WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:11.000 In twenty twenty three, the nation was stunned by headlines 2 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:15.359 calling him the family feud killer. You see, Timothy Bleiefnick 3 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:18.359 had once taken part in a game show and smiled 4 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:21.960 on national television, joking that the biggest mistake he'd ever 5 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:25.960 made was saying I do at his wedding. Now, that 6 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:29.440 same husband stood accused of brutally murdering his wife, the 7 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:32.719 mother of his three children. And this is the story 8 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.320 of that case, a case that would turn a harmless 9 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:39.840 game show moment into a massive, abusive and true crime 10 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:43.520 red flag. This is the story of the family feud 11 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:49.359 Killer and the murder of Rebecca Bleefnick. My name's Ben, I'm. 12 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:52.359 Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked and Grim, a true 13 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:53.799 crime podcast. 14 00:00:54.520 --> 00:01:22.760 The following intended your audience. If for whatever reason, you 15 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:26.519 hear a helicopter. There's one been like circling the area 16 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:28.079 for like the last half an hour. 17 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:29.719 It's searching for us. 18 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.120 It might be it might be the FBI has seen 19 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.920 our Google searches. They know what we research, and they 20 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:37.480 think you know what they're up to something They're on 21 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:37.920 to us. 22 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.280 Clearly, Yeah, we've waited for quite some time, but at 23 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:44.400 this point it's like, Okay, we gotta we gotta get going. 24 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:46.000 And it does seem like it's gone quieter. 25 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:48.439 Yeah, I think it's starting to expand. Its search doesn't 26 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.519 know exactly where we are, just the area is going 27 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.760 to the outlying areas of that search. So I think 28 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.640 we're safe. A fingers crossed. 29 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.239 Oh my gosh, the joys, the joys. 30 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.439 Right, gotta love it. Any audio interference can be a 31 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:03.760 lot noise pollution. It means quite the difference on just 32 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:06.359 the quality of a show. We try to make it 33 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:07.079 as best we can. 34 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:10.199 I feel like living in a tiny home doesn't necessarily 35 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:11.000 help with that either. 36 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:12.199 That's true, but what. 37 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:14.039 We're a lot of the outside environment. 38 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:17.319 That's really true. But what does really help the actual 39 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:21.360 quality of our show is signing up on Patreon and 40 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:23.560 getting up behind the scenes and exclusive content. 41 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:24.599 It sure does. 42 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:30.120 Just like Joline Maynard, Kim Klein, Marie Alaska, Martin Mesquez, 43 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:35.599 Ashley Middlestat, Dina Kost, Shannon Ingram, and Jennifer Workington did 44 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:37.919 they all signed up this week on Patreon, So thank 45 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:39.159 you very much, Dang. 46 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:40.919 I mean, last week we had a giant list and 47 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:43.120 this is still pretty large. It is. It's awesome. 48 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:45.280 So we got some pretty cool people supporting the show. 49 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:46.199 We sure do. 50 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:48.240 Yeah, did you like my pre lootings? 51 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:51.000 Real good? Actually, yeah, I'm quite impressed. 52 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:55.520 Thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, we have an interesting 53 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.719 show today, the Family Feud Killer. 54 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:01.800 Well, and it's not real tay, because I have not 55 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:02.360 heard of this. 56 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:05.599 No, it's not very old at all. And uh yeah, 57 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:07.879 we're going to post a little clip on social media 58 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.159 of this this guy, let's say, on the game show 59 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:12.759 Family Feud. 60 00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:15.759 Okay, But I just have to say okay, because in 61 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:19.479 our relationship we're like quite jokey. Yes, like I would say, 62 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:22.000 we probably we easily flip each other off more in 63 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:23.639 a day than we say, like I love you one 64 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:26.039 hundred and ten percent. So if you were on this 65 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:30.719 game show and you were like said that, I don't 66 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:32.000 know if I would really like bad. 67 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:35.599 And I kay. But there's a difference between doing it, 68 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:39.199 you know, with your spouse. In his case, he was 69 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.599 doing it on national TV when she wasn't even on 70 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:42.199 the game show. 71 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:45.599 He was there, I know. But even in public situations, 72 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:47.960 we still kind of joke sometimes. 73 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:51.840 But usually with friends or private conversations, not on National television. 74 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:54.000 I get what you're saying, but it is still a 75 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:54.560 bit different. 76 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:58.400 Okay, well, yeah, I'd have to kind of see it. 77 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:00.759 I guess I'm not saying that a joke like that 78 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:04.319 on national TV is necessarily a red flag on its 79 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.360 own or necessarily wrong, because do you're right? It could 80 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.159 be the relationship, but there is still a time and place, 81 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.599 and with his time and placement, it was definitely pushing 82 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:15.719 the boundaries. Let's say that. 83 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.120 Okay, there you go. 84 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:19.560 Yeah, well you ready to get into it. 85 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.439 Yeah, let's hear about this. 86 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:25.360 Okay, Well, it takes place in Quincy, Illinois, which is 87 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:28.439 a quiet city along the Mississippi River where neighbors still 88 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:32.360 wave across the street. Everybody seemed to know Becky Bleefnick. 89 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:34.759 She was a nurse who stayed late after her shift, 90 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.839 the woman who remembered every patient's name, and the mom 91 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:40.199 who never missed a school pickup or a little league game. 92 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:46.079 At forty one, Rebecca or Becky Beef Beleefnick, she built 93 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:48.600 a steady life with a good job, three healthy boys, 94 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:52.800 and a home on Hampshire Street that overflowed with laughter, homework, 95 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:55.480 and of course, the clatter of dinner time. Chaos. I 96 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:58.199 can only imagine how chaotic that would be with having 97 00:04:58.279 --> 00:04:59.360 three boys. 98 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.079 I have to just say too, I love the name 99 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:05.120 Quincy for a town. Oh my gosh, that is adorable. 100 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:06.319 It's a very quaint name. 101 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:07.519 It's so cute. 102 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:11.519 Yeah. Now, her husband, Timothy Bleifnick, was outgoing and quick 103 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:14.920 with a joke and proud of his family. In twenty nineteen, 104 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.639 he even landed on a national television program, appearing on 105 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:23.120 The infamous Family Feud alongside his brothers and parents. It 106 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.319 was the kind of small town moment that made you know, 107 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:28.800 local headlines. He came across on the show as witty 108 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.959 and charismatic, a guy who could make anyone laugh, and 109 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:34.600 together the two of them seemed like the picture of 110 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:38.759 perfect middle class happiness. A nurse and a real cycling 111 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:42.079 industry professional raising three boys in a close knit community 112 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:46.680 where crime was rare and scandal was even rarer. Their 113 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:49.160 home in Quincy was a place where people left, you know, 114 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:52.959 the doors unlocked. They trusted their neighbors, and they greeted 115 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.560 each other by name at the grocery store even, you know, 116 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:59.399 recognizing people having those casual conversations and carrying on to 117 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.199 bump into the person you know. Violence was sure rare, 118 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:06.959 and it usually occurred elsewhere. But now Rebecca Apostle and 119 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.439 Timothy Blifnick, as they were first known, they first met 120 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:15.319 each other in university. They were two bright, ambitious students 121 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.959 going to Quincy University. She was warm, funny, and fiercely compassionate. 122 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:21.920 He was confident, charming and outgoing, the type of guy 123 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:25.040 who can make you a room full of strangers become 124 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.759 friends almost now after graduation. Life led them in different 125 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:30.959 directions for a few years, but eventually they found their 126 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.120 way back to each other, and by two thousand and 127 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:35.240 nine they were married, and soon they bought a home 128 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:38.120 in Quincy, the same community where they had met, and 129 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.480 from there they began to build a life together. Becky 130 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:44.959 left her career at pharmaceutical sales to raise her children, 131 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.480 while Tim pursued his work at the recycling industry. Friends 132 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:52.399 described them as the perfect pair, two people who seemed 133 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:55.879 to have everything figured out. Their social media pages were, 134 00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:59.759 of course filled with photos of family outings or barbecues 135 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:04.199 and smiling holiday portraits. They were also raising their three sons, 136 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.279 who were born close together in age, and because of that, 137 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:11.040 you know, they became the center of Becky's world. She 138 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:14.600 had always been nurturing by nature. When her boys were 139 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:17.600 old enough for school, that's when she decided to return 140 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.800 to the workforce and that nurturing part of her while 141 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:24.000 it reflected in who she truly was, because she went 142 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.759 back to school to become a nurse, a decision that 143 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:29.079 to her felt like a calling, and to others who 144 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:34.040 knew her best, this was Becky stepping into her purpose. Then, 145 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:37.360 in twenty nineteen, their marriage would be captured forever in 146 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:40.519 a moment that later felt surreal. That's when Tim and 147 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:43.360 some family members were selected to appear on the long 148 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.959 running game show Family Feud. On stage under the bright 149 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.480 studio lights, the host Steve Harvey turned to Tim and 150 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:54.759 asked the question, all right, Tim, we talked to one 151 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:59.079 hundred married people. What's the biggest mistake you made at 152 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:03.480 your wedding. Tim smiled and paused just long enough for 153 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:07.920 dramatic effect, and he replied, Honey, I love you, but 154 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:14.000 said I do so I do is apparently the biggest mistake. Now, 155 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.480 for clarity, if you do not know the show Family Feud, 156 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:21.439 they interview and pull one hundred people on the streets 157 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:25.160 and you're supposed to guess what the top answers would 158 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:28.879 be from what they said, So not what you necessarily 159 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:33.480 think it is, but what you think other people would say, well. 160 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:35.519 Being that the divorce reign and stuff is so high 161 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.320 that that might be an answer that's up there. 162 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:40.720 It might be, it might be. And like, honestly, in 163 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.679 the situation, like everyone started roaring with laughter and Steve Harvey, Harvey, 164 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:49.279 he has this infamous blank stare, which honestly they feed 165 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:51.960 into it on the show. They obviously ask leading questions 166 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:54.679 to get answers like that out of you, and his 167 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:58.960 reaction is supposed to feed the humor in the situation, right, 168 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.080 So he kind of gave that classic like are you 169 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.480 serious stare? And it also made this clip very memorable, 170 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.759 and Tim quickly added, not my mistake, not my mistake. 171 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.320 I love my wife. I'm gonna get in trouble for that, 172 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.360 aren't I. So he was clarifying not his mistake, but 173 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.799 he believed that's how other people would have answered. Now 174 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:20.879 at the time, it was viewed as a harmless television 175 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:24.080 comedic moment, one of the thousands of jokes that passed 176 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:25.840 through that game show that they try and you know, 177 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.159 get out of you to make it so humorous. 178 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.039 I don't know. Sitting here, I'm like, that's not terrible. 179 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.440 It's not terrible, which is why so many people laughed 180 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.200 at the time. Why it was funny at the time. 181 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:40.159 But it's the hindsight that makes it a little bit interesting. 182 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:43.240 Yeah, was that one of the answers? Though, I'm like, 183 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:44.960 kind of want to know. Do you even know? 184 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:46.519 You know what? I didn't look up to see if 185 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.960 it was one of the answers or not. I'm sorry 186 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:50.559 I didn't. I do have the clip. I did watch 187 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:52.559 the clip, but I didn't see the actual result. 188 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:55.399 Okay, well, I mean they weren't focusing on that, so 189 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:56.039 that's fair. 190 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:59.720 Yeah. Now, years later, after the headlines and everything that 191 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:03.759 mom would resurface on screens across the country. Millions watched 192 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:06.279 that same clip, no longer with the amusement that they 193 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:11.200 once had, but instead with disbelief, calling it chilling foreshadowing 194 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:14.799 of what was to come. And they could be right, 195 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:20.240 but they could have also just been that an innocent joke. Regardless, 196 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.639 the story still goes on now. At the time, their 197 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:28.559 family seemed stable, comfortable, even and ordinary. Becky was building 198 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:31.759 her nursing career, volunteering for animal rescues, and earning respect 199 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:35.679 from patients and coworkers alike. Tim continued his career and 200 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:39.559 was seen by many as an active, involved father. Together 201 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:43.440 they looked like a family in motion, you know, busy, imperfect, sure, 202 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:48.320 but safe and together. The turning point in their marriage, though, well, 203 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:52.200 it wasn't sudden. Instead, it was more slow and quiet. 204 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:57.000 Small disagreements eventually grew into something sharp and unrelenting. Friends 205 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:59.440 would later say that they could see it in Becky's posture, 206 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:02.440 in the way she began choosing her words carefully when 207 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:05.639 Tim was around. To many, they were still a perfect 208 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.120 picture of a family life. But when you looked a 209 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:11.799 little closer, there were those signs, those things that had 210 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:15.919 begun to change. When Becky returned to school to become 211 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:19.000 a nurse, Tim well, he told friends and family he 212 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:21.600 was worried about her, stress about her time away from 213 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.840 the boys. Even to Becky though, this felt more like 214 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.159 a way to hold her back. This was supposed to 215 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.559 be a partnership, but now things had seemed to turn 216 00:11:29.559 --> 00:11:32.200 into a bit more of a quiet power struggle between 217 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:36.879 the two. Sarah, really Becca's older sister, remembered watching the 218 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.879 change happen. She said Tim grew more manipulative and controlling, 219 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:44.360 the kind of subtle dominance that never left bruises specifically, 220 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.279 but it left marks all the same. Becky told her 221 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.279 sister she felt like she was always walking on eggshells. Now, 222 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:52.960 Tim didn't yell often, but when he did it was 223 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:56.240 sure explosive. He would throw things, shove her, or stand 224 00:11:56.360 --> 00:12:00.639 inches from her face, shouting until she went quiet, shut down. 225 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:04.720 But of course for every outburst, Tim had an explanation. 226 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:07.799 In fact, he said that she was exaggerating, that she 227 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.399 was the emotional one, and that she actually was, you know, 228 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:13.039 the one with quite the temper. 229 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:15.639 Oh wow, of course he did, right, Yeah. 230 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.039 He put all the blame back on her and instead 231 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.200 described himself as misunderstood, you know, just a husband trying 232 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:25.440 to protect his family from Becky's erratic behavior. But the 233 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:29.559 reality was she wasn't erratic. In fact, Becky was scared. 234 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.159 In September of twenty twenty one, she texted her sister 235 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.360 a message that would later become one of the most 236 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:41.480 haunting pieces of evidence in this case. Quote, if something 237 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:44.440 ever happens to me, please make sure the number one 238 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:50.279 person of interest is tim Holy shit. She followed it 239 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:53.600 up with another one, saying, quote, I'm putting this in 240 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:57.039 writing because I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come 241 00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:59.879 after me, or do something that takes me away from 242 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:01.879 the kids or the kids away from me. 243 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:04.639 That is actually terrifying. 244 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:06.720 That speaks volumes. 245 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:07.919 I hate that. 246 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:12.480 Yeah, so with things like this, that makes the appearance 247 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:14.679 in the game show and the thing he said a 248 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:16.960 little bit, you know, it's different context. 249 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:19.720 Yeah, well, I mean it's one thing to have arguments 250 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:24.159 and stuff, but to actually literally think that this person 251 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.919 could kill you or you know, take you away in 252 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:30.360 some manner. Is that's next. 253 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:32.919 Level, isn't it. So what do you say when you 254 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.080 get a message like that too? 255 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.320 Right? I think you say that they need to leave. 256 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:39.200 Well, that's kind of what she did. She did the 257 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:41.000 best she could, and she told Becky to be careful, 258 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:43.480 to talk to someone, reach out to maybe a domestic 259 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:47.120 violence group. But Becky, like so many others in her position, 260 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.279 kind of downplayed it. The next day. Yeah, their marriage 261 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:55.480 continued its slow decline. Becky's career flourished, and Blessing Hospital, 262 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.440 where she worked in the emergency department. At home though 263 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:03.360 she faced emotional exhaustion. She was sleeping less, eating less, 264 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:07.159 and confiding to close friends that she was doing everything alone. 265 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:11.559 Tim meanwhile resented her and continued to abuse and control 266 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:15.320 the situation. When she came home late from shifts, for example, 267 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:19.120 he would accuse her of neglecting her family, and by 268 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:22.559 February of twenty twenty one, Tim Bliefnick had filed for divorce, 269 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.080 and now their marriage became a war fought on paper. 270 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:29.159 Their issues were typical things like money, property, there are 271 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.000 three boys, and who lived where? Who picked them up 272 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:34.200 from school? Who got the house on Kentucky Road, all 273 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:37.960 this sort of stuff. But beneath those logistical battles was 274 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:44.240 something heavier, that control. Becky wanted freedom, but Tim wanted order. 275 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:47.519 It even reached a boiling point when eventually they both 276 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.360 even filed restraining orders against each other. Tim first accused 277 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:55.440 Becky of stalking and harassing, even producing a cell phone 278 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.679 video of an argument at a parent teacher night as proof. 279 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:03.440 The jud Wish denied his request, though, but Becky fought back, 280 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:06.279 and she filed her own petition soon after, alleging that 281 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:09.559 Tim had entered her home without permission and had repeatedly 282 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:13.399 falsified interactions between the two of them. The judge, though, 283 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:16.759 denied hers as well. In the end, the only agreement 284 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:18.720 the court made was that they must stay away from 285 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:23.960 each other's homes unless they were exchanging the children. Even 286 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:28.000 those boundaries in place, though well, Becky still she still 287 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:31.240 had fear and it was still growing. Tim, you see, 288 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:34.600 was in possession of a nine millimeter handgun, a gift 289 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:36.840 she'd actually once given him when things were still good. 290 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:40.679 The gun, though, was originally hers, and she'd actually asked 291 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.559 for it back in the separation, and Tim refused to 292 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:48.759 return it. The judge, even in the divorce filings, ordered 293 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:51.120 him to return it, but he never did. Oh wow, 294 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:55.440 the gun was still in her name that he was 295 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:56.240 in possession of. 296 00:15:58.360 --> 00:15:58.519 Now. 297 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:01.240 Regardless, Becky did her best pick things back up and 298 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:04.320 keep it normal. She worked long shifts at the Blessing Hospital, 299 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.240 picked up extra hours when she could, you know, trying 300 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:10.120 to get that extra income and support her boys. She 301 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:13.919 was even nominated for the Daisy Award, an international honor 302 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:17.279 given to nurses for extraordinary care. And this was even 303 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:18.720 in the chaos of all this divorce. 304 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:21.320 Oh my, okay, because I have kind of thoughts. She 305 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:23.480 seems like a saint of sorts. 306 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:27.399 One hundred percent she does. Her coworkers adored her friend 307 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:29.879 said she could turn a twelve hour er shift into 308 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:32.360 a series of jokes and stories. She was the nurse 309 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:34.720 who stayed late for patients who had no family, the 310 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:37.279 woman who brought baked goods for her kid's school event. 311 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.240 She was a mother who showed up no matter how 312 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.440 exhausted she was. She was quite literally superwoman. 313 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:46.919 Huh. Well, yeah, she sounds. 314 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:51.360 Incredible, definitely, But beneath all that surface, she was scared. 315 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:53.679 Well, I just have to say too, because being able 316 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:56.399 to be that awesome when you have that much personal 317 00:16:56.440 --> 00:16:59.679 shit going on that, you know, it makes it seem 318 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:01.360 even more like. 319 00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:04.880 It's it's incredible that she was able to help other 320 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:07.680 people so much when she herself was suffering. 321 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:09.920 When she herself couldn't need some help, you know. 322 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.319 Yeah. By late twenty twenty two, her divorce was still 323 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:16.079 dragging through the courts, and Tim was becoming a little 324 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:19.079 more unpredictable. He seemed to know things he shouldn't, where 325 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:23.039 she'd gone or who she'd seen. Sometimes there seemed to 326 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:26.039 be evidence that someone had been near the house She 327 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:28.799 told her sister about hearing noises outside late at night, 328 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:32.880 her motion lights even flicking on outside without cause. And 329 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.119 then Becky even confided in her sister something chilling, she 330 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:40.799 thought someone was watching her. And now around this same time, 331 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.400 she had actually started dating again. Friends described her new 332 00:17:44.440 --> 00:17:47.599 relationship as light and easy, the first bit of happiness 333 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:50.440 that she'd really had in years for herself, but for 334 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.039 Tim Well, it was confirmation that he had lost all 335 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:58.000 control of that relationship. As the date of the divorce 336 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:02.119 trial approached, tensions reached the breaking point. Becky was hopeful 337 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.880 it would finally end, that she could close a chapter 338 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:07.480 and move forward in her life. But by early February 339 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.240 of twenty twenty three, Quincy, Illinois, while it was still 340 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:14.400 deep in the quiet of winter, snow crusted the edges 341 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:17.960 of driveways, and nights dropped below freezing, with Becky just 342 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:23.119 feeling uneasy. For weeks, she'd been hearing those things, faint 343 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:26.200 noises outside her house, you know, maybe the soft crunches 344 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:29.559 of footsteps that stopped when she listened too closely, And 345 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:31.680 sometimes her dog would even bark at the window, but 346 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:35.119 there'd be no one there. Becky told Sarah she was 347 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.039 probably just on edge that the divorce said left her paranoid, 348 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:43.119 but then came Valentine's Day. That evening on February fourteenth, 349 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.000 twenty twenty three, Becky's home on Kentucky Road appeared ordinary 350 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:51.200 from the outside, but her neighbor, Taylor Heman, caught something 351 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:55.039 strange on the security camera mounted alongside his house. At 352 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:58.359 around one oh five am, a figure appeared in the frame, 353 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:01.680 a lone person walking down the driveway towards the back 354 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:05.519 of Becky's house. The cameras infra red light washed them 355 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:08.720 in pale gray and their features were impossible to make out. 356 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:13.599 Forty eight minutes later, the same figure returned, walking back 357 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.279 in the opposite direction. When Taylor reviewed the footage, she 358 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.920 immediately texted Becky. He told her what the camera had 359 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.799 picked up and asked if she'd noticed anything strange. Becky, however, 360 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.640 didn't respond until the next morning and text back, I 361 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.000 didn't see anything, but I did hear voices in my backyard. 362 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:32.119 My motion light came on. It scared me. 363 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:34.920 Okay. I was worried that she wasn't gonna text back. 364 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:36.920 No, he got a text back. 365 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.079 Okay, Well, like I mean that she was, you know, 366 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.559 not alive or something. 367 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.799 Yeah. Now, at the time, they brushed it off as 368 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:46.799 just a prowler, maybe someone checking for unlocked cars looking 369 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.799 to steal something. Right, that same camera had actually recorded 370 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:52.559 what appeared to be the same figure a week earlier 371 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.119 doing almost the exact same thing. 372 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.599 Oh, that's that's too unsettling. 373 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:01.160 It is. Now, video footage from an nearby home and 374 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:03.920 from the Quincy bus depot just a few blocks away 375 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:06.799 would later also show that a cyclist was heading towards 376 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:10.759 Becky's neighborhood just minutes before that person appeared on that 377 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:13.960 security footage in the driveway. Now that bike had no 378 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:18.359 reflectors on it either. Forensic data would also later show, 379 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:21.960 you know, after an investigation ensued, that on that same 380 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:24.880 Valentine's night, Becky's neighbor, you know, the same time that 381 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:27.720 the neighbor's camera picked up the site, Tim had made 382 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:31.799 over two hundred online searches for a very specific license 383 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:35.000 plate number and VIN number. Now that plate and VIN 384 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:37.640 number belonged to a truck that was parked in Benky's 385 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.759 driveway that night, which was her boyfriend's truck. 386 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.839 Oh my gosh, what a complete creeper. Yeah, that's the 387 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.680 one that initially filed for divorce, So what the hell 388 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:49.519 does he think was going to happen that she wouldn't 389 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:49.799 move on? 390 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:53.880 No kidding, right, So it seems as though Tim had 391 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:57.039 biked to Becky's house that night, seen the vehicle, written 392 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.599 down the details, gone back home and looked them up. 393 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.240 Now Becky, of course, never knew about those searches. All 394 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:05.279 she knew was that she couldn't shake the feeling that 395 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:08.759 she was being watched. The nights that followed were quiet, 396 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:12.440 no more movement on the camera, no strange noises outside, 397 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:14.880 and no reason to believe the tension would escalate. From there. 398 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:19.160 She focused on work, herself, the kids, probably assuming that 399 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:22.640 whatever or whoever had been creeping around had finally stopped. 400 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:27.279 Then it was February twenty third, twenty twenty three. Becky's 401 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:31.480