UPDATE with VIDEO.
Back in 2019, Family Feud welcomed the Bliefnick family to the competition, and the episode's taping offered up what was, at the time, another one of the game show's standout moments involving a contestant sharing hilarious and/or awkward answers for Steve Harvey's to react to with glee. Contestant Timothy Bliefnick shared an answer that shined a negative light on his marriage situation, which understandably sparked laughter from the audience and fellow players. But it was a more ominous moment than anyone could have predicted at the time, with Bliefnick getting having been this week and charged with, among other crimes, the first-degree murder of his estranged wife.
On the morning of Monday, March 13, the Quincy Police Department arrested the 39-year-old Timothy Bliefnick at his Illinois residence, enforcing a no bond warrant based on weeks worth of compiled evidence. The former college football star was charged with two counts of First Degree Murder and Home Invasion concerning the murder of 41-year-old Rebecca Bliefnick, his estranged wife and mother of three children.
The victim was found shot to death in her home on February 23, after she hadn't shown up to pick her children up from school that day. Less than a week later, it was reported that police searched the suspect's home and took someone in for questioning from the address, presumably Timothy Bliefnick, though that person was soon released. Following the arrest, his attorney denied the accusations.
It wasn't long before clips from the aforementioned Family Feud episode resurfaced, with one of his answers coming off as a haunting coincidence at best, and foreshadowing at worst.
For those who are unable to view the video, Steve Harvey posed the survey question: "What's the biggest mistake you made at your wedding?" And when the host got to "Tim," as he was dubbed for the appearance, the hubby shared the following answer while looking off into the audience:
Honey, I love you, but 'saying I do.' Not my mistake. Not my mistake. I love my wife. [after getting disapproving look from Harvey] I'm gonna get in trouble for that, aren't I?
Definitely not the most innocuous answer for someone who would go on to be charged with his wife's murder, but in standing by her client's claim of innocence, Bliefnick's attorney Casey Schnack told Fox News Digital that the Family Feud moment isn't indicative of anything more than a game show moment. (His response did net the #2 spot on the board.) According to Schnack:
It's a game show. A silly answer to a silly question on a silly show doesn't make one a murderer.
Timothy and Rebecca Bliefnick reportedly got married in 2009, and were seemingly together during the time of the Family Feud taping. But at some point in the time since, they had separated and were in the process of getting a divorce, according to KHQA. At some point, a restraining order was filed against Timothy Bliefnick, either by Rebecca herself or by an outside party, and another was later filed in her name against his father. Without any further details into the reasoning, Bliefnick later filed his own restraining order against his to-be ex-wife. The news station also reports that several court documents concerning the couple were removed from public viewing after police began their homicide investigation.
If convicted, Bliefnick could face a minimum sentence of 45 years to life behind bars, given a firearm was used to commit the crime. For the home invasion charge, he could be sentenced with 31 years to life in prison. He was denied bond at a hearing that took place on Tuesday, March 14, and his next court appearance is set for Friday, March 24.
