48 Hours on ID is examining the murder of Rebecca Bliefnick, a mother of three children, who was gunned down by her estranged husband, Timothy “Tim” Bliefnick, at her home in Quincy, Illinois.
Tim Bliefnick had already achieved a level of notoriety after a 2020 appearance on the quiz show Family Feud when he told host Steve Harvey that his biggest mistake at his wedding was saying “I do.”
Bliefnick immediately told Harvey, “Not mine to say, not mine to say. I love my wife,” and added, “I’m going to get in trouble for that, aren’t I?” Three years later, the Quincy cops arrested him for killing 41-year-old Rebecca.
In February 2023, Rebecca and Tim were separated and embroiled in a contentious divorce. The pair were arguing over finances, the family home, and custody of their three children.
On February 23, the children were tucked up in bed at Tim’s house when he broke into his wife’s home through a window in one of the kid’s bedrooms.
Tim then chased Rebecca through the house, shooting her 14 times before she collapsed on a bathroom floor. Some of the shots were fired as Rebecca lay paralyzed on the floor.
Rebecca Bliefnick warned her family that Tim Bliefnick might harm her
The cops quickly discounted a robbery as nothing was missing. The investigators soon learned that Rebecca had sent a text to her sister approximately a year before the murder when she expressed concern that Tim might try to hurt her.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe text read in part, “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. I’m putting this in writing that I’m fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me, or will try to [sic] something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from medone
Tim was arrested a couple of weeks after the murder, and the evidence began piling up against him. He had done online searches on his cellphone that included “how to open my door with a crowbar,” “how to make a homemade pistol silencer,” and “how to clean gunpowder off your hands.”
The killer had also used a Facebook account to research buying a bicycle matching the description of a bicycle spotted on surveillance footage traveling toward Rebecca’s home on the night of the murder. The same bicycle was found by cops abandoned near Tim’s home.
Investigators also found a crowbar in Tim’s basement, which they believe was used to break open the window at Rebecca’s house.
Tim Bliefnick found guilty of Rebecca Bliefnick murder
In August 2023, Tim Bliefnick was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. He continued to maintain his innocence.
At the sentencing, Rebecca’s brother-in-law, Brett Reilly, asked the killer about his three sons, “Did you think about 12-year-old Deacon as you broke through his window? Did you think about 10-year-old Grayson as you charged down his hallway, chasing his defenseless mommy en route to slaughter his entire world?”
Rebecca’s mother, Bernie Postle, told the killer, “You replaced their mother’s love with emotional scars and trauma.”
48 Hours on ID airs Mondays at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.