A nurse shot dead in her Illinois home had texted her sister to make sure her former Family Feud contestant husband was the number one suspect if she was ever found murdered.
Rebecca ‘Becky’ Bliefnick, 41, messaged Sarah Reilly before her death on February 23, warning her that she feared husband Tim Bliefnick, 39, amid their messy divorce and custody battle .
Reilly revealed the ominous warning Wednesday during chilling testimony at Tim’s murder trial.
“If anything happens to me, make sure the #1 person of interest is Tim,” the text message read, according to FoxNews.
“I’m writing this down that I’m afraid he’ll hurt me, come after me, or try to [do] something for me that keeps me away from the children or the children away from me.
Tim, who appeared on the 2020 game show Steve Harvey, was arrested in March in connection with the murder investigation.
Tim, who appeared on the Steve Harvey show in 2020, was arrested in March as part of the investigation into the murder of his wife Rebecca ‘Becky’ Bliefnick
Rebecca ‘Becky’ Bliefnick, 41, texted her sister Sarah Reilly before her death on February 23, warning her that she feared husband Tim Bliefnick, 39, amid their messy divorce battle and the guard.
The new details revealed in the courtroom gave prosecutors insight into Becky’s fears during her last days alive.
Becky’s text message continued: “He’s lied many times before to portray himself as the victim and me as the aggressor when it’s absolutely the opposite.”
Prior to the shooting, Tim had taken his wife’s gun and refused to return it, his attorney has revealed.
It’s unclear what weapon was used to shoot Becky 14 times, but defense attorneys say the killer climbed through a second-story window and shot her in a doorway.
Tim’s attorneys previously revealed that Becky’s neighborhood was being hunted before her death, according to Fox News.
They claimed to have photos and video of the attacker but did not release them.
“We found evidence to suggest there were individuals stalking the neighborhood in the week leading up to the murder,” his lawyer said.
“QPD (Quincy Police Department), to our knowledge, has never followed up with the identification or even the investigation of the complaint.
“We are working with investigators to identify the person or persons of whom we have photos and videos.”
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.
Rebecca and Tim were reportedly married in 2009, but at the time of his death they were in the process of divorcing although nothing had been finalized.
Becky was found dead in her Quincy home after failing to pick up the couple’s children from school.
The couple, who married in 2009, were going through a contentious divorce and had both filed restraining orders against each other.
When he was arrested, Bliefnick was “very cooperative” with officers and handed over the keys to the house, which he rents, and his car.
The couple have three sons together, but were living apart at the time of Rebecca’s death, with court records showing their separation was filed in February 2021.
Quincy police said the killing was an unusual act of domestic violence in an otherwise safe town.
The couple have three sons together, but were living apart at the time of his death, with court records showing their separation was filed in February 2021
Becky was shot 14 times but defense attorneys say the killer broke through a second story window and shot her in a doorway. Pictured: Becky’s house
Bliefnick and his ex-wife lived a few blocks from each other. He was arrested at his home on Monday
Footage of Tim on Family Feud resurfaced during the murder trial.
During the show, he joked with host Steve Harvey that someone’s “biggest marriage mistake” would probably be getting married.
“Honey, I love you,” Bliefnick said to his wife, before cautiously adding, “I love you.” His response drew laughs and gasps from the crowd and a blank stare from Harvey.
The episode was taped in fall 2019 but aired in spring 2020, according to ABC.
Family Feud asks contestants to guess the most common answers to questions. After Bliefnick gave his answer to the biggest marriage mistake question, Harvey looked at him with judgment.
‘Not my mistake, not my mistake. I love my wife,” Bliefnick said. “I’m going to get in trouble for this, aren’t I?” »
“It’s going to be hell to pay at your house,” Harvey replied. “Now the only chance it has of possibly being OK at watch party is if it’s on the board, and it’s going to have to be number two or number three.”
“Because if it’s number seven and only two people said it, that will put you in the asshole category,” Harvey added.
But Bliefnick’s guess was correct, as regretting marriage was the second most common response to the question. Of the 100 people who were asked the question, it seems that 20 gave this answer.
