Post by Graveyardbride on Jul 24, 2016 8:22:40 GMT -5
Necrophilia, Murder Porn Found on Accused Killer’s Computer
Jeffrey Willis (above right) had photographs of murder victim Rebekah Bletsch (left) on his computer and her initials on a computer file, along with the date of her death, a witness revealed in a court hearing Wednesday, June 15. The hearing ended with Muskegon County District Judge Richard Kloote ordering Willis to stand trial for Bletsch’s June 2014 murder. This was after disturbing – and damaging – details were revealed by a state police computer crimes expert who examined Willis’ computers and external hard drives.
Videos of Necrophilia and Murders. “There were a lot of disturbing files” on Willis’ computers and hard drives, Michigan State Police Sgt. Chris Prevette testified. They included videos downloaded from the internet showing acts of necrophilia, Prevette told the court. They also included “kidnap and kill” videos, thousands of them, downloaded from the internet, some showing actors playing the roles of killer and victim. Others, Prevette alleged, were real. The videos “depicted individuals pulling up alongside of females on the side of the road. When they approached her, that female took off running into a field. Once in the field, they chase after her attack her and sexually assault her. There were other videos depicting the same thing where at the end of the video they murder. They show this in an acting way and we also found videos that showed this that are not acting,” he testified.
“Real life?” Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson asked.
“They’re real life,” Prevette replied.
After the hearing, Hilson said police don’t know who the victims are in the “kidnap and kill” videos or where they’re from, but are working with national and international agencies to find out. “They will reach out to other channels to see if these particular videos have been identified,” Hilson said.
Folder with Bletsch’s Initials. On the computer, police said they also found a subfolder entitled VICS – short for victims. The subfolder included a file entitled “RSB,” the initials of the victim. According to Prevette, they found a code that includes the date 6-29-14, the date Bletsch was killed. He said they found photographs of Bletsch, along with wanted posters in her case, and a photograph of a woman that resembled Bletsch on a bed.
Bletsch’s family filled the courtroom, including her sisters and father, who said they had been warned of the graphic details. Nick Winberg, the woman’s father, said the details were difficult to hear, but important to bring out. “That’s the part I want to see – justice,” he explained. “She can’t speak for herself, but I can. I’m really looking forward to a conviction knowing this person is off the streets.”
Hilson added that the details are the most disturbing he’s dealt with in his 17-year career. “This man is a very disturbing individual, and I’m very glad that we were able to get him off the streets when we did,” the prosecutor affirmed. “I can’t imagine how many lives we’ve saved.
The Murder of Rebekah Bletsch. On June 29, 2014, neighbors found Bletsch, 36, lying alongside Automobile Road in Dalton Township, north of Muskegon, where she often jogged. Muskegon County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Kanaar testified during Wednesday’s hearing that he responded to the scene. He did chest compressions, then called for a traffic investigator, believing she was a pedestrian who had been hit by a car. After calling investigators, Kanaar said he noticed a shell casing in the road and then saw a pool of blood near Bletsch’s body.
Deputy Scott Foster testified that he discovered two small bullet holes in Bletsch’s head after she had been moved to an ambulance. Later, during autopsy, a third bullet wound was discovered. She also had bruises on her wrists, ankles, back and leg.
Retired sheriff’s office Detective Brian Harris said investigators found two .22-caliber shell casings at the scene the day Bletsch died. He said they returned to the scene the following day after “word came there might be a third bullet wound” and found a third shell casing.
Willis Arrested after Alleged Kidnaping. The case went nowhere until the April 2016 kidnaping of a 16-year-old girl, who escaped by jumping from his moving silver minivan. Detective Matt Schultz, also of the sheriff’s department, testified that he investigated the kidnaping and found surveillance video from a blueberry farm near the scene that showed a silver minivan. The license plate of the minivan wasn’t clear in the video, however, so he didn’t know who owned it. He took photos of the van to a car dealer, who said it was a 2005 or 2006 model. Working with the U.S. Secret Service and other agencies, he narrowed it down to 10 possible minivans in Muskegon County, including the one owned by Willis. He then showed the 16-year-old a photo lineup and she pointed to Willis as the man who attempted to abduct her.
Deputy Foster was part of the team assigned to arrest Willis for the May 17 kidnaping as he left work at Herman Miller in Spring Lake. He was also the officer who made the traffic stop in Willis’ arrest. Willis was driving a silver minivan, which was confiscated as evidence.
Another police officer who testified was Michigan State Police Sgt. Thomas Flowers, who worked with the mobile crime unit the night of Willis’ arrest and searched the minivan, which yielded a lot of evidence. He said he found a lockbox under the front seat with a combination lock. In it was a .22-caliber handgun with the serial number filed off, black gloves, handcuffs, syringes, a vial of insulin and some blue pills. There was also a toolbox, which contained a chain with handcuffs and a large metal hook. In Willis’ van, investigators found two video cameras, black leather gloves, photos, more syringes, lubricant, a ball gag and sex toys.
Gun Used in Bletsch Murder Was Stolen. Michelle Schnotala, who worked with Jeffrey Willis for seven years at Herman Miller, told the court she owned a .22-caliber handgun and that Willis knew she had it. The last time she saw it was over the weekend of Feb. 22, 2013 – more than a year before Bletsch’s murder. The defense asked Schnotala if she ever reported the gun missing and she said she assumed she had left it in her attic and didn’t know the exact date that it disappeared. A state police ballistics expert confirmed that tests showed the shell casings found at Bletsch’s murder scene came from Schnotala’s gun.
Schnotala also testified that Willis had specifically asked her to give him something very personal – her underwear. “He asked for my panties quite a bit, always wanted a pair of my underwear,” Schnotala explained, adding adamantly that she never gave Willis any of her panties.
Investigation of Jeffrey Willis. Willis is charged with kidnaping and assault in the attempted abduction of the teen girl, as well as several counts connected to the creation and possession of child pornography. He previously waived his preliminary hearing in the kidnaping case and also waived his preliminary hearing on the child porn case on Wednesday. This means both cases are also going to trial.
Willis has also been named a person of interest in the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa. He owns a silver minivan similar to the one police were searching for in connection to Heeringa’s disappearance. His co-workers said he frequented her gas station, which is between his home and workplace, and a source confirmed he wasn’t at work in the days after police say she was abducted. However, a police source said investigators do not have enough evidence to charge him in the case.
Willis’ cousin Kevin Bluhm was charged with lying to police in the Bletsch murder investigation and also with lying to police in connection to Willis’ alleged involvement in Heeringa’s disappearance.
Sources: Ken Kilker, WOOD, June 22, 2016; and The Michigan State Police.
