A nurse who was shot dead at her Illinois home previously texted her sister to ensure that her ex-husband, who ran in the Family Feud candidacy, would be the prime suspect if she was ever found murdered.
Rebecca “Becky” Bliefnick, 41, texted Sarah Reilly before her death on February 23, warning that she was afraid of her husband Tim Bliefnick, 39, amid their messy divorce and custody battle.
Reilly revealed the troubling warning on Wednesday during harrowing testimony at Tim’s murder trial.
“If anything ever happens to me, make sure the #1 person you care about is Tim,” the text read, according to Fox News.
“I’m writing this because I’m afraid he’s going to harm me in some way, come after me, or try to.” [do] “something for me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me.”
Tim, who appeared on the Steve Harvey game show in 2020, was arrested in March as part of the murder investigation.
Tim, who appeared on the Steve Harvey show in 2020, was arrested in March as part of the murder investigation into his wife Rebecca “Becky” Bliefnick
Rebecca “Becky” Bliefnick, 41, texted her sister Sarah Reilly before her death on February 23, warning that she feared her husband Tim Bliefnick, 39, amid their messy divorce and custody battle
The new details revealed in the courtroom gave prosecutors a glimpse into Becky’s fears during her last days alive.
Becky’s text message continued, “He has lied several times to portray himself as the victim and me as the perpetrator, when the exact opposite is true.”
Before the shooting, Tim had taken his wife’s gun and refused to return it, her lawyer revealed.
It’s unclear what gun was used to shoot Becky 14 times, but defense attorneys claim the killer broke through a second-story window and shot her in a doorway.
According to Fox News, Tim’s attorneys previously revealed that Becky’s neighborhood was being hounded in the run-up to her death.
They claimed to have pictures and videos of the perpetrator, but did not publish them.
“We came across evidence that suggests there were people lurking in the neighborhood in the week before the murder,” his attorney said.
“QPD (Quincy Police Department) has never, to our knowledge, identified or even investigated the complaint.”
“We are working with investigators to identify the individual or individuals that we have images and video of.”
Bliefnick made this comment as a contestant on an episode of Family Feud hosted by Steve Harvey that aired in January 2020. Harvey joked that his reaction would get him in trouble
Rebecca and Tim are believed to have married in 2009, but divorce proceedings were still final at the time of her death
Becky was found dead at her Quincy home after failing to pick up the couple’s children from school.
The couple, who married in 2009, were in the midst of a contentious divorce and both had filed restraining orders against each other.
When he was arrested, Bliefnick was “very cooperative” with officers and gave him the keys to the house he was renting and his car.
The couple have three sons together, but were separated at the time of Rebecca’s death. Court records show the split was filed in February 2021.
Quincy Police said the murder was an unusual act of domestic violence in an otherwise safe town.
The couple have three sons together, but were separated at the time of her death. Court records show the split was filed in February 2021
Becky was shot 14 times, but defense attorneys claim the killer broke in through a second-story window and shot her in a doorway. Pictured: Becky’s home
Bliefnick and his estranged wife lived just a few blocks apart. He was arrested at his home on Monday
Footage of Tim resurfaced in Family Feud during the murder trial.
During the show, he joked with host Steve Harvey that probably the “biggest wedding mistake” was getting married in the first place.
“Honey, I love you,” Bliefnick said to his wife, then added cautiously, “Did I say?” His reply drew laughter and gasps from the crowd, and a blank stare from Harvey.
According to ABC, the episode was taped in fall 2019 but aired in spring 2020.
In “Family Feud” the participants have to guess the most common answers to questions. After Bliefnick gave his answer to the biggest wedding mistake question, Harvey gave him a judgmental look.
“Not my fault, not my fault.” “I love my wife,” Bliefnick said. “I’m going to get in trouble for this, aren’t I?”
“It’s going to cost a lot of money to pay at your house,” Harvey replied. “The only chance it might be okay at the waking party is if it’s on the board, and it has to be number two or three.”
“Because if it’s number seven and only two people have said it, you end up in the assholes category,” Harvey added.
But Bliefnick’s hunch was correct, as regrets about the marriage was the second most common answer to the question. Of the 100 people who were asked the question, 20 seemed to have given this answer.