Becky Bliefnick // 481

Summary

Going West: True Crime – Episode 481: Becky Bliefnick Release Date: February 28, 2025

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Introduction

In episode 481 of Going West: True Crime, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve deep into the harrowing case of Becky Bliefnick. Released on February 28, 2025, this episode meticulously unpacks the intricate details surrounding Becky's disappearance and subsequent murder, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired.

Overview of Becky Bliefnick

Becky Bliefnick, born on November 19, 1981, in Quincy, Illinois, was portrayed by her family as a selfless and compassionate individual. Described as passionate about animal welfare and dedicated to her nursing career, Becky excelled academically, graduating cum laude from Quincy University with a degree in biological science and a minor in chemistry. Her transition from a pharmaceutical sales representative to a respected travel nurse, specializing as a sexual assault nurse examiner and trauma nurse specialist, exemplified her commitment to helping others.

Becky’s Sister, Sarah (03:50): "Becky was doing it all and she was helping a ton of people along the way."

Marriage and Divorce

Becky's life took a tumultuous turn when she married Tim Bleifnik in 2009. The couple had three sons together, but over time, their marriage deteriorated. Tensions escalated primarily due to the intense custody battle over their children and the increasing strain of their separation. Tim's behavior was described by Becky's sister as "manipulative, controlling, and helpless".

Daphne (09:02): "He pulled the trigger not once, not twice, not three times, but 14 times, riddling her body with bullets."

In January 2021, Tim filed for divorce, alleging that Becky's behavior was the primary reason for the split—a claim vehemently denied by those close to Becky. The ensuing divorce was bitter, with disputes over custody, financial matters, and concerns regarding Tim's father, Ray Bleifnik, who was accused of having a history of "perversion and abusing minor children."

Becky (10:48): "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."

The Murder

On February 23, 2023, Becky Bliefnick was brutally murdered at her Quincy home. The crime scene revealed that she was shot 14 times, with evidence suggesting a calculated attack rather than a random home invasion. Notably, Becky's 9mm handgun, reportedly given to Tim as a gift, was missing—raising suspicions about its involvement in the murder.

Heath (04:13): "He grades not just her own papers but corrupt practices around the household."

Investigation and Evidence

The investigation quickly pointed towards Tim Bleifnik as the prime suspect. Key pieces of evidence included:

• Surveillance Footage: Multiple sightings of a mysterious figure on a blue Schwinn bike near Becky's residence were later linked to Tim through his digital footprint.

• Digital Footprints: Tim's internet history revealed searches on "how to open a door with a crowbar," "how to make a homemade silencer," and "how to wash off gunpowder"—all indicative of premeditation.

• Forensic Evidence: Tim's DNA was found on plastic shards near Becky's body, and his ownership of the murder weapon further implicated him.

• Behavioral Patterns: Tim's erratic behavior, including attempts to obscure his digital activities and suspicious purchases, added to the mounting evidence against him.

Daphne (24:15): "Detectives surmised that the intruder used a patio chair to climb onto the pergola in her backyard and then onto the roof."

Trial and Verdict

The trial commenced on May 23, 2023, with prosecutors presenting a compelling case built on both circumstantial and forensic evidence. Despite the defense's attempts to create reasonable doubt—highlighting the absence of direct evidence linking Tim to the crime scene—the jury found Tim guilty of Becky's murder on August 11, 2023.

Heath (41:12): "He broke into her house and you shot her. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 times."

Tim was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and was prohibited from any contact with his children.

Aftermath and Appeal

In November 2024, Tim and his legal team filed an appeal, contesting the admissibility of Becky's pre-murder statements. They argued that these were "irrelevant and inadmissible", aiming to present a jury case without this evidence. However, the appeal was denied, and his sentencing was upheld.

Becky's family expressed profound grief and emphasized the long-term emotional scars left on their children. Her sister, Sarah, criticized Tim for his lack of accountability and continued assertions of innocence.

Sarah (44:09): "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."

Conclusion

Heath and Daphne concluded the episode by underscoring the overwhelming evidence against Tim Bleifnik and reflecting on the tragic loss inflicted upon Becky's family. They highlighted the importance of thorough investigations and the devastating impact of domestic violence and custody battles gone awry.

Daphne (46:20): "I think that he truly believes that he is not at fault for this, and that's his own sick and twisted mental illness."

The episode serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities surrounding domestic disputes and the lengths to which individuals might go, emphasizing the critical need for support systems and interventions in such volatile situations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Daphne (09:49): "And the burden of the chores and caretaking duties for their sons only worsened when she went back to school."

• Heath (14:25): "He's creating the scenarios so that she'll look like the guilty party."

• Daphne (32:18): "I mean, those say a whole lot."

• Heath (37:58): "Biggest mistake you made at your wedding."

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Connect with Us

For more detailed analyses and updates on true crime cases, follow Going West: True Crime on Instagram and Facebook.

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Disclaimer: This summary is based on the transcript provided and aims to encapsulate the key elements discussed in the podcast episode.

Transcript

[Heath]

Don't miss the Hulu original docu series Devil in the Family, the Fall of Ruby Frankie. My wife created a YouTube channel.

[Daphne]

Thumbs up.

[Heath]

Subscribe, but only what we wanted to show.

I'm still recording a three part series of that. She said the children were demonically possessed.

Get out.

That blew the powder keg.

Ruby crossed a line to psychotic nine.

[Daphne]

Online emergency.

[Heath]

Open the door.

Hulu Stubble in the Family the Fall of Ruby Frankie. All episodes now streaming on Hulu. Focus Features presents Black Bag. Starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

I can feel when you're watching me.

[Daphne]

I like it.

[Heath]

It's the perfect marriage of love and deception.

I watch her.

I assume she watches me. There's a traitor in the house.

Find the leak.

Black Bag is the most anticipated espionage thriller of the year.

[Tim]

Who's the suspect?

[Heath]

Your wife?

[Daphne]

Would you kill for me?

[Heath]

Black Bag. Rated R. Under 1700 meter without parent. Only in theaters March 14 with special engagements in Dolby.

[Cyndi Lauper]

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[Heath]

Foreign what is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host, he.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Hope you're having a great week. Heath 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.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

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 he because of that, you know, Family Feud clip that was going around.

[Heath]

Yes, we're going to talk about that a little bit today.

[Daphne]

Yeah, this is that case. And I will say there is so much more to it than like an out of context clip clips. So we're going to get into all the details today, which there is a lot.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

Absolutely. And for photos, head over to our socials. We're on Instagram oingwestpodcast, and we're also on Facebook, so. All right, without further ado.

[Heath]

All right, guys, this is episode 481 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

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 Jim Array reports, family members say the victim warned them that she was afraid her estranged husband meant to harm her.

[Heath]

He pulled the trigger not once, not twice, not three times, but 14 times, riddling her body with bullets.

[Tim]

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 laying on the floor.

[Daphne]

If something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Interest is Tim, as that is who.

[Daphne]

Would do something to me.

[Heath]

There was also this courtroom bombshell. Prosecutors say around the time of the murder. Tim Beliefnik'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.

[Daphne]

Blifnick has pled not guilty. His attorney says it may have been a prowler who committed the murder. Rebecca Postle, who went by Becky, that's what we're going to call her today, was born in Quincy, Illinois, on November 19, 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 fall 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.

[Heath]

So now that you guys have a good overall picture of Becky's professional path, lets go back for a second to her college days again. Because while studying at Quincy University, Becky met fellow student Tim Beliefnik. 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 Blefnik. 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 nursing degree, which Daphne of course just told us about. But she remained an active participant in her sons 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 of 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 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.

[Daphne]

After their separation, Tim moved just about a mile, or 1.6 km away from their family home in Quincy. And the two shared custody of their children, who, by the way, were 12, 10, and 5 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 want to lose the kids. This is always the major topic of debate, if not money.

[Heath]

Right. And in Tim's initial complaint against his wife, he requested a 6040 split in this whole situation.

[Daphne]

Right. So Hae 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 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 Bleifnik, 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.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And so fair of Becky to say that, but then so weird of. 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, 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.

[Heath]

So there's a little bit of that manipulation that Becky's sister Sarah was talking about earlier.

[Daphne]

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. She described Tim 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 favorite, 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.

[Heath]

He's creating the scenarios so that she'll look like the guilty party.

[Daphne]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

And remember that she's saying that he had previously broken in.

[Heath]

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 a terrifying item to be claiming is missing and a very suspicious item to be claiming that you returned when you.

[Daphne]

Did not, especially with what's to come.

[Heath]

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 records 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.

[Daphne]

On January 5, 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, 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. That evening, February 22, 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 21, asking him that the exchange take place on Thursday, February 23. Instead, they agreed that Becky would pick up the kids from school that afternoon, the afternoon of February 23rd, 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.

[Heath]

So the next day, Thursday, February 23, 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 11:51am, 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 1.50pm, 57 minutes before school was released.

[Daphne]

Which is weird because he had agreed with Becky that she was gonna pick up the kids.

[Heath]

Right then at 3:03pm that afternoon is when Tim texted William Possel, who's Becky's father, asking him to check on his daughter. Mildly concerned that St. Peter 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 pickup. 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 bleifnik was shot 14 times. She had been murdered.

[Daphne]

Foreign.

[Heath]

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[Daphne]

Thumbs up.

[Heath]

Subscribe, but only what we wanted to show.

I'm still recording a three part series event. She said the children were demonically possessed.

Get out.

That blew the powder keg.

Ruby crossed the line to psychotic nine.

I'm on emergency.

Open the door.

Hulu stepped in the Family the Fall of Ruby Frankie all episodes now streaming on Hulu. Focus Features presents Black Bag Starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

I can feel when you're watching me.

[Cyndi Lauper]

I like it.

[Heath]

It's the perfect marriage of love and deception.

I watch her.

I assume she watches me.

There's a traitor in the house. Find the leak.

Black Bag is the most anticip espionage thriller of the year.

Who's the suspect?

Your wife?

[Daphne]

Would you kill for me?

[Heath]

Black bag. Rated R under 17 nanometer without parent. Only in theaters March 14 with special engagements in Dolby.

[Cyndi Lauper]

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[Tim]

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[Cyndi Lauper]

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[Daphne]

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 1:11am 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 1:12am that morning, and another alert at 1:27am 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. You know, we've already talked about a 9 millimeter gun today, and that was Tim's gun.

[Heath]

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 1.05am on February 22, 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 pored 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 canvass 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 four 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.

[Daphne]

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 27, 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 John Smith, very creative, which happened to be linked to Tim's phone number. And the listing was for a blue 26 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 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.

[Heath]

On March 1, 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 how to open my door with a crowbar and how to make a homemade pistol silencer.

[Daphne]

I mean, those say a whole lot.

[Heath]

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 13, 2023, Ted came over to spend the night, and his car remained parked outside Becky's house during that time. Ted arrived at 11:45pm and 15 minutes later, at midnight, Becky's estranged husband Tim's whoop brand fitness armband disconnected and his phone locked between 12 and 1am 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 1:30am searches on Tim's laptop included license plate lookup and title 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.

[Daphne]

And let's get into that now. At 12:45am on the morning of February 21, the day before Becky's murder, Tim's whoop armband disconnected from his phone, reconnecting at 2:11am after the biker was spotted on surveillance footage at the bus Barn on February 22, his armband disconnected at 12:42am and reconnected. At 2:19am three minutes later, his phone was unlocked for the first time in two hours. On February 23, the morning of Becky's murder, his phone locked at 12:28am and his whoop armband was disconnected about eight minutes later, at 12:36am the bus barn captured the cyclist on the blue bike with no reflectors at 12:55am Headed south toward Becky's house. At 12:57am this same biker was seen heading past a home in the area. Becky's attempt to call 911 took place again at 1:11am and the front door of her house was open one minute later at 1:12am At 2:01am, 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 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 Bleifnik, 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, that's not Tim in that video. You can't tell who it is. She also claimed that the murder was 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, 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. While 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 deadpan 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.

[Heath]

Biggest mistake you made at your wedding.

[Daphne]

Honey, I love you, but said I.

[Heath]

Do.

Not my mistake.

I love my wife.

I'm gonna get in trouble for that, aren't I?

[Daphne]

Yeah. And I do. To say I, like. 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 connected to, oh, and he's on trial for his wife's murder, it was such a. 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 make on their wedding day? The one that was said before this is 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.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

And this is two years before he would file for divorce. In a subsequent interview on 48 Hours, Tim explained 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.

[Heath]

Court proceedings for Becky's murder began on May 23, 2023, and detectives firmly believe 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 claim 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.

[Daphne]

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, 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, they are 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 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.

[Heath]

The defense chose not to call any witnesses and on August 11th of 2023, 40 year old tem Bleifnik was found guilty of Becky's murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. And he's also not been allowed any contact with his kids since the arrest. The judge told him scathingly, you practiced this murder. You broke into her house and you shot her. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 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 Tim, calling these irrelevant and inadmissible, despite the fact that they were incriminating.

[Daphne]

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.

[Heath]

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, oingwestpodcast, and we're also on Facebook.

[Daphne]

Yeah, his whole. His defense team's whole thing was, well, why would he do this? They were getting a divorce. He just, like he 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. He wanted his cake and to eat it, too.

[Heath]

You know, it really felt like he knew he was going to lose in that. That divorce battle and probably lose custody over his kids at some point.

[Daphne]

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 is so much circumstantial evidence pointing to him as, as well as real physical evidence. It's like, come on.

[Heath]

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.

[Daphne]

John Smith.

[Heath]

Yeah, John Smith. Like, you're not going to be found out, you idiot.

[Daphne]

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 the scene of the crime and an account on Facebook with your phone number is used to purchase said bike?

[Heath]

Yeah. There was just so many levels to this case.

[Daphne]

So many.

[Heath]

Yeah. So thank you guys again for listening. Thanks for sharing the show. We love you guys and we will see you on Tuesday.

[Daphne]

Yes, we will.

[Heath]

All right, guys, so for everybody out.

[Daphne]

There in the world, don't be a stranger.

[Heath]

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[Heath]

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[Tim]

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[Heath]

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