An Illinois man who killed his wife after declaring on Family Feud that his marriage to her was a mistake was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
Timothy Bliefnick, 40, was found guilty in May of the February 2 murder of his estranged wife Becky Bliefnick, 41 in Quincy, Illinois.
The mother of three was found dead in her home by her father after her family became concerned that she had failed to pick up her sons from school.
She was shot 14 times and court records show that the couple had broken up and went through a messy divorce.
On Friday, Judge Robert K. Adrian sentenced Bliefnick to life in prison, highlighting the calculated nature of the murder.
“You researched this murder, you planned this murder, you rehearsed this murder, you broke into her house and you shot her,” Adrian said.
Tim Bliefnick, 40, is seen at his sentencing Friday for the murder of his estranged wife
Becky Bliefnick (left) was found dead in her home by her father after her family became concerned she had failed to pick up her sons from school
He then counted loudly to 14 – the number of bullets Bliefnick fired into his estranged wife.
‘I don’t know how long it took you. Some of those shots were fired while she was lying on the floor,’ Adrian said.
“And you did all this while your kids were snug in their beds upstairs in your house.”
Appearing on ABC’s Family Feud in 2020, Bliefnick joked with host Steve Harvey that one’s “biggest marriage mistake” was probably getting married in the first place.
“Honey, I love you,” Bliefnick said to his wife.
He then told Harvey what his biggest mistake was: “Said, ‘I do.'”
His reaction brought laughter and sobs from the crowd, and a blank stare from Harvey.
The episode was recorded in the fall of 2019 but will air in the spring of 2020.
Judge Robert K. Adrian counted to 14 in court on Friday — the number of bullets Bliefnick fired to kill his wife
Sarah Reilly, sister of Becky Bliefnick, is pictured addressing the court on Friday
Timothy Bliefnick, 40, refused to testify in his own defense after being charged with the murder of his estranged wife in Quincy, Illinois
Bliefnick appeared on ABC’s Family Feud in 2020, and he joked with host Steve Harvey that one’s “biggest marriage mistake” was probably getting married in the first place.
Prosecutors say he used a crowbar to force his way into the property through a second-story window before shooting his estranged wife in the bathroom.
Becky had also sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly before she died, warning that if anything were to happen to her, “Tim is the most important person.”
“I put this on paper that I fear he will harm me in some way, come after me, or try to (do) something to me that will take me away from the kids or the kids away from me ‘, she said.
Reilly told Bliefnick on Friday that their family was having a nightmare.
“Every video of her laugh makes me forget for a moment, let me foolishly hope for a moment that I will wake up from this reality, a reality that is so impossible to accept,” she told her former brother-in-law from the witness stand.
“She was my only sister, my best friend. I loved her and still love her with every ounce of my being. She is irreplaceable.
“I live here with my own suffering and lock it up so I can get on with my life for the sake of my family, for the sake of the boys, because Becky wouldn’t want our pain to satisfy you any more.”
Becky’s mother, Bernadette Postle, told him, “You took from your boys the person who loved them most on this earth.
“You replaced their mother’s love with emotional scars and trauma.”
Bliefnick (pictured right when his house was raided in March) was “very cooperative” with officers and handed over his keys to the house, which he rents, and his car
The court heard that Bliefnick was researching ways to commit the crime on Google before riding his bike to Becky’s house
Bliefnick and Becky have three sons together but were living separately at the time of her death, court documents show their split was filed in February 2021.
Becky’s family said in May after he was sentenced that their priority was now to raise her three young children.
“We live with the hope that the worst moment of our lives can’t define who we are as we pick up the pieces to raise Becky’s boys the way we know she would like,” they said.
“While life cannot be normal as it once was, such love and support help restore the belief that, in fact, the world has more good than evil.
As they press on with the certain truth that their father killed their mother, we ask that you keep Becky’s three incredible boys in your prayers.
“We will move forward by leaning on each other — and on our faith — for healing. We will speak of Becky warmly and often, remembering the way she lived and loved, not the way she died. She will be forever missed and always loved.”
The court heard that Bliefnick was researching ways to commit the crime on Google before riding her bicycle to her home.
Investigators retrieved dozens of shell casings from the basement that the state police lab found were fired from the same gun as eight found at the crime scene.
The couple had broken up and were going through a messy divorce when Becky was shot 14 times, according to investigators
Becky had also sent a chilling message to her sister Sarah Reilly (right) before she died, warning that if anything were to happen to her, ‘Tim is the most important person’
The nurse (left) had previously filed a restraining order against her estranged husband (right) and his father before being slapped with a restraining order by her husband
Before the shooting, Bliefnick had taken his wife’s gun and refused to return it, her lawyer revealed.
Officers have not found the murder weapon, although Becky’s gun is still missing and forensic experts say it was one of several models that could match the casings.
In the weeks following her death, Bliefnick attended her wake, but not her funeral because he didn’t want to be a “distraction.”
Police described him as “cooperative” after breaking into his property shortly before his arrest.
His lawyers also accused Quincy police of failing to follow up on claims that Becky was being stalked, but did not release any further information or evidence to support their claims.
Becky’s family labeled the murder “hateful, cowardly and cruel” and vowed not to shy away from telling the boys who killed their mother.
Prosecutors say he used a crowbar to break into the property (pictured) through a second-floor window before shooting his estranged wife in the bathroom
The couple had three sons together, but were living separately at the time of Becky’s death, and court documents show their split was filed in February 2021.
Court records show that the couple, who married in 2009, went through a contentious divorce and both filed restraining orders against each other.
Quincy police said the murder was an unusual act of domestic violence in an otherwise safe city.