'Family Feud' murder: Victim said estranged husband should be 'No. 1' suspect if she were hurt
Tim Bliefnick, left, was a college football star and contestant on the "Family Feud" game show. Now, he's accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife, an award-winning nurse named Becky Bliefnick. (Adams County Sheriff's Office, Becky Bliefnick/Fa
Rebecca "Becky" Bliefnick, the 41-year-old Illinois nurse found murdered in her own home Feb. 23, told her sister via text message, "If something ever happens to me, make sure the No. 1 person of interest is Tim," testimony at her husband Timothy's murder trial revealed this week.
"I am putting this in writing that I'm fearful he will somehow harm me, come after me, or will try to [do] something to me that takes me away from the kids or the kids away from me," Becky Bliefnick texted her sister, Sarah Reilly, who testified in pool video of the proceedings. "He already has lied multiple times to paint himself as a victim and me as the perpetrator when it is absolutely the other way around."
The couple was going through a bitter divorce and fighting for custody of their three children. Timothy Bliefnick, 39, a former "Family Feud" contestant, is now accused of breaking into his wife's house and shooting her.
Becky Bliefnick's attorney also testified Wednesday that her estranged husband took her gun and refused to give it back prior to the shooting.
BECKY BLIEFNICK MURDER: ILLINOIS POLICE ARREST ESTRANGED HUSBAND IN NURSE'S SHOOTING DEATH
Video of the proceedings provided by WGEM-TV and Muddy River News reveals harrowing details of the case that had been under seal before the start of the trial.
Prosecutors allege Timothy Bliefnick shot his wife 14 times after breaking in through a second-story window. Jurors were shown images of her body sprawled out on the floor in a doorway.
In a September 2021 text to a friend, Becky Bliefnick wrote that a co-worker and fellow emergency room nurse had been murdered by an ex and that she "literally had a panic attack" thinking about what her estranged husband might do.
"I am scared of what he might do and his erratic behavior," she added, telling the friend that her husband had taken her firearms and ammunition.
ILLINOIS NURSE REBECCA BLIEFNICK SHOT DEAD; COPS SEARCH ESTRANGED HUSBAND'S HOUSE
Police arrested the husband in March on charges that included murder and home invasion causing injury.
Tim Bliefnick's defense attorney, Case Schnack, previously told Fox News Digital she has evidence suggesting one or more individuals were stalking Rebecca Bliefnick's neighborhood in the week before her murder.
"We are working with investigators to identify the person or persons we have pictures and video of," she said in April, although she declined to share the pictures.
Prosecutors have characterized the crime as domestic violence, a claim Tim Bliefnick's defense denies.
Becky Bliefnick's family said in a statement that relatives would not be commenting until after the jury reaches a verdict.
"Three months ago, February 23, Becky was murdered. As the trial begins, a new chapter of this arduous journey begins, and we are hopeful it will successfully and swiftly provide justice for her death," the family said in a statement. "We are confident in the Quincy Police Department and the prosecution’s legal team who have not wavered in their pursuit of the truth. Our family will be forever grateful for their dedication."
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The family has established a GoFundMe campaign to provide for the couple's three sons.
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