Timothy Bliefnick, once a contestant on the TV game show “Family Feud,” has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of his wife during a heated divorce and custody dispute over their three children. The verdict was delivered by Adams County Judge Robert Adrian, who rejected a defense motion and found Bliefnick guilty of two murder charges and one home invasion charge.
According to Judge Adrian, Bliefnick meticulously orchestrated the murder of his wife, Becky Postle Bliefnick. He broke into her residence, where he did not live, and shot her 14 times. The judge highlighted the gruesome nature of the crime, stating that some shots were fired while Becky was already down. All this occurred while their children were asleep at Bliefnick’s home.
Bliefnick, 40, was convicted on all charges on May 31. The prosecution argued that he broke into his estranged wife’s home through a second-story window using a crowbar, shot her 14 times with a homemade silencer, and left her body riddled with bullets to be found by her father on February 23.
Bernadette Postle, the victim’s mother, read a statement in court detailing the immense loss their children have suffered due to the murder of their mother. Bliefnick, who remained silent during the trial, replaced their mother’s love with lifelong emotional scars and trauma, according to Postle.
Evidence presented at the trial included over two dozen shell casings found in Bliefnick’s basement, which forensic experts confirmed were fired from the same weapon as eight casings found at the crime scene. Prosecutors also revealed that Bliefnick, a former criminal justice student, had researched online on how to commit the crime.
Before her death, Becky had shared her fears with friends and family that her husband might harm her. She texted her sister, Sarah Reilly, expressing her fear that he might do something to separate her from their children.
Bliefnick, who was employed at a local recycling firm and was a member of a community theater group, was also a member of Quincy University’s Football Hall of Fame. He had appeared on “Family Feud” in 2020. He has been in custody since his arrest on March 13.
Becky, a nurse and a devout Catholic, was a cherished member of the small community of Quincy, Illinois. She was a valedictorian graduate from Quincy Notre Dame High School and a Quincy University alumna. She started her career in pharmaceuticals but later became a nurse, receiving a Daisy Award for her service to patients during the coronavirus pandemic.