Friend of victim: “She was a ray of light”

QUINCY (WGEM) - The man accused of killing his estranged wife in Quincy in February made his first appearance in Adams County Court on Tuesday.

Judge Robert Adrian denied bond for Timothy Bliefnick, 39, at the request of the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office.

That’s a relief to Bobbie Taute-Howe. She said she had hoped that would happen. She was friends with Rebecca Bliefnick. The 41-year-old was found shot to death in her home on Feb. 23 in the 2500 block of Kentucky Road.

“The moment the ring notification came through on my app, I sent her a text message asking, ‘Are you OK?,’ because I just had a gut feeling that she was not,” Howe said. “The next morning it was released she was murdered.”

Even though she had that gut feeling, Howe said she still cannot believe her friend is dead.

“I still think that I’m going to wake up tomorrow to a text message,” Howe said as she teared up.

Police arrested her estranged husband, Timothy, on March 13. He is charged with first-degree murder and home invasion.

His attorney, Casey Schnack, said on March 23, a grandy jury will review his case. If it hands down an indictment, he will be back in court on March 24 for his arraignment where he will plead not guilty.

“Given the circumstances of Becky’s death, it’s not surprising he was the number one suspect or a suspect,” Schnack said. “He knows that there are a lot of people out here that are fighting for him, that are thinking about him and have his best interests in mind, so he’s trusting the process right now.”

As Howe tries to process, she remembers the time she spent with Rebecca.

“She’d always laugh and joke about Becky, Bobbie, Becky, Bobbie,” Howe said.

Together, they were nurses, workout buddies and moms. She describes Rebecca as, “the mom you wanted to be.”

There are three boys, now, who don’t have a mom.

“Just knowing that the boys get answers and have a safe and loving home will give her justice,” Howe said.

For now, she must wait, and pray.

“Becky was such a great person and so loving and kind that only a person that was truly selfish would do this to her,” Howe said.

If convicted, Bliefnick could face life in prison.

We reached out to Timothy Bliefnick’s mother for comment but have not heard back.

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