277. The Family Feud Murder

Summary

Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband | Episode 277: The Family Feud Murder

Introduction In Episode 277 of "Murder With My Husband", hosted by Peyton and Garrett Moreland from OH NO MEDIA, the duo delves into the harrowing true crime case of Becky Blefnik's tragic murder. This episode meticulously unpacks the complexities of Becky and Tim Blefnik's troubled marriage, the escalating abuse, and the ultimate events leading to Becky’s untimely death.

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Case Background Becky Postol, later known as Becky Blefnik, was born in November 1981 in Quincy, Illinois. She had an idyllic childhood, excelling academically and socially. "Becky seemed to have a pretty idyllic childhood... she graduates cum laude," (Transcript [06:15]) Peyton narrates, highlighting Becky's achievements and her reputation as a hardworking and selfless individual.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in biological science from Quincy University, Becky became a successful pharmaceutical sales representative. Her life took a pivotal turn when she reconnected with Tim Blefnik, a former college football star who later joined Quincy University's sports hall of fame in 2019. Their marriage appeared to be a blend of practicality and affection, marked by the decision to purchase their first home instead of indulging in a lavish honeymoon.

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Signs of an Abusive Relationship Despite a seemingly perfect marriage, cracks began to appear. Peyton explains, "Becky tells them it kind of started with little things like him chastising her for not cleaning the house..." (Transcript [10:50]). Tim's inability to share parenting responsibilities and his frequent absence contributed to Becky's growing resentment.

Tim's behavior during his Family Feud appearances in 2019 signaled early signs of trouble. "He did what he thought was the majority answer, saying, 'I do,' which was met with laughter but hinted at deeper marital issues" (Transcript [14:17]).

The COVID-19 pandemic further strained their relationship as increased time at home exacerbated existing tensions. Becky's dedication to her nursing career forced her to reduce her hours, leaving Tim feeling sidelined.

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Escalation of Abuse Friends and family noted a significant shift in Tim's behavior. "Tim emotionally abused Becky, at least towards the end of their marriage, stripping her of peace and happiness" (Transcript [32:29]). Instances included:

• Destruction of Property: "He went out and cut down her favorite tree... just to make her mad" ([33:22]).
• Threats Involving Pets: "He threatened to get rid of a family pet she loved when she didn't comply with his demands" ([33:47]).
• Physical Violence: "He shoved her during an argument in front of their kids" ([34:52]).

Becky recognized the severity of the situation, leading her to seek help. "After hearing about a colleague's similar fate, she sent a distressing text to her sister expressing fear of Tim" ([38:36]).

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The Night of the Murder On February 22, 2023, while recovering from surgery, Becky was at home alone as Tim cared for their three sons. The following day, February 23, Tim attempted to arrange the return of the children but Becky failed to show up.

Becky's father responded to Tim's text and discovered Becky's lifeless body in the bathroom, shot fourteen times. "He found her lifeless body on the bathroom floor... shot fourteen times" ([22:53]).

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Investigation and Evidence Police quickly ruled out burglary, noting nothing was stolen. Key evidence included:

• Entry Through an Upstairs Window: "The intruder entered by prying open the upstairs window in one of the kids' bedrooms" ([25:14]).
• Multiple Shell Casings: "Eight spent nine-millimeter shell casings were found at the scene" ([25:09]).
• Surveillance Footage: Grainy images captured a person near Becky's home on Valentine's Day and the night before the murder.
• Digital Footprints: Searches on Tim's computer for "how to pry open a door with a crowbar" and "how to wash gunpowder off my hands" ([42:21]).

A pivotal piece of evidence was a bicycle matching the one seen on surveillance footage, found abandoned near Tim's residence. Additionally, analyses of shell casings linked them to the firearm Tim had taken from Becky's home.

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Arrest, Trial, and Verdict On March 1, police obtained a search warrant and discovered incriminating evidence at Tim's house, including a crowbar and shell casings. "Police find a bike matching the surveillance video... Tim was arrested and charged with first-degree murder" ([43:01]).

During the trial in May 2023, the prosecution presented compelling evidence linking Tim to the crime:

• Shell Casings Match the Gun: "The shell casings found at Tim's home were an identical match to those used to kill Becky" ([49:22]).
• Overwhelming Motive: Becky's fear and Tim's history of abuse provided a clear motive.

The jury reached a verdict swiftly, finding Tim guilty of first-degree murder after only four hours of deliberation. In August 2023, Tim was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

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Reflection and Systemic Failures The episode underscores the critical shortcomings in the legal system's handling of emotional and psychological abuse. Becky's plea for protection was dismissed due to the lack of physical abuse, highlighting a systemic issue where non-physical abuse is often minimized. "She tried to seek help, and the law failed her. This case becomes a cautionary tale" ([51:14]).

The Morelands emphasize the importance of recognizing all forms of abuse and the need for better support systems to prevent such tragedies. Becky’s story serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences when emotional abuse is overlooked.

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Conclusion Episode 277 of "Murder With My Husband" presents a deeply emotional and meticulously researched account of Becky Blefnik's murder. Through thorough investigation, compelling evidence, and poignant reflections, the Morelands shed light on the often invisible scars of emotional abuse and the dire need for systemic change to protect those at risk.

Notable Quotes:

• Garrett Moreland ([25:10]): "That is something I hope no parent ever has to go through..."
• Peyton Moreland ([31:20]): "if something ever happens to me, please make sure the number one person of interest is Tim..."
• Judge During Sentencing ([50:49]): "Mr. Blefnik, you researched this murder... you shot her 14 times."
• Peyton Moreland ([52:06]): "That's the case of Becky Blefnik."

Support Becky's Family: For those impacted by this case, donations can be made to the Becky Blefnik Memorial and Support Fund.

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Disclaimer This summary is intended for informational purposes only and is based on the transcript provided. Listener discretion is advised due to the sensitive and graphic nature of the content discussed.

Transcript

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Oh. I'm now switching my team to some fancy work platform that somehow knows exactly how we work. And its AI features are literally saving us hours every day. We're big fans, and just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com. with intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities, and custom workflows, it's the work platform your team will instantly click with. Head to Monday.com, the first work platform you'll love to use. You're listening to an ONO Media podcast. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm the husband.

[Peyton Moreland]

What if one day, when. Or 90 years old, and we're still.

[Garrett Moreland]

Doing the podcast, and we're still doing.

[Peyton Moreland]

The podcast, and I have to. You finally die, and then I have to. Do I finally die and then I have to.

[Garrett Moreland]

That was. That was crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, because you're gonna stay alive for so long, and then I have to.

[Garrett Moreland]

That. You didn't save it. You didn't. That was crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

And then I have to change out your blue chair for your coffin.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, I don't want to think about that at all.

[Peyton Moreland]

No. For your chamber.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't even. I don't even want to think about.

[Peyton Moreland]

That for your chamber because you're gonna freeze your body.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's true. I will come back one day, so it'll do.

[Peyton Moreland]

It'll be like on Batman when that guy's just frozen solid in the ice.

[Garrett Moreland]

Who's dying first, you or me.

[Peyton Moreland]

Probably me. I hope.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, baby, I hope.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't want to live. I don't want to be 90 without you.

[Garrett Moreland]

True. Maybe we'll die at the same time in each other's arms.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like Notebook.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like Notebook.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, deal.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, deal. Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for listening every week. Thank you for downloading, thank you for commenting, liking subscribing, all of that. We really appreciate you guys. We love you guys, honestly, we love doing this. We love talking to you guys every single week. And yeah, that's what I got going. But I got going.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, Garrett and I are both drinking our little Ollipops.

[Garrett Moreland]

Not spot. Well, not sponsored this episode, but sponsored before. But we drink them all the time. Ollipop. Not sponsored, just shouting them out because genuinely good product. We have code and I like generally. Yeah, this is. No, this is the root beer one I genuinely like.

[Peyton Moreland]

What did you think I said?

[Garrett Moreland]

Do you have coke?

[Peyton Moreland]

Do we have a code?

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, I. I think it's husband. We'll put a link down below. I can't remember.

[Peyton Moreland]

I've been drinking the grape one every day.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, not sponsored. This is just because we like it. For my 10 seconds, I am going to talk about something that is a little selfish, but I really hope that you guys don't skip and listen because it's something I've been working on with.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, this is the hottest tea, you guys. This is the hottest, hottest tea. This is the most problematic Hostess. Hostess. Hottest hot take Garrett's ever gonna drop. So listen right now.

[Garrett Moreland]

But seriously, friend and I have been working on this for a while. I will plug it as fast as possible. Please go and check it out if you have a second. I promise you're gonn like it. It's not close. It's not a product. It is a application, an app. It's called Cupboard or cupboard. I call it Cupboard. I know my business partner doesn't like that, but cupboard is how it's spelled. Or cup board if you don't know how to spell it. Cupboard. It is an app where you can track, see upcoming releases, buy and sell all your favorite cups. So Stanley Oala, Hydro, Jug Brew mate, Simply simple, modern, so on and so forth. Please go and check it out. You can literally on the app, we've insert every single cup that's ever been released and you can see all the new releases and we'll even send you notifications when there's a new release. So you don't miss an opportunity to buy the cup you want from the brand you want. We're adding more brands. You can collect them. There's also a marketplace. Like I said, you can buy and sell. It is an amazing app. We've been working on it for a long time. Please go and check it out.

[Peyton Moreland]

You'd be shocked how much you can sell your cups for, you guys. Because I don't know if everyone listening knows this. You might be like, what the heck? But there is a large portion of people who are very into the type of cup that they carry around. They are collectors.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think a good example is it's basically the goat or stock X for cups. Go check it out. If you have any type of Stanley or hydrogel, goala, brumate, so on and so forth, you're going to want to just check it out. The link will be in the description. I love you guys and thank you. And if you want a 10 seconds, that's not about that. I hate traffic. I absolutely loathe. I hate traffic. Traffic. I can't stand it and I'm trying to be more patient with it, but it makes me want to completely rage. There's nothing makes you want to rage except traffic. Got it off my chest. I love you guys. I feel a lot better now. That's what I got. All right, hopping into today's case. I know Peyton's got a good one for me. Well, I don't know, but I say good one, but that's the wrong way to put it because they're all good in a true crime way. They're all sad. And here we are. Let's talk about this case and see what we got.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are oxygen.com cbs news.com NBC news.com legacy.com khqa.com killer queens podcast, medium.com news channel 20W G E M case law, findlaw.com and National Library of Medicine. Okay, so when you hear the words abusive relationship, there are a lot of things that probably come to mind. Horror stories about violent arguments, someone showing up with bruises on their arms or face. Late night calls to 91 1. But abusive partnerships can come in a lot more forms than that. And it's something that's not always talked about. There's stalking, abuse, financial and probably one of the most common and not openly talked about forms of abuse, emotional abuse. Sometimes it starts small. Taking cracks at a person's self esteem. Insults or insinuations that put another person down. But over time, that can grow. It can be full on humiliation, gaslighting, name calling, threats, failure to respect someone's privacy before isolating them from everyone they know and love. And the reason why emotional abuse is considered so dangerous is because it's often a precursor to physical abuse. And when the signs are ignored or downplayed for too long, it can end up in a life taken far too soon. So let's head now to the quiet little town of Quincy, Illinois. We are right along the Mississippi river where Rebecca, aka Becky Postol is born in November of 1981. 1 Now, growing up in Quincy, Becky seemed to have a pretty idyllic childhood. In the 80s, she and her older sister Sarah had great memories of playing outside, going fishing, chasing frogs, riding their bikes through the neighborhood to their friends houses. Pretty much a suburban white picket fence dream. And Becky also becomes a star student. She graduates from her high school as the valedictorian. She goes on to get a bachelor's degree in biological science at Quincy University where she she graduates cum laude. After that she gets a job working as a pharmaceutical sales rep where she ends up being one of the top performers. So all of this to say by the time she's an adult with an adult job, Becky is honestly a real catch. And it certainly doesn't hurt that she's also beautiful, she's incredibly friendly and outgoing and she's a completely selfless person. Which is probably what drew A former college classmate to her was a guy named Tim Blefnik. Now Becky and Tim met during their time at Quincy University, but it wasn't until two years after they graduated that they then reconnected and fell for one another. Tim was actually a star on the college's football team with these all American handsome looks. In fact, he was so good he landed a spot in Quincy University's sports hall of Fame in 2019.

[Garrett Moreland]

Did he play in the NFL?

[Peyton Moreland]

After graduation, he hung up his cleats and Tim found work as a salesman in the recycling industry. And after proposing to Becky, the couple decided to forego a lavish honeymoon and instead used that money to buy their first home together.

[Garrett Moreland]

Good idea.

[Peyton Moreland]

Get married, buy a home. And it was a decision that didn't come as a shock to those who knew them. If there was one thing about this couple, it was how practical they both seemed to be in their decision making, like individually and together. And to them, preparing for their future and their family was extremely important. And to many, their marriage seemed like a dream. They had two little boys pretty quickly after they got married, but the couple still always knew how to find time to enjoy each other. People said Becky and Tim were always the first two out on the dance floor. They were always the life of the party. But after their second son was born, Becky was looking for what to do next in her life. And while Becky liked working in the medical field, she'd always dreamed of having a more hands on approach. She wanted to work with patients more directly, really making a difference in people's lives. And so that's when Becky decided, okay, I've had my kids and now I'm gonna go to nursing school. Becky also figured this was a great way to start making more money for the family, which Tim, her husband, seemed to be on board with. So Becky juggled being a mom and going back to school full time for her nursing degree. This is something that couldn't have been easy, especially since during her senior year, she actually gave birth to a third son. And throughout all of that, Becky still used the little free time she had to volunteer and give back to her community in the way she could. Whether that was helping out at her kids school, the local animal rescue, at the stables, working with therapeutic writing services. Becky was literally a superhuman. And when she finally graduated, she got the job she always dreamed of having. Becky became a nurse in the surgery unit before being transferred to the ER at Blessing Hospital. But that's when things kind of got challenging for Becky. Her intense work schedule made it harder for her to do everything for the kids. And Tim wasn't as hands on of a father as she was a mother, so. So when Tim wouldn't step in, Becky was forced to go from full time to part time in her career that she had just spent years working towards just to make sure that someone was there for their kids. And this naturally began to cause some resentment and contention in their marriage. Becky told her friends it kind of started with little things like him chastising her for not cleaning the house, despite the fact she was working all night and then caring for the kids all day. Some of Becky's friends joked that she was more like a single mom, doing everything for the household while Tim was just out and living his own life. In fact, Tim even went on a game show in 2019 without Becky. She was too busy with work and the kids to attend. So he appeared on Family Feud with his side of the family for three different episodes.

[Garrett Moreland]

What?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes.

[Garrett Moreland]

I wish I could be on Family Feud.

[Peyton Moreland]

It was during that game show appearance that Tim showed some early signs of trouble. And this might just be people looking.

[Garrett Moreland]

Into reading into it too much, but.

[Peyton Moreland]

Let me tell you about it. Okay, so on one of the episodes, remember, Becky's just worked super hard to become a nurse, but now she's also working night shifts taking care of the kids. They are having some fighting going on, and Tim is now playing Family Feud. And Steve Harvey asks the question, what do you regret doing on your wedding day?

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, no.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, keep in mind, you're guessing what you think the majority of people would say.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, can I guess what I think he's gonna say? And I've never. I've never heard this case.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes. So remember, Tim's saying what he thinks the rest of the people would say, but it's obviously coming out of his own mouth and came up with in his brain. So go ahead. What do you think he said?

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, never mind. I thought he was going to say something along the lines of, I wish I would have shoved cake in my wife's face or something.

[Peyton Moreland]

You think that's what the majority people.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, no, no. I thought it was a real. Sorry, I misunderstood. This is the game show question and him not just asking what he regrets.

[Peyton Moreland]

No. Yeah. So Steve asks Tim the way Family Feud is played.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

They interview a bunch of people, and he's supposed to guess the majority answer.

[Garrett Moreland]

What does he say?

[Peyton Moreland]

He says that he. His guess that one of the most popular answers to that question was, quote, saying, I do. The biggest mistake you made at your.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wedding, honey, I love you, but said I do. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

It was a comment that the audience just immediately busted up laughing, especially when it appeared as one of the top answers on the board.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, it was.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes. Still, Steve Harvey said something to Tim like, geez, you're gonna have hell to pay when you get home. And while Tim might have just played this whole thing off as a joke, like, I was just trying to win the game. I just figured that would be one of the answers. It was a comment that, like, due to the climate in their current marriage, everyone that knew them in real life was just a little bit, like, it just stuck with them a little bit. Everyone was kind of talking about it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Because it was clear there was some truth to it. There was a lot of tension brewing between them at home. And then 2020 hits, and everyone is forced to stay inside, making things much worse for this couple. If you have been worried about your liver health, I have found the thing to help you get back on track. Dose for your liver was formulated to cleanse your liver of unwanted elements, aid digestion, and maintain your body's filter. And why does this even matter well, your liver is the second largest organ in your body and is responsible for over 500 functions in your body. It acts as your body's filter, flushing out unwanted elements and breaking down what you consume into essential nutrients. The liver produces and regulates cholesterol, stores vitamins and minerals, and impacts digestive and metabolic health amongst many other things. Dose's science backed formula promotes liver function, aids digestion, eases bloating and even boosts energy levels. 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So Jolie will give you your best skin and hair guaranteed. Head to jolieskinco.com husband to try it out for yourself with free shipping. That's jolieskinco.com husband for free shipping. And if you don't like it, you can return your Jolie for a full refund within 60 days, no questions asked. Jolie is also available on Amazon and at select Ulta stores. Very easy to install. Get yours now. So with hospitals all over the world being super crowded, duty definitely called for Becky too. And with nowhere to escape to, Tim and Becky were spending a lot more time together at home, indoors, with their three kids. And it was around this time with Becky, who's trying to be a nurse, but also homeschool her children. It's around that time that Tim starts talking about getting a divorce. He said they just couldn't see eye to eye on most things. He felt it was time to move on. And this was something that Becky adamantly did not want. She thought that they should go to couples counseling first, try and work it out. But it seemed like Tim was once again getting his way. By 2021, he had moved out of their house and gotten a place a few blocks away so he could still be close to the boys. And while it wasn't what Becky initially wanted, her friends and family said she actually seemed relieved to be kind of doing her own life without timing. And as the divorce proceedings went on, Becky even met someone new. So they're separated, they are going through with the divorce and she meets someone, it's another guy who was also in the healthcare industry. So they continue dating through 2022 and into 2023. Even as the divorce continued to stretch on, as Tim and Becky were ironing out finances, custody, everything else. But then that February of 2023, everything changed. That month, 41 year old Becky had just gotten surgery for something and sources don't say what it was for, but I know that by 22 February, she was at home recovering. It seems during that time, 40 year old Tim had taken their three boys because Becky was getting surgery. The boys are now 12, 10 and 5 years old and they are staying with him for a few days at his house. Now, on the morning of the 23rd, Tim dropped the three kids off at school. The plan was for Becky to then pick them up after school for them to finally come back to her place. But that afternoon at around 3pm, Becky's dad gets a text from Tim his ex son in law, if you will. And it reads, quote, can you please call Becky and ask her to tell me when she's getting the boys today? I had them last night because she said she was sick. But she hasn't responded to any of the messages I sent today. And I don't know if she's still sick or if she's coming to get them or what's happening. I can keep the children again tonight if needed, but I just need her to let me know what she wants to do. Now, it seems like Tim sent this because Becky never showed up to the school to pick the children up, which is why Tim is now reaching out to Becky's dad. So Becky's dad says, okay, I'm going to drive over to Becky's house and check on her, because she said she was sick and then she didn't show up to get the kids. And when he shows up, he finds the front door of Becky's house is unlocked. So he calls her name. He gets no answer. He goes to the garage to see if her car is there, and it is. So this is when he's like, hey, I got to go inside. Because if she's sick and she's not answering and the cars here. Makes his way upstairs to the bedroom and he peeks inside. He goes into the bathroom of the primary bedroom and finds his daughter Becky's lifeless body on the bathroom floor.

[Garrett Moreland]

That is something I hope no parent ever has to go through, because I just. Ugh.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now I'm gonna paint a picture of what he found because it wasn't like he just saw her on the floor unconscious and realized she was dead. Becky had been shot to death not once, not twice, not three times. 14 times.

[Garrett Moreland]

Holy crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

So you have to imagine the amount of blood and just what her body looked like.

[Garrett Moreland]

Do you know what he was shot with or. Sorry. Do you know what she was shot with?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes, there were nine millimeter shell casings found.

[Garrett Moreland]

Because depending on the. I guess. Unless he had an extend. Extended. Extended mag. Like I'm wondering if depending on the gun he had an extended Maggie had. He would have had to put another mag inside gun.

[Peyton Moreland]

He or she.

[Garrett Moreland]

Sorry, he or she.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, a reload. Which is just absolutely insane when you empty a gun on someone and then.

[Garrett Moreland]

He emptied his clip and then had to put another clip in there.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, that's crazy. That's definitely premeditated at that point.

[Garrett Moreland]

Absolutely insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

So this is what he stumbles into. 14 bullet holes in his daughter. And since her father doesn't have his phone on him. He actually runs to the neighbor's house to call 91 1. Now, when police arrive, they quickly find a few important things about the scene of the crime. I mean, this is a murder. Becky has been murdered. And first they noticed that the intruder entered the home by prying open the upstairs window in one of the kids's bedrooms. So it's not like this person was, like, came in through the front door. They came in through one of the kids's window. They also find that the door to Becky's room has been kicked open aggressively and was actually broken in some parts. It also appears that the intruder chased Becky from her bedroom into the bathroom, where they then shot her to death. They also find Becky's phone behind the bathroom door. And. And they can tell the time of the murder because at 1:11 in the morning, Becky tried to dial 911 on her cell phone. So police are thinking, so sick. This person breaks in, kicks in Becky's bedroom door. Becky hears it. She gets up. She's running to her bathroom while also trying to dial 91 1, presses call, but it only lasts 10 seconds before hanging up. And that was probably because the intruder had finally gotten to her and was now attacking her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, I can't. I. I just can't.

[Peyton Moreland]

The phone was probably knocked out of her hand, hung up. So police also quickly rule out a burglary because nothing appears to be stolen. The neighbors say that they didn't hear or see anything suspicious, but the intruder did leave some more evidence behind. There was a partial sh. Shoe print near the window that was broken into that they believe the intruder came in through. And then also there were eight spent nine millimeter shell casings, like I said, but there were eight of them. And they also found small pieces of what looked like a plastic bag near Becky's body, but it wasn't, like, a full plastic bag. But maybe one of the most significant clues was the way Becky had died, because, as I mentioned, Becky was shot 14 times. There was actually a 15th shot that was fired, but it missed her body. Now, Becky was shot through her hands, her arms, her lungs, her spine. But none of those wounds would have been, like, immediately fatal, which is why the medical examiner actually believes that Becky was shot 14 times. 15 actual shots rang out, and then was just left there on the floor bleeding to death.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So this tells detectives nothing's missing. This was most likely not a robbery. It was probably a crime of passion. That seems pretty violent. So the next step for detectives is to go around the neighborhood, see if anyone's home security systems caught anything on tape because this is 2023, and they find that Becky's next door neighbors, Hyman's, have a security camera on the side of their home that actually points directly at Becky's driveway leading along the side of her house. Now, the camera didn't find anything on the night of the murder, but it did pick something up the night before. So the night before she's murdered on this camera at around 105am There is a person walking down the driveway towards the back of Becky's house. And then that same person is seen walking away back down the driveway in the opposite direction 48 minutes later. Now, when the Hyman's find out police found this footage, they aren't that surprised. And they tell them. A little over a week earlier, on Valentine's Day, the same thing happened in the middle of the night. Their cameras caught someone walking into Becky's backyard. So they had actually texted her a week before and said, hey, someone's on our camera, like in the middle of the night poking around your house. And Becky tells them, I didn't see anything. I like, nothing's missing. But she says, I actually thought I heard voices in my yard and my motion lights went on in the middle of the night. But she's like. Then I was like, maybe I'm just being paranoid. At the time, they sort of figured it might have just been someone who was like stealing things out of people's yards. But now, with Becky shot to death, these two moments caught on camera of someone walking around Becky's home in the middle of the night has a whole new meaning. The problem with this footage though, is it's grainy and dark. You can't make out the person at all. You cannot. You can't even tell if it's male or female, though police suspect it's a man wearing a hoodie. But they don't end the search there. They keep gathering footage from the area and they find something else of note. A surveillance video taken from a bus depot right near Becky's home. Someone is seen on a bike riding in the direction of Becky's house around the time of the murder. And then back in the opposite direction again shortly after she had placed that attempted 911 call. Now, this strikes police as odd for a few reasons. The first is in February. It is freezing in Illinois and people don't ride their bikes around really, at 1:00am in the middle of the winter. And that's when detectives start to think, okay, this is probably the Same person that we saw on those other nights, but they just didn't go in front of that camera the night of the murder. Again, the footage is so grainy, you can't really tell who's riding the bike. But it does have one distinguishing feature.

[Garrett Moreland]

My cameras are high quality. I'm gonna know exactly who you are if you come anywhere within probably 100ft of my house. 50ft, a thousand feet. Don't come near my house.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, I will say our cameras have, like, night vision.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, we got. We got you. Don't even try it.

[Peyton Moreland]

We actually solved a neighborhood mystery with our cameras once.

[Garrett Moreland]

Story for another day.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so police notice. Okay, well, one thing we can tell about this bicycle that's riding on the night of the murder just so happens to be pulling in and then leaving right after the 911 call. Brian Kohlberger. They notice that the bicycle doesn't have any reflectors on the wheels. The detail that police feel confident will come in handy when searching for this bike. So in the meantime, police are beginning to look at those closest to Becky. And when they download the contents of her cell phone, they find that the last person she spoke to over text was her new boyfriend, the one she had been seeing for a while. But they find that most of their exchanges are pretty routine. They talk about their days, how Becky's feeling. It's nothing out of the ordinary. So they quickly rule him out as a person of interest. But they are finding some suspicious text messages on her phone regarding her soon to be ex husband, Tim. And they notice a text that was sent to her sister Sarah, a little more than a year before her death. It reads, quote, 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 am fearful he will somehow harm me.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my God.

[Peyton Moreland]

Come after me, or will try to do something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, that is heartbreaking.

[Peyton Moreland]

So police discover this text, and even though it was a year earlier, they quickly make Tim a person of interest in this case. Because it's. I mean, if someone says, hey, this person's out to get me, and then they turn up dead. And it turns out that the divorce between Tim and Becky was actually a lot uglier than anyone ever even thought.

[Garrett Moreland]

Which is ironic, considering you were saying how he's the one who wanted to get divorced and she didn't. Yeah, but I'm gonna guess what happened. Before. I mean, I guess you're gonna tell us, but is that she didn't want to. Then she ended up relieved. Then she ended up the one that was seeming like she was thriving. And it probably pissed him off because, you know, little fragile ego there. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

She's like, no, don't leave. And then he leaves, and she's like, whoa, this is amazing. So friends of Becky's say one of the biggest reasons Tim wanted the divorce in the first place was because he felt he could no longer control Becky.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, hey.

[Peyton Moreland]

And this had to do with the fact that she had decided to chase this new career, making her own money, this new demanding job she was giving a lot of hours to as a nurse. And he used the divorce as a way to try and take back some of that control. So when she was like, no, no, let's not get divorced, that actually fueled him for sure, because he's like, well, now I'm back in control. Like, I'm the deciding factor.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

In fact, a lot of people said Tim emotionally abused Becky, at least towards the end of their marriage, in a way that stripped her of a lot of her peace and happiness. One time, Tim got so angry at Becky for, quote, not doing things he had been asking for 10 years, that he went out and cut down her favorite tree in their yard just to make her mad. Which, just so you know, if you ever touch my trees, that is one.

[Garrett Moreland]

Of the craziest things I've ever heard. So mean, so manipulative.

[Peyton Moreland]

And then she's going to seem crazy because she sat over a tree. You know what I mean? And it's just like, that is so.

[Garrett Moreland]

Manipulative crazy to me that there's people out there who think and act like that.

[Peyton Moreland]

He's gonna be like, oh, it was dead. You know what I mean? Like, I just already know there was gonna be gaslighting happening, and then she is gonna feel insane crazy. Ugh.

[Garrett Moreland]

What the.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, that's so mean. So there was another time that he threatened to get rid of a family pet that she loved when she didn't do what he wanted. So he was basically like, you're not doing this. Then we just need to get rid of this pet. Just very manipulative. He would show up at her work videotaping her, trying to provoke her into an argument. He lashed out at her once for not adhering to a strict workout regimen, just because he had told her that he didn't love how her body was looking, and he wanted her to look a certain way so he Set up this workout routine for her. And then she wasn't sticking to it and he got really angry at her. This was actually a fight that ended with him almost hitting Becky and one of her sons who was there for the fight with a garden hose. And then when he finally did file for divorce, he fought for full custody of their kids. So just another way, just like, almost like he didn't even want the divorce. He just wanted a tactic to have control and manipulate and hurt.

[Garrett Moreland]

So exactly what I said. Everything's over. She moves on, finds a new boyfriend, and he has zero control and is pissed off.

[Peyton Moreland]

And so they separate. Right? They separate.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's so crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

They're getting divorced. And then he starts just showing back up at their house, walking in and then taking things out of the house, including a 9 millimeter pistol Becky had once bought him. Then slowly but surely, things between them get more and more aggressive. There was one scenario where Tim actually threw a tray of food across the room in front of their kids. He also punched a hole in the wall of Becky's house. And that eventually evolved into another situation where Tim put his hands on Becky and shoved her during an argument in front of the kids. And I do just want to remind everyone that officially, physical violence to items in a home in front of other people who live in that home is defined as domestic abuse. Because it's a threat. It's a like, look what I can do to this wall. That's how much anger and force I could do to your face next. That's what it's saying to the people who live with you. Do you guys have any fun trips coming up? One thing you probably haven't put on your packing list is learning the language. But with Babbel, you can start talking in just a few few weeks. Start speaking a new language with confidence. Thanks to Babel's conversation based technique that quickly teaches you useful words and phrases about the things you actually talk about in the real world. As you guys know, Garrett and I love to travel and he is fluent in Spanish, meaning that when we go places where Spanish is prominent, I am left behind. Hence why I started using Babel so I could really keep up with these conversations.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Around this time, Becky hears about one of her former colleagues who was killed by her spouse. And when she heard this, someone in her life was killed by their husband. That scared her enough to send that text to her sister. That's what, like, made her send the text. Because apparently she was like, this kind of seems like my life. Like, I feel like this could happen to me, too. And that's when Becky's sister Sarah recommended, hey, you need to go get help from a domestic abuse organization. There are, like, things they can do to protect you. Now, whether or not she took that advice is unclear, but Becky did file for an order of protection against Tim after that. And there's two ways that a abuser is going to respond to that. Number one, they're going to break it. Or number two, they're going to turn around and file a restraining order against you. And that's exactly what Tim did. He reversed Uno'd to make her life hard. But here's the problem. Because of a lot of the abuse Becky listed on that request was just emotional and psychological, and she and Tim were in the middle of a heated divorce. So the judge wasn't really taking this request very seriously. She's like, this is probably just a tactic. We see a lot of times in divorces where they're just trying to hurt each other. She didn't. She didn't think that Tim was an actual threat to Becky.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, but if the judge was like, hey, he cut my. She. He cut my tree down.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right?

[Garrett Moreland]

Because I don't follow a workout routine.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's what I'm saying. Tim probably, like, rephrased that to make her seem insane, you know?

[Garrett Moreland]

That's wild. I just. Yeah, that's wild.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's emotional and psychological abuse at its finest. They end up denying her request and Tim's. So no restraining orders. Now, according to one of the prosecutors on this case, protection orders like this are, quote, virtually impossible to obtain from a judge during a heated divorce, because, like I said, a lot of times people use it as a tactic in a divorce just to try to get custody of kids. So it's. It's. It's a lot harder to get one.

[Garrett Moreland]

I understand. I understand.

[Peyton Moreland]

But obviously, obviously, in Becky's case, this is an extremely serious matter, one that probably should have been taken into consideration. The judge did, however, order that Tim and Becky stay away from each other's homes, except for when handing over the kids. And they ordered Tim to give back the pistol that he stole from Becky's house. And this is something he never ended up doing because she was like, hey, he's just coming over to the house and taking things, including a gun.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And they were like, you got to give that back. He never did. So hearing now that Becky was denied a restraining order in the months before her death, the police are like, dude, Tim's our guy. The problem is connecting him to the crime. Something that gets a little easier when, a few days into the investigation, they find a bike on the side of the road. And it's just like the one that they saw in the surveillance video. It is missing its reflectors from the wheels. What's more interesting is where they find it, because this bike is abandoned only half a mile away from Tim's house. He said, I'm not walking a full mile. I'm just gonna go dump it. Now, I will say Becky and Tim lived only a few blocks from each other. So that also means the suspect could have ditched it, leaving the scene of the crime, and it still could have been by Tim's home. However, police don't think it's a coincidence. They get a search warrant for Tim's house on March 1, and they go through his computer. They find that he had recently bought a bike on Facebook Marketplace under a fake name, and it's the exact same blue bike without reflectors on its wheels. So they find a few other interesting things on his computer, too. Searches for phrases like, quote, how to pry open a door with a crowbar. How to wash gunpowder off my hands. Quincy Police Department response time.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't really have much to say about that. I'm just glad because it's gonna get caught.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know. Maybe because it's like kind of a newer thing that I think a lot.

[Garrett Moreland]

Of it is when it's. It makes sense to me because even when people know they shouldn't be doing stuff, they still do stuff when they're this egotistical. Yeah. Like when you just are like, I don't care. Like, people still are just going to do bad things. Like, they just think.

[Peyton Moreland]

But he's obviously trying to get away with it. How to wash gunpowder off my hands.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I just think you just don't. I don't think you think it through that.

[Peyton Moreland]

He's literally googling how to get away with murder, and the Google of how to get away with murder is going to be the thing that puts him away.

[Garrett Moreland]

So ironic, because that happens all the time.

[Peyton Moreland]

This is what I'm saying. Like, you know how it was like, oh, they can now test DNA and fingerprints. So let's stop. Let's wear gloves and stop. Okay? Not let's. Criminals are saying, let's stop wearing gloves.

[Garrett Moreland]

Don't wear gloves. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, but it's. It's like the same thing with the computer where it's like, how many computer. Suspicious computer searches are going to be brought up case after case after case before people start stop Googling stuff on the computer when they're murdering someone. Probably not that I want them to stop.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

But it's just one of those things. So there were also searches for how to make homemade gun silencers. Also, this is really creepy. Remember how someone had been casing Becky's house on Valentine's Day a few weeks before she died? Well, that night, her new boyfriend was parked in her driveway. And later that evening, Tim googled VIN numbers and license plates for her boyfriend's vehicle. Not just once, but 200 times. 200 times. He googled this. Which means it had to be him in the surveillance video on Valentine's Day. Googling his ex wife's boyfriend's car, walking around the house. And when it comes to evidence, it's not just Tim's computer that's telling the story. Police also find a crowbar and an empty gun safe in Tim's bedroom where they discover a bunch of spent shell casings. Ones that will later come up as a for the gun that was used.

[Garrett Moreland]

To kill this is open and shot.

[Peyton Moreland]

So 12 days later, on March 13, police finally get a warrant to arrest Tim and charge him with his ex wife's murder. Now, a lot of people said Tim was clearly declining mentally and physically after the divorce. His appearance was looking more haggard and less put together. He was becoming more hateful and vindictive. Yeah, because when an abuser start stops losing power. Power.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep. That's what happens.

[Peyton Moreland]

They are mentally going to decline. It was obvious even to those who didn't know him that well that something was going on with Tim after or during the divorce. But there might have been a reason why he snapped when he did. Turns out the couple's final divorce hearing was scheduled for a week after Becky was murdered. That wasn't the issue though. It was that Becky was planning to bring up a supposed family secret at that hearing that her father in law, Tim's dad named Ray, should not be around their kids anymore because he had a supposed history of quote, perversion and abusing minor children. So at this hearing, Becky was going to say, I don't want the kids.

[Garrett Moreland]

Around grandpa 100 valid that shouldn't happen.

[Peyton Moreland]

Becky wasn't claiming that Rey had abused their own children, but he had been accused of it in the past many years earlier with someone else's children. And so she wanted him to stay away from. In fact, a few of them would be witnesses called to the stand during those divorce proceedings. And even more shocking, when Becky expressed her concerns about the issue to Tim in the past, he told her he wasn't worried because their kids were boys and his father's supposed choice of victim was female. That's so she said, hey, I'm not really comfortable with our kids being around your dad because he's a pedophile and he's. Oh, don't worry honey. He likes girls, not boys.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's just no way. I.

[Peyton Moreland]

What?

[Garrett Moreland]

I just can't. Sometimes when we do these cases, I just sit here and think. There's no way. There are humans that think, act and do some of these things like you're telling me he's delusional. These are real people. Like these. These are, these are real people, not made up stories. And this is my. It's absolutely mind blowing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Also, poor Becky, because the story and the examples that we gather from these sources is so limited. We get not even a fourth of what Becky and Tim's life was like. And so if we're getting these examples, she was so psychologically abused because even him turning that around about his dad is so confusing for the brain. Now Ray, however, has denied the accusations wholeheartedly and mentioned that he had never been charged with any criminal offense. But many think that because this information was going to be exposed and Tim knew it, he did not want Becky to divorce him and he didn't want her to drag his dad's name through the mud. So he tried to cover it up. Especially because in the hours before Becky was killed earlier that day, Tim had brought a basketball hoop over to his father's house with the intention of having his children over there more in the future. So he's about to go to a hearing where his ex wife is going to ask for the kids not to be around his father. And before he goes and kills his ex wife, he brings over a basketball hoop. Hoop so the kids can play at grandpa's house.

[Garrett Moreland]

Cool.

[Peyton Moreland]

Of course, none of this helps Tim's case for murder, although he does try to pull the alibi card. He says he was home with his three kids at the time of the murder. There was no way he would have left them alone to go kill their mother. But it seems that's exactly what happened. Tim saw an opportunity in the middle of the night. He had gone over there multiple times before. He knew that Becky was home alone and was recovering from a surgery. And he preyed on her vulnerability. Now, thinking it might work to his advantage, Tim invoked his right to a speedy trial and was in court three months to the date after the murder, which we don't see very often. So he goes to trial in May of 2023. The defense tries to say there's not really any concrete evidence tying Tim to the scene of the crime. They say it doesn't make sense that he would scale the home to the second story bedroom and break in through one of the kids rooms. That his DNA was never found at the scene, that the shoe print found in the home didn't match a single pair of shoes found at Tim's house. But the prosecution feels differently. Earlier I mentioned how there were little pieces of plastic bags found near Becky's body. Turns out the assailant actually shot through a plastic bag, either as a way to cast powder the shell casings or muffle the sound. And remember what Tim. Remember what Tim was found googling how to make a homemade silencer.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

By the way, those bags at the scene came from an Aldi supermarket. And they found tons of those back at Tim's house. There was also DNA found under Becky's fingernails. DNA the experts said they couldn't conclusively rule out as Tim's. But perhaps the literal smoking gun was the shell casings found at Tim's home. I mean, they are an identical match to the ones that had killed Becky. And while the gun itself was nowhere to be found, they felt confident that it came from the same gun Tim had took from Becky's home. So as trial only lasted six days, the jury returned after four hours and had a clear verdict. They found 40 year old Tim guilty of first degree murder. Three months later, on August 11, Tim returned to court for a sentencing hearing after being told he would be spending the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge said To Tim, quote, Mr. Beliefnik, you researched this murder. You planned this murder. 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 took you to do that. 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 laying snug in their beds. Tim has since tried to appeal this conviction.

[Garrett Moreland]

Someone. Never mind. I'm not gonna say it. Keep going. Sorry.

[Peyton Moreland]

And in February of this year, he was denied. Since his conviction, Tim has not had any contact with his sons that it has been reported on.

[Garrett Moreland]

Good.

[Peyton Moreland]

Instead, their three boys went to live with Becky's parents, poor kids. And her sister, Sarah. Gosh, you can't help but wonder, though, what would have happened if she had gotten a restraining order? Maybe nothing. Maybe something.

[Garrett Moreland]

Probably nothing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Becky recognized that the abuse she received from Tim, while mostly emotional and psychological, was still very much abuse and still very much a sign of a possible murder. Like it didn't have to be physical for it to get taken that far. She tried to seek help for it. And it's the law's job to offer protection, to recognize that abuse does come in many forms. And just because it's psychological doesn't make it any less dangerous. But in this case, the law failed. And because of it, Becky's story has now become a cautionary tale. And if this case impacted you today, you can find the Becky Blefnik memorial and Support Fund on GoFundMe.com to make a donation to her family. And that is the case of Becky Blifnik.

[Garrett Moreland]

Horrible. Sad for the family, sad for the kids. Another case where I don't think life in prison is good enough. And kind of all I have to.

[Peyton Moreland]

Say about it, it's so hard because I really do think that emotional abuse is not. Not like, acknowledged enough about how it is dangerous. Just like physical abuse in some cases like this man went from only shoving her once to shooting her 14 times. That's a pretty fast escalation. There had to be an amount of disrespect in his mind for her before that. All right, you guys, that is our case for this week. And we will see you next time. Next time with another one. I love it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it.

[Peyton Moreland]

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