed, when at 3.30pm, William found his 41-year-old daughter Becky deceased in her home. Knowing that she hadn't been feeling well the day before, William headed upstairs to check her room first. Then when he didn't see her, he continued on to her bathroom, where he saw Becky dead and bloodied on the floor. He then ran next door to a neighbor's house to phone the police. But to everybody's surprise and confusion,

Becky hadn't died as a result of being ill or a mishap from her surgery. Becky Bliefnick was shot 14 times. She had been murdered. According to Becky's mother, Tim seemed to be shocked when she called him and informed him of Becky's vicious murder. Even though as you guys can probably already tell, Tim was the only person in Becky's life who had any ill will towards her. At the crime scene, the upstairs window of the bedroom of one of Becky's sons had been pried open with a crowbar. So this is the point of entry.

So detectives surmised that the intruder used a patio chair to climb onto the pergola in her backyard and then onto the roof. The assailant then kicked in her bedroom door after entering through that window and then chased her into her bathroom where she was cornered and shot to death. Police determined that this occurred at 1 11 a.m. on February 23rd, because she actually attempted to call 911, but she fumbled her phone in her panic,

and sadly dialed 91126 instead. Her phone was found on the floor of the bathroom next to her, proving that she had tried to get help in her final moments. Becky had been shot to death after no less than 15 rounds were fired. One bullet missed her, but the other 14 did not. And sadly, no one single shot was lethal enough to kill her, so she had been alive for a little while after her assailant fled. He then walked downstairs and out the front door, leaving it wide open behind him. Her ADT security system reported that the front door was opened at 1.12 a.m. that morning,

and another alert at 1 27 AM confirmed that the door was still open. Multiple neighbors attested to seeing her front door left open even later that morning, but this did not appear to be some home invasion attempted robbery gone wrong kind of situation because nothing was stolen from the house, so it seemed most likely that the only motivation behind the crime was to harm and kill Becky.

Nine millimeter casings were littered around her body as were shards of shredded plastic, which were later determined to be from an Aldi shopping bag. A shoe print in dirt was left on the lightly colored carpet, so there was evidence at the scene and I'm sure you guys are already thinking it in your head. We've already talked about a 9mm gun today. And that was Tim's gun. The investigation began with detectives gleaning security footage from Becky's neighbors.

Fortunately, her next door neighbors had a security camera installed about a year prior after their car had been broken into. And although there was no footage found from the morning of the murder, footage from the night before depicted a man plodding along the side of the neighbor's house and then exiting a few minutes later. At 1.5 a.m. on February 22nd, a figure can be seen walking past the camera and appeared to be wearing gloves and a reflective jacket. The person walked up the driveway of Becky's neighbor's house to the rear of Becky's house and then walked back past the camera again 48 minutes later. As detectives poured over the footage, they found another

appearance of this mysterious figure on Valentine's Day, so the week prior. That night, Becky's neighbor, Taylor Hyman, had actually texted Becky that it appeared as if someone had been heading towards her house, and Taylor wanted to check on her. The next morning, Becky responded that her motion light had been going off and that she also thought that she heard voices in her backyard. Police continued to canvas the area collecting surveillance footage from the night of the murder, as well as the weeks preceding the murder, hoping to connect these mysterious security footage sightings with others around town. And they found that a nearby bus depot, the Quincy Public School Bus Barn, had footage of a man on a bike headed towards Becky's house, and his appearance matched the person in her neighbor's surveillance footage walking towards her house.

The biker was pictured riding past the bus barn 4 miles, or 6.4 kilometers from Becky's house. Then, the same cyclist was also seen passing by two separate residences on North 20th Street and South 20th Street, which are both in the vicinity of Becky's residence on Kentucky Road. And this timing matched up with the timing of when the person was pictured on Becky's neighbor, Taylor Hyman's camera. This mysterious figure passing by the bus barn on a blue bike with no reflective lights on it took place in the early morning hours of February 14th, 21st, 22nd, and also 23rd. Though again the figure did not pass by

the neighbor's house before the actual murder, the bike footage was there just like it had been the other nights when her neighbor's security camera footage was captured. Meanwhile, as the investigation was underway and Becky's community mourned her loss, her sister Sarah obviously immediately suspected Tim, magnifying the possibility of his involvement just based on how many people had heard from Becky herself that she was afraid for her safety. On February 27th, 2023, so four days after her murder, police recovered a blue Schwinn brand bicycle without reflective lights

that had been abandoned in some brush near the Quincy Public School bus barn, which had to be the one from the footage. Tim's defense attorney Casey later maintained that there was no evidence tying Tim to this bike, including DNA, and no material evidence that he had ever been in possession of the bike or that this discovery was anything more than a coincidence. However, the Quincy Police Department had ample reason to believe that her claims were untrue. On October 10, 2022, so about four months before the murder, a Facebook marketplace

user named Michael Blazing received an inquiry from a Facebook account under the name John Smith. Very creative, which happened to be linked to Tim's phone number. And the listing was for a blue 26 inch Schwinn brand mountain bike. Michael completed the sale of the bike to someone he described as simply a tall white man, which is a very basic description, though it does match Tim's appearance. He really is just like a tall, basic looking white man, which is a very basic description, though it does match Tim's appearance. He really is just like a tall, basic looking white man. And also on this fake Facebook account were messages with another seller in which John Smith claimed that he would be driving an orange Honda CR-V, which was the very type of car that Tim drove.

So like, come on guys. Two days later, Tim himself reached out to another seller on Facebook, you know, proving that he's on Facebook Marketplace. This was to a woman named Amy Webster for a black Mongoose brand bike. And he did complete this purchase. On March 1st, 2023, Tim's home on Hampshire Road in Quincy

was searched, as well as his car. Inside the house were numerous Aldi shopping bags matching the scraps of plastic that had been found surrounding Becky's body. And Tim's DNA was found on one of the pieces of plastic at the crime scene. Now, as his home was being scoured, police also spoke with his neighbors,

one of whom claimed that back in January, Tim had asked if any of his neighbor's security cameras pointed towards his backyard. Pulled from the search history during the forensic search of his phone and computer, were searches including, quote, how to open my door with a crowbar, and how to make a homemade pistol silencer. I mean, those say a whole lot.

It's just very, very incriminating. Now also in his search history was the license plate and vehicle identification number, or VIN, and it turned out that they belonged to the man that Becky had started seeing romantically, whose name is Ted Johnson. Now Becky and Ted had begun their relationship as friends, but it did blossom into something more serious in the summer of 2022, so the summer before her murder. And on the evening of February 13th, 2023, Ted came over to spend the night, and his car remained parked outside Becky's house during that time.

Now Ted arrived at 11 45 p.m. and 15 minutes later at midnight, Becky's estranged husband Tim's whoop brand fitness armband disconnected and his phone locked. Between 12 and 1 a.m. Surveillance footage shows the mysterious cyclist cruising past the bus barn. So, this is very much pointing to Tim being the mysterious cyclist. Shortly afterward, Becky's neighbor, again Taylor Hyman, received a notification of movement on her home security camera.

Between 1-10 and 1-30 a.m., searches on Tim's laptop included quote license plate lookup and quote title slash registration Lookup, VIN check lookup vehicle records as well as Ted Johnson's exact license plate number and also his VIN and investigators posited that Tim was likely doing a dry run of the murder but became jealous or perhaps even enraged when he spotted Ted's car in the driveway overnight. Around 1.30am that morning, Tim's whoop band reconnected and at 1.32am he called the Missouri Department of Revenue, likely to continue his search into Ted's vehicle registration. Also suspicious was the timing of the continuous locking and unlocking of Tim's phone and the connecting and disconnecting of his whoop fitness armband.

And let's get into that now. At 12.45am on the morning of February 21st, the day before Becky's murder, Tim's whoop armb band disconnected from his phone, reconnecting at 2.11 a.m. after the biker was spotted on surveillance footage at the bus barn. On February 22, his arm band disconnected at 12.42 a.m. and reconnected at 2.19 a.m. Three minutes later, his phone was unlocked for the first time in two hours. On February 23rd, the morning of Becky's murder, his phone locked at 12 28 a.m. and his whoop armband was disconnected about eight minutes later at 12 36 a.m. The bus barn captured the cyclist on the blue bike with no reflectors at 12.55 a.m. headed south toward Becky's house. At 12.57 a.m. this same biker was seen heading past a home in the area.

Becky's attempt to call 911 took place again at 1.11 a.m. and the front door of her house was opened one minute later at 1. 11 a.m. and the front door of her house was open one minute later at 1 12 a.m. At 2 0 1 a.m. Tim's whoop armband reconnected and six minutes later his phone unlocked. So this is proving when he is essentially home with his phone and armband and when he's not using it and when he's not using his devices is when the mysterious cyclist is seen on cameras, you know, traveling around and to Becky's house. And he's also disconnected and distanced from these devices at the time of Becky's murder. So after three weeks of assembling evidence against 39-year-old Tim Bliefnick,

After three weeks of assembling evidence against 39-year-old Tim Bliefnick, he was arrested on March 13, 2023 and charged with the murder of his wife. The following day, a judge announced that he would be denied bail and on March 24, he pleaded not guilty to Becky's murder. His divorce attorney turned defense attorney Casey maintained, quote, That's not Tim in that video. You can't tell who it is. She also claimed that the murder was, quote, dripping with reasonable doubt. Obviously she's hired to say these things.

To be fair in the video, you cannot tell who it is, but everything that we have presented thus far, the devices distancing, the purchase of the bike through a burner Facebook that's connected to his phone number, the oldie bag evidence, you know the fact that the gun used was the same type of gun he owned, his DNA on plastic at the scene of Becky's murder, and I mean the collection of Ted's car info, wow the cyclist was around Becky's house at the same time Ted's car was parked in her driveway. Like, it's not looking good for him. Well, following his arrest, an eerie appearance with his parents and brothers on the game show Family Feud from 2019 resurfaced and made its rounds on the internet. When asked the survey question, which was what's the biggest mistake you made at your wedding, Tim said, honey, I love you, but said I do. In response to host Steve Harvey's dead pan stare and this like eruption of laughter

in the audience, Tim clarified saying not my mistake. I love my wife. And here is that clip. Biggest mistake you made at your wedding. Honey, I love you, but said I do. Not my mistake, I love my wife. I'm gonna get in trouble for that, aren't I? And I do wanna say, like I said, in the very beginning of this episode, I do feel like this is super out of context.

I feel like it was kind of a sensational piece to the story and it was kind of something people could see that would then, you know, then when you connect it to, oh, and he's on trial for his wife's murder. It was such an interesting kind of piece in that way. But the question was overall, you know, this is part of the game. It's what's the biggest mistake that people make on their wedding day? The one that was said before this is, uh, getting sloshed, or get sloshed. So, you know, obviously getting too drunk. And then, he said, saying, I do, and that was the second most popular response.

So, like, that was part of the game. But yeah, I guess it's an interesting anecdote to this case. Yeah, I mean, it just really seems like in that clip, he's just trying to appease the audience, like he's really trying to get a laugh out of that one. But the fact, you know, the foreshadowing here is really, really eerie. And this is two years before he would file for divorce. In a subsequent interview on 48 Hours, Tim explained, quote, It wasn't said with any malice or bad intentions. It was supposed to be funny.

But regardless of its intention, he was severely maligned for this response after Becky's murder. Court proceedings for Becky's murder began on May 23rd, 2023. And detectives firmly believed that Tim had been waiting to descend on her when she was sick and vulnerable.

His defense argued that there had been no sign of bloody clothing in Tim's car or home, and that there was no match found for the shoes that supposedly made the print in the carpet upstairs, where he broke in through the window of their son's room. However, to the disappointment of the defense, an expert testified that Tim's DNA was more likely found underneath Becky's fingernails, in addition to the DNA that was found on the Aldi bags that were surrounding her body. Police believe that Tim had used the bags as a homemade silencer, having searched how to do so before the murder.

During the search of his home, there was also a crowbar found in Tim's basement, though it was unable to be linked to the crowbar that was believed to be used to break into the upstairs window of Becky's home, but still. On the morning of her murder, around 9am, a neighbor of Becky's spotted Tim retrieving a little Tykes brand basketball hoop and bringing it over to his father's house, against Becky's wishes that their sons be kept away from him. And the prosecutors claimed that this was because Tim knew that she was no longer in the picture to stand between them having a relationship with their grandfather.

On the gun evidence, 27 9mm shell casings were found in Tim's home, and an expert testified that they matched the casings found around Becky's body, as well as the gun that Tim claims he returned to Becky ahead of their impending divorce trial, set to take place on March 3rd of 2023. When the judge permitted Becky's family to read their victim impact statements. Becky's mom Bernadette told Tim that her primary concern was the children, who had now lost both of their parents, saying, quote, when you murdered their mother, you took away the person who loved them the most. Your soul is black with hate and you should never be allowed to be free again. Becky's sister Sarah continued their mom's sentiment saying quote,

They're already suffering, crying for their mother that they wish would walk through the door to take them home to the life they once knew and loved. The raw grief that they now feel will change over time and we hope that with our guidance they will transform into acceptance and forgiveness because that will mean that they have chosen to live. We hope that with our guidance, they will transform into acceptance and forgiveness because that will mean that they have chosen to live, not with the scars and wounds that are too deep. It may evolve into their own depression or suicidal behavior.

Maybe you should have googled childhood PTSD in between your searches. Your children will never be able to escape their hearing about their father and mother, and they will be judged. They already often are. Do you realize how cruel kids can be? Growing up is hard enough without the emotional baggage they now carry, and the scrutiny that will forever surround them. Is your narcissism a family trait that only passed down through your genes or through their experiences with you as their father. They may forever have a fear of abandonment, or they may avoid relationships altogether, believing that they do not deserve love. And much worse, they may fear that they'll turn into you.

Now the defense chose not to call any witnesses, and on August 11th of 2023, 40-year-old Tim Bliefnick was found guilty of Becky's murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and he has also not been allowed any contact with his kids since the arrest. The judge told him scathingly, quote, You practiced this murder. You broke into her house and you shot her one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen times. I don't know how long it takes you to do that, but some of those shots were fired while she was lying on the ground. And you did all of that while your children were

upstairs at your house lying snug in their beds. After his sentencing, Tim was sent to Menard Correctional Facility in Menard, Illinois to live out the rest of his life. In November of 2024, however, he and his team attempted to appeal their case. His attorneys bemoaned the fact that the judge permitted statements made from Becky to friends before she was murdered to be used in court against him, calling these quote, irrelevant and inadmissible, despite the fact that they were incriminating. His defense team maintained that these should have been withheld from consideration and

filed a motion for an appeal to bring forth a jury case without the admission of these texts. And here's what the brief read, quote, All of these statements were inadmissible, as the worries and concerns and state of mind of a purported victim are irrelevant to prove anything other than the propensity of the defendant to commit the crime. However, a judge denied this request and Tim's sentencing was upheld. Sarah points out that Tim has taken no accountability because he still claims that he is innocent of this crime. Sarah stated, quote, Tim will always assert his innocence. He was never able to admit to faults or even compromise in life or marriage prior to this

happening. I think that he truly believes that he is not at fault for this, and that's his own sick and twisted mental illness. But none of us are surprised that Tim is claiming innocence. He has nothing else to lose. So why would he do anything different? Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Thankfully, that piece of shit is in jail where he belongs.

And if you want to see photos from this case and all the other cases that we've covered thus far, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram, at Going West podcast, and we're also on Facebook. Yeah, his defense team's whole thing was, well, why would he do this? They were getting a divorce.

Just like Keith always says, get a divorce. That's what he was trying to do. So why kill her? But this was so close to the trial proceedings. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. It really felt like he knew he was going to lose that that divorce battle and probably lose custody over his kids At some point. Yeah, and that clearly was not gonna fly with him or at least that's my take on it I think that he had plenty of motive to do this

I mean everything that we went over in this case, there's so much circumstantial evidence pointing to him as as well as Real physical evidence. It's like, come on. And it's so dumb when people do things that they think are going to be covered up and then, you know, like the Facebook marketplace thing. John Smith. Yeah, John Smith. Like you're not going to be found out, you idiot.

Yeah. And but of course he's allowed to say, oh, well, that's not me. I'm not John Smith. But your phone number was made to set up the account. That was you. What are the chances, you know, that this was the bike that was used to, to get to the scene of the crime and an account on Facebook with your phone number is used to purchase said bike.

Yeah. There was just so many levels to this case. So many. Yeah. So thank you guys again for listening. Thanks for sharing the show. We love you guys and we will see you on Tuesday. Yes we will. Alright guys so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. Thanks for watching!