An Illinois man who once joked about regretting his marriage during an appearance on “Family Feud” has been convicted of first-degree murder and home invasion in the slaying of his estranged wife.
Following a week-long trial in Adams County, jurors found Timothy Bliefnick, 40, guilty in the killing of his wife and the mother of his three children, Rebecca Bliefnick. Her father found her dead inside her Quincy home on Feb. 23, 2023, after she failed to pick up her sons from school, police said. She had been shot multiple times
Timothy and Rebecca Bliefnick, a nurse and loving mother, were married in 2009. They’d been separated for several years and were going through a divorce at the time of her murder. According to documents cited by KHQA, Rebecca had previously filed a restraining order against both her husband and her father-in-law. Bliefnick, in turn, filed his own restraining order against Rebecca.
During the trial last week, Sarah Reilly, the victim’s sister, took the stand and recalled Rebecca’s fear of her estranged husband. “If something ever happens to me, make sure the number one person of interest is Tim,” reads a 2021 text that Rebecca sent Reilly.
Years before the murder, Bliefnick competed on “Family Feud” with his siblings and parents.
“What’s your biggest mistake you made at your wedding?” host Steve Harvey asked in an episode that aired in January 2020.
“Honey, I love you,” Bliefnick said, addressing his wife before turning to Harvey and answering cautiously, “Said, ‘I do?’”
The response drew both gasps and giggles from the studio audience.
“Not my mistake, not my mistake — I love my wife,” Bliefnick quickly added. “I’m gonna get in trouble for that, aren’t I?”
Bliefnick is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10.