Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Bad Romance is a new 20/20 limited series exploring love stories that take criminal turns. The first episode of the 8-episode series revolves around the murder of Rebecca Bliefnick, a 41-year-old nurse at the Blessing Hospital in Quincy. She was a mother of three and was in the process of getting a divorce from Tim Bliefnick, who subsequently got convicted of her murder.
Tim Bliefnick was a football player in college and went on to appear on ABC’s Family Feud in 2020. According to CBS News, the Bliefnicks filed for divorce in January 2021, after 11 years of marriage. Rebecca then filed a restraining order against Tim and his father. Tim filed one against her too. They were at odds over the custody of the children while Tim argued that Rebecca needed a psychiatric evaluation. Rebecca was adamant that her children don’t come in contact with Tim’s father.
NBC News reported that in her petition to keep her children away from Tim’s father, Rebecca Bliefnick mentioned that her father-in-law had been accused of sexual assault by several of their relatives. The alleged abuse of the relatives, two of whom were minors, became an important factor in the divorce. The victims were scheduled to visit the court and provide statements of the alleged abuse in 2023.
Before the scheduled hearing, on February 23, 2023, Rebecca was found dead on her bathroom floor after a killer broke open the door and entered. She had been shot 14 times and reportedly attempted to dial 911 before her phone fell out of her hand. In March 2023, with consideration of their divorce, authorities charged Tim with the murder of Rebecca Bliefnick and arrested him.
Bad Romance on ABC: What was Tim Bliefnick convicted of?
On March 31, 2023, Tim Bliefnick was convicted for all charges relating to the murder of Rebecca Bliefnick. In August, the court sentenced Bliefnick to 45 years to a lifetime in prison. Tim Bliefnick’s trial began in March. The defense argued that there was no solid physical evidence for the murder to have the major connection to Tim while prosecutors presented the DNA evidence that matched and connected him to the crime scene. They also argued that the murderer might have used the Aldi bags. These bags were found at the crime scene and could have been used as silencers while shooting.
“If something ever happens to me, make sure the number one person of interest is Tim. I am putting this in writing that I’m fearful he will somehow harm me,” Rebecca texted her sister before the murder, as reported by the Independent. Other friends of Rebecca also reported that she was feeling a sense of threat from Tim and there was a history of abuse in the household.
Tim Bliefnick maintained his statement that he was innocent and pleaded not guilty. Defence also argued that the case seems like a break-in gone wrong rather than a planned murder. The authorities’ dismissal of Rebecca’s repeated appeals for a restraining order against Tim came to media attention after her death. Most of the abuse inflicted by Tim Bliefnick was psychological and emotional. This made it complicated to provide proof of abuse.
The first episode of Bad Romance will air on ABC on January 22, 2024, at 10 pm. The episodes will be available to stream from the next day on Hulu.
