Thread by @MuddyNews

Tim Bliefnick is in the courtroom as the second week of #bliefnicktrial is about to start. He’s wearing a black pullover, black slacks and black shoes.

Josh Jones says he will have his final six witnesses today.

Jury will be back at 9 am. Nick Eddy of QPD will be the prosecution’s last witness and that one might take a while.
#bliefnicktrial

First witness: Christine Mandel, who is from Quincy but lives in California. Worked with Becky Bliefnick at CrossFit. She’s starting to sob. #Bliefnicktrial

Mandel is describing how proud Becky was about getting back into shape. They communicated via Facebook Messenger.
#bliefnicktrial

Becky relays messages to Mandel describing that she is fearful. “If he doesn’t get his way he might literally lose his mind….she describes coworkers who have been murdered.”

The messages describe Becky’s fear and she says she would never let Tim in her house.

Schnack asks about Mandel’s relationship with Becky. She says they had Facebook Messenger conversations, but hadn’t had any substantive conversations since 2021, until the March 22 conversation where she said she was fearful of Tim. #bliefnicktrial

Schnack asks Mandel if she called anyone to tell them they feared for Becky’s life. Asks if she referred Becky to a domestic violence and she didn’t.

Now Laura Keck is asking about Facebook messages that aren’t in evidence. Schnack objects and they go to chambers. #bliefnicktrial

Schnack asked Mandel numerous times if she asked anyone to help Becky. Mandel said she told her to go to the Police in a Facebook message that isn’t in evidence. Mandel gave a reason for not reaching out as being fearful for the kids.

Schnack’s objection overruled. Mandel said in other messages they discussed options to try and keep her safe. Schnack objects to the mention of a protection order.
“Despite all of those options you did nothing, correct?”
Mandel said “I did what I thought I could in that moment.”

Kelly Maciejewski is the next witness, ISP forensic scientist.

Jones asks Maciejewski about DNA on bike handlebars. Said she removed DNA from the handlebars and processed it into pure DNA. Needed specific amounts.

Maciejewski testifies her tests compared DNA from Tim Bliefnick, Becky Bliefnick, the Bliefnick children and Ted Johnson, who had been dating Becky.

DNA was compared to the blue bike, a patio chair and a door handle, and plastic near Becky’s body. Said there was limited support that it was Tim’s DNA on the plastic near her body.

Maciejewski testifies that skin under Becky’s fingernails had DNA.
No items support Ted Johnson’s DNA contribution.
Items support Tim Bliefnick’s DNA contribution.

However, the DNA under her nails could also be any of the Bliefnick children.

Schnack’s cross asks about the bike handlebars. The witness said there was not enough DNA to determine any DNA match.

Schnack presses the witness that the DNA standards of Tim and all of the boys all match and cannot be distinguished. Also, no DNA found on the shell casing in Becky’s home that was tested, aside from Becky.

Next witness: Jim Riggins, Illinois State Police forensic scientist.

Riggins specializes in trace analysis. Jones shows shards of an Aldi bag on a projector.

Evidence shows there were similarities in the shards to an Aldi bag.

Evidence shows there were similarities in the shards to an Aldi bag.
Inconclusive, but consistent as the actual bag the pieces are from aren’t there.
Schnack gets witness to say there is no scientific certainty to the matches, just similarities.
#bliefnicktrial

Kathryn Doolin, ISP forensic scientist is next.

She specializes in foot/shoe prints and tire marks. Did not have a complete print from Becky’s house. Just a partial and a pair of shoes to compare it to. And she couldn’t say if those shoes made the print.

She now talks about the tool marks as she attempted to replicate marks made at the crime scene. Said she was given a multi tool and a crowbar to test.

Photos shown of the crowbar and a tool mark on the window at Becky’s house. She said there were similarities and consistencies, in her testing, but inconclusive. She said a complete ID a could not be made, but the crow bar can’t be eliminated.

Schnack gets Doolin to admit Tim’s shoes were excluded from the impression at the crime scene.
And that there is no scientific certainty that it was Tim’s crowbar used on Becky’s window.