Three years after appearing on Family Feud as a contestant — eliciting an audible gasp from the audience when he joked about regretting his marriage — Timothy Bliefnick has been sentenced to spend his natural life in prison for murdering his estranged wife.

He was convicted in May on charges of first-degree murder and home invasion in the fatal February shooting of Rebecca Bliefnick at her Quincy, Illinois home. The 40-year-old showed no reaction as Adams County Circuit Judge Robert Adrian read the sentence on Friday, as seen in courtroom video posted by Illinois station KHQA.

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The couple had been separated for two years and were in the middle of a messy divorce when she was shot to death. They shared three sons.

Sitting mere feet away from Timothy at the sentencing, Bernadette Postle, Rebecca’s mother, addressed the courtroom, saying, “We are left with emptiness that cannot be filled. Your soul is black with hate. You only have love for yourself. You should never be allowed to be free again.”

At the sentencing, Bliefnick’s attorney Casey Schnack requested leniency based on his clean criminal record prior to the murder, stating, “Life without parole should be reserved for the worst of the worst, and Tim is not the worst of the worst.”

But Judge Adrian handed down the maximum sentence, pointing out that, “Becky was not the only helpless victim on February 23.”

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The 41-year-old nurse and mother of three died “terrified, bleeding, and alone,” according to Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones. Timothy broke into his estranged wife’s house using a crowbar to force open a second-story window. He chased her to a bathroom and gunned her down, shooting her 14 times, while their kids were at his home nearby.

Rebecca’s father, William Postle, told jurors during the trial that when his daughter didn’t pick up her children that afternoon from school, he went to her house believing she was sick. He made a horrific discovery instead: his daughter’s body lying on the bathroom floor. 

During the trial, prosecutors introduced damning evidence against Bliefnick, including a chilling internet search history that included research on how to craft a homemade pistol silencer, how to remove gunpowder residue, the average police response time for emergencies, and “how to open a door with a crowbar,” the Daily Beast reported.

The couple had filed for divorce in early 2021, and later that year they had requested restraining orders against each other. Rebecca also filed an order of protection against her father-in-law, but a court denied all requests, according to KHQA-TV.

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In the trial’s opening statements, Jones spoke about the couple’s contentious divorce, stating that they “didn’t agree on anything,” adding that Bliefnick had allegedly told his wife that “she would not get his money.” According to the couple’s divorce attorney, Bliefnick was expected to pay $2,100 in maintenance and $472 per month in child support. They had been married for 14 years.

For the two counts of first-degree murder Bliefnick was charged with in his wife’s killing, he faced between 20 and 60 years per count, with a 25-year to natural life extension because it was committed with a firearm. He also faced a life sentence for the home invasion. He was given a natural life sentence with no chance of parole. Bliefnick has 30 days to appeal.