A “Family Feud” contestant who joked on national TV he regretted getting married is now on trial accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife earlier this year.
Timothy W. Bliefnick, 39, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion in connection to the slaying of Rebecca Bliefnick, in Quincy, Illinois, a small city near the Missouri state line.
The defendant was arrested on March 13 in connection to the 41-year-old woman’s death, Adams County Circuit Court records show.
The victim’s father, William Postle, told jurors this week he found his daughter dead on her bathroom floor on Feb. 23 after she failed to pick up her three kids from school, local media reported.
Court records show that at the time of his estranged wife’s death, the couple was in the process of divorce. The victim, a nurse and mother of three, also filed for an order of protection from her husband in 2021, according to additional court papers filed in Adams County.
A hearing in the divorce had been set a week before she was found shot 14 times amid what prosecutors labeled a “contentious divorce,” according to the Herald Whig, a local newspaper.
Prior to her killing, prosecutor Josh Jones said, the victim bought a gun and told family members she was “scared for what he might do to her,” the outlet reported.
‘Family Feud’ appearance receives renewed attention
Bliefnick appeared on game show “Family Feud” as a contestant on an episode that aired in 2020 in which he joked on national television he regretted marrying his wife.
“What’s your biggest mistake you made at your wedding?” host Steve Harvey asked Bliefnick during the show, Fox News reported.
“Said I do,'” Bliefnick replied. “Not my mistake, not my mistake − I love my wife. I’m gonna get in trouble for that, aren’t I?”
Sister: Rebecca Bliefnick texted warnings about estranged husband
On Tuesday, Sarah Reilly, a sister of the victim, took the stand to testify on behalf of the prosecution, KHQA reported.
Reilly testified her sister previously told her she was worried her estranged husband might physically harm her, the outlet reported.
“If something ever happens to me, make sure the number one person of interest is Tim,” the outlet reported the victim texted her sister in 2021. “I am putting this in writing that I’m fearful he will somehow harm me.”
According to prosecutors, Bliefnick also conducted a number of internet searches prior to his estranged wife’s killing, including instructions on how to use a crowbar to open a window, how to make a homemade silencer and local police response times, the outlet reported.
Casey Schnack, a lawyer defending Bliefnick, argued that evidence is not strong enough to convict the man, KHQA reported.
The trial began Monday and was scheduled to continue through at least Friday.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
