A man who made an awkward—now seemingly eerie—joke about marriage on Family Feud has been charged with murdering his wife three years after appearing on the game show.
On Monday, Timothy W. Bliefnick, 39, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and home invasion in the death of his wife, Rebecca Bliefnick, KHQA reports. His arrest came a few weeks after Rebecca’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside her Quincy, Illinois, home.
Bliefnick, 39, and Rebecca, 41, had been married since 2009 but were in the process of divorcing at the time of her death. The pair had been separated for some years before the fatal shooting.
Her family became suspicious of her whereabouts after Rebecca failed to pick her children up from school on Feb. 23, People reports.
“It was not a random act of violence,” Josh Jones, lead trial attorney for the Adams County State’s Attorney, said. “However, it is equally as important to recognize the event for what it is — an act of domestic violence.”
Bliefnick appeared as a contestant on Family Feud in 2020, where he shocked host Steve Harvey by making a cryptic joke about marriage in response to the question, “What’s the biggest mistake you made at your wedding?”
“Honey, I love you, but,” Bliefnick said before shockingly answering, “Said ‘I do.’”
The audience gasped at his response, to which Bliefnick replied, “Not my mistake! I love my wife.” Before jokingly asking Steve, “I’m going to get in trouble for that, aren’t I?”
But now, considering his current murder charges, Bliefnick’s Family Feud response might’ve been the first public sign of the turmoil taking place behind the scenes.
Bliefnick’s lawyer, Casey Schnack, says her client will plead not guilty to the charges.
“The state’s attorney’s office appears to be coming out with a narrative that this was an act of domestic violence. And the fact of the matter is, there was no domestic violence that we are aware of,” she said.
“Tim does not have a criminal history. He’s never been arrested for battery, domestic battery, anything violent, anything ever.”
Meanwhile, family and friends are mourning the loss of Rebecca, a beloved nurse who leaves behind three boys.