A friend of the mother-of-three killed after being shot 14 times by her husband who years earlier had joked about her regrets for their marriage during an appearance on Family Feud, says she spent his last days fearing for his life.
“They seemed like the perfect family,” Christie Krause said. FoxNews. “When we got to know Tim and Becky, that’s when they got engaged and we got married. And it was a very happy time in their lives. I never thought Tim could do something like this.
A jury on Wednesday found Timothy Bliefnick, 40, guilty in the Feb. 23 shooting death of Becky Bliefnick, 41.
Her body was found by her father after her family became concerned that she had not picked up her sons from school. She was shot 14 times.
Timothy Bliefnick was arrested on March 13, twelve days after his home in Quincy, Illinois was searched.
The couple were separated and going through a divorce, but a family friend said no one believed the relationship would end in murder.
Becky Bliefnick (left) was found dead at her home by her father after her family grew concerned she hadn’t picked up her sons from school
Timothy Bliefnick, 40, refused to testify in his own defense after being charged with killing his estranged wife in Quincy, Illinois
Krause said she knew Becky had reached out to close friends and family in the days leading up to her murder as she feared her husband would harm her before their divorce was finalized.
“She had contacted too many people she was close to, saying that if anything happened to her, Tim would be the one they should look to first,” Krause explained.
“It’s really sad to hear, especially during the trial. It was very heartbreaking to know that she was so scared in the last days of her life.
Becky had sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly before her death, warning her that if anything happened to her, “person of interest #1 is Tim”.
“I’m writing this down that I’m afraid he’ll hurt me, come after me, or try to [do] something about me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me,” she said.
Krause shared how she prayed for the family and the three young sons their mother left behind in hopes that they would remember her as a “great all-rounder.”
“My thoughts and prayers go out to them. These three boys have lost both parents. It’s heartbreaking to know what they have to go through for the rest of their lives, that their father killed their mother.
“All I can continue to do is pray for them and hopefully offer happy memories of their wonderful mother’s past, who was simply brilliant, beautiful and caring and just a wonderful person,” said said Krause.
A friend of Becky’s has revealed how she spent her final days living in fear.
Bliefnick (pictured just as his home was raided in March) was ‘very cooperative’ with officers and handed over the keys to the house, which he rents, and his car
In a statement following this week’s verdict, Becky’s family said: ‘We should not live in a world where a crime like this is possible. We shouldn’t have to endure a life without Becky who was robbed of her life in the most hateful, cowardly and cruel way.
“Her boys were deprived of a loving and devoted mother. They stole my sister and my best friend.
‘My parents were deprived of their daughter, and as a parent myself, I cannot imagine greater torture.
“Becky was a niece, aunt and cousin; a friend, a colleague and a carer. All those who love him are deeply saddened by this tragedy.
“The legal process cannot bring her back or heal our wounds, but we are relieved that the verdict does justice and we are grateful to everyone who made it a reality.
“As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful to our family, friends and complete strangers who gathered around us and prayed for us during these incredibly dark days.”
Court heard Bliefnick Googled ways to commit the crime before driving to Becky’s home on her bike
Bliefnick and Becky had three sons together but were living apart at the time of her murder after splitting in February 2021
A GoFundMe set up by Becky’s sister has raised $110,000 which will fund her funeral and care for her three children
Becky’s family said their priority now is raising their three young children.
“We live with the hope that the worst time of our lives can’t define who we are, as we pick up the pieces to raise Becky’s boys the way we know she wants,” they wrote. declared.
“Although life may not be normal as it once was, such love and support helps restore the belief that the world does, in fact, have more good than evil.
“As they move forward with the certain truth that their father murdered their mother, we ask that you keep Becky’s three amazing boys in your prayers.
“We will move forward relying on each other – and our faith – for healing. We’ll talk about Becky warmly and often, remembering how she lived and loved, not how she died. We will miss her forever and we will always love her.
The court heard Bliefnick search Google for ways to commit the crime, before cycling home.
Investigators recovered dozens of shell casings from the basement that the state police lab said were fired from the same gun as eight recovered from the crime scene.
Becky had also sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly (right) before her death, warning her that if anything happened to her, ‘person of interest #1 is Tim’
The nurse (left) had previously filed a restraining order against her ex-husband (right) and her father before she was in turn hit with a restraining order by her husband
Prior to the shooting, Bliefnick had taken his wife’s gun and refused to return it, his attorney revealed.
Officers have not found the murder weapon and although Becky’s handgun is still missing and forensic experts say it was one of several models that could have matched the casings.
In the weeks following his death, Bliefnick attended his wake, but not his funeral as he didn’t want to be a “distraction”.
Police described him as being “cooperative”, having stormed onto his property shortly before arresting him.
Becky’s family called the murder “hateful, cowardly and cruel” and vowed not to hesitate to tell the boys who killed their mother.
Prosecutors say he used a crowbar to break into the property (pictured) through a second story window before shooting his ex-wife in the bathroom
The couple had three sons together, but were living apart at the time of Becky’s death, with court records showing their separation was filed in February 2021.
Court records show the couple, who married in 2009, had both filed restraining orders against each other.
Quincy police said the killing was an unusual act of domestic violence in an otherwise safe town.
In 2020, Timothy Bliefnick and some of his family members appeared on ABC’s Family Feud.
Bliefnick made the comment as a contestant on an episode of Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey and aired in January 2020. Harvey joked that his answer would get him in trouble.
Timothy Bliefnick, 39, predicted that a common marriage mistake would be agreeing to get married. He was arrested earlier this week and charged with the murder of his ex-wife
One of the questions asked by host Steve Harvey was, “What was the biggest mistake you made in your wedding?”
“Honey, I love you,” Bliefnick says to his wife, before carefully adding, “I love you.”
His response drew laughs and gasps from the crowd and a blank stare from Harvey.
He immediately told Harvey ‘That’s not for me to say. I love my wife.’ He also added, “I’m going to get in trouble for this, aren’t I?”
Harvey replied, “It’s going to be hell to pay at your house.”
The episode was taped in fall 2019 but aired in spring 2020, according to ABC.
