True Crime Vault: Murderer in the Minivan

0:00What does it take to become a real Lion King? A cub named Kio is about to find out. From executive producers John Favreau and Mike Guntney and with music by Hans Zimmer. National Geographic in Disney present. Lion, the story of a cub who could be king. National Geographic's Lion is now streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu. Step into the 2020 True Crime Vault, where each story is unforgettable. Three young women, one missing, one murdered, one kidnapped. Now the hidden secrets that cracked this case in all new 2020 starts right now. I get a call from our sergeant. Something suspicious happened at Exxon Gas Station. We're going to get right to that Michigan mom to vanish. A massive hunt for her right now.

1:02Everybody was asking where is Jessica? What happened to Jessica? Have you seen Jessica? Can you find Jessica? She's just a hard worker girl. She just needs to come home. You start to piece together that something violent happened in this location. She saw this silver minivan. She thought it was kind of weird. What? These two individuals were witnessing in that parking lot was the abduction of Jessica Herringa. But that wasn't their only mystery to solve when a different crime comes into play. Oh my gosh, you can do this. Oh, look at that woman. It's me, her. For this young mother, on a run being shot and killed. This was that close range. This was a certain execution style. Here we have two females, one's missing, one's deceased. And one other who lived to tell. Are you just staring at me the entire time? And let me out, let me out, let me out. At what point do you realize you're in real trouble and that you could die?

2:12This is Muskegan in West Michigan. Just south is a small community of Norton Shore's beach towns on the sunset coast of Lake Michigan. I describe Muskegan as sort of a microcosm of the state of Michigan. We have our urban areas, suburban areas, and the eastern part of northern part of our county is more rural. Norton Shore's is a nice community on the southern edge of our county. It's one of the most beautiful areas of West Michigan because it's right near Lake Michigan. So that's the big draw, is our Lake Shore. Just absolutely gorgeous. I have a lot of pride of coming from Muskegan County. I think it's just a really great place to live and grow up in. But in a series of apparently unconnected crimes began to so fear into this quiet community. It all begins in the final hour of an April night when a young woman named Jessica Herringa simply vanished.

3:12Swallowed up or so it seemed in a mystery as vast and deep as the big lake itself. It's April 26th, 2013 in Norton Shore's Michigan at the Exxon station on East Sternberg Road. 25-year-old Jessica Herringa is supposed to be inside closing up. That night I needed gas so I stopped right here. It's the closest place from my employment. See, pulled up to the gas station. Notice the door was open and looked inside and there was no Jessica Herringa. It's very strange that there's no one here. That's what alerted the police as a customer came in and realized that there was nobody in this store. Jessica Herringa, I'm on one way to emergency. I don't know if it's emergency. I just got to work. I'm at the Exxon gas station on Sternberg Road. And there's nobody here. It's very suspicious but there's nobody here.

4:16There was nobody that would answer so I looked around the store. And what did you see when you looked around the store? I went into the bathroom. I looked around. There was really no disturbance. Just nobody there. Okay, so did you yell or anything? Yeah, I hollered. Hey, you know, walk around the building. But I don't see anybody on. I walked inside and hey, hey, as I'm right here. I even went inside the cooler and looked inside there and seen nothing abnormal. But in my gut said something's not right. I just thought you know, you're concerned that nobody's heard her. Why? She has a young son that she's raising and she was working hard trying to get extra hours at the gas station because of financial problems. And so she was covering anybody who needed time off.

5:18She covered their shifts and that was her only job. And she was there by herself. The ironic thing is that she really wasn't scheduled to work the day that she disappeared. She actually had taken over a shift from somebody. The Jessica ever expressed concerns about feeling unsafe at work. Never. Never. Not once. She likes working there. So, North Shore's police department responded. At the time of the Head of Detectives was a gentleman by the name of Mike Cashier. I get a call from our sergeant. Something suspicious happened at the Exxon gas station. It was about a mile, mile and a half away from my house. From the crime scene photographs, when you take a first glance, the inside of the store didn't look as though it had been disturbed.

6:24There didn't look like there had been a big struggle. There was no real crime scene. They find nothing. In fact, that's what's so weird. It's so undisturbed. All the cleaners supplies and things were out. So it appeared that she had been cleaning and finishing up for the night. They go back into the store room and they find a cash register drawer with all the money, all the cash, all the change still intact. It didn't appear that she just grabbed her stuff and left. Her purse was still there with her jacket, cigarettes, lighter, still there. Inside that purse was a wallet. And it contained the identifying information for Jessica Herringa. Within that wallet, there was about $400 in cash. Seemingly undisturbed. Her car was still parked out front. Whatever happened in this store, robbery was not the intent.

7:27There was really no explanation as to what happened to her. It was almost like she just left, disappeared. And now is beginning the investigation into Jessica's disappearance. Police tonight say they have evidence that backs up their theory that a Norton Shore's woman was abducted from the gas station where she worked. I'm Juliette Dregus, the new starts in one minute. It sounded very odd that she just disappeared. We all wondered what is going on here. At the time that location did not have a camera system or anything. No security cameras, and I don't think she should have been working by herself. I used to talk to her about it and ask her about it. And of course, 25 years old, you think you're invincible. My goal was, right at the beginning, to establish a timeline because I figured it would help us at some point. So about 1052, we had a woman who had went in and purchased a cigarette lighter. And that was the last person to see Jessica alive.

8:30The last sale that was recorded here was at 1052. You were here at the gas station like 110711. 11071108. 1107, he pulls up. He doesn't see anybody. So sometime between 1052 and 1107, we have her missing. And that was the start, if you will, of what turned into be a very public and national cold case. Police continue to search for a missing woman from Norton Shore's. The biggest story in all of West Michigan for months and months and months. The first big break is a page out of Agatha Christie. As they look and they keep looking, they see a drop of blood. Then a woman who worked another shift at the gas station approaches detectives. She and her husband saw this silver minivan back behind the Exxon gas station. She thought that was strange. She played a extremely important role in helping to move the initial investigation forward. A drop of blood, a silver minivan and one more small caliber clue.

9:33The search for Jessica Haringer rickus shades in a totally different and dire direction. We are now prepared to reclassify this case as an abduction. We're going to get right to that Michigan mom who vanished. Search for a young mom who vanished while working the late shift. The investigation was done without her trace. Jessica Haringer disappeared. It was a very big deal in her area. Everybody was asking where is Jessica? What happened to Jessica? Have you seen Jessica? Can you find Jessica? How can we help? The media was very involved in this case. This expands beyond the borders of the Skiing County and becomes national news. The nation is looking for Jessica Haringer. A massive hunt for her right now. ABC's Alex Perez is in Norton Shore as Michigan with the latest. Good morning Alex. Good morning Robin overnight. Jessica's family desperately waited for any word from police but no loss.

10:35She was going to get out in 15 minutes. 15 minutes that store would have been closed and she would have been on her way home. Flyers were presented to the community. They were everywhere. Somebody who has seen something doesn't even know how important it is yet. Is there any more flyers that I can get? Because I will put them up for you. I'll stick a couple around for you. Let's join together in prayer. To call upon you for Jessica's safe return. There were vigils. They passed out flyers. They were on our air very regularly. You know, saying, please Jessica, come home if you have her. Bring her home. You know, we want you back. She just needs to come home. The small Norton Shore's police force gets reinforcements. Michigan State Police, Michigan County Sheriff, the FBI and even the Secret Service.

11:41Helicopter searches. Police canines were involved in ground searches. A lot of people in our newsroom thought that she just leave. She having personal problems. Could she have just done this because she just had to get away? It doesn't make any sense. She wouldn't take her purse. She wouldn't take her car. She loved her son. Her son's oven meant everything to her. Jessica may have vanished, but not without a trace. And one of the officers said, I think we need to look at something back here. It's kind of weird. And lo and behold, you know, they discover, I think, some very important pieces of evidence. Probably about three or four feet from the back door. We saw probably about half-dollar size of a blood spot. Jessica Haringa. It was Jessica Haringa's blood. And then next to that was these two little round batteries that appeared at, like, watch batteries. There was a small black piece of plastic that had the words Carl Walther written on it.

12:45That was later determined to be a cover for a laser sight from a handgun. Detectives determined that battery-powered Walther laser sight is commonly attached to a specific gun. The Walther P-22 semi-automatic pistol. But it also could fit a couple other guns. It could have fit a BB gun I was told too at the same time. So it wasn't like, okay, it's only for this specific gun. Then a woman named Susan Follett, who worked a different shift at the gas station, approaches detectives. She came up to me and she goes, I think I saw something. Which I'm like, okay, what'd you see? She and her husband were out riding motorcycles and she saw this silver minivan. She thought it was kind of weird. This happens right around 11 p.m. Right in that 15-minute window when Jessica disappeared. The van ducks behind the gas station.

13:47Does it go out in front where the pumps are? Goes behind the gas station. Which at that time of the night, it's kind of weird. It turned off its lights and it parked behind the store. There's no reason for a customer to go back and park their car. Suspecting someone may be stealing the worker and her husband stopped nearby just watching. They say they only see the driver. He gets out of the minivan. He's doing something. They're not sure what. They see the tailgate of the van go up because they recall seeing the dome light. Pushes the tailgate down, doesn't go, pops it up and adjust something. Shots the tailgate, gets in the van and drives away. Drives right by now. When the van was leaving Susan, gets a look at the van driver. You know, it's as good as you can in the dark. It was a male. Somewhat heavy-set, brownish, hair, beard, mustache. And they describe the van as being silver in color.

14:51I wish they would have at least gone and seen if Jess was okay. I'm sorry. They didn't see Jessica. They didn't think anything well. Maybe there's nothing to report. But for the police, what the witnesses say they saw along with the blood and pieces of a gun are powerful evidence. When you couple how the witnesses described what was going on behind the gas station with laser sight cover and a spot of blood, you start to piece together that something violent happened in this location. I felt that the van was crucial because it was parked right where those parts were found. What these two individuals were witnessing in that parking lot was the abduction of Jessica Herringa. Police full surveillance video from several businesses shadowy images of that mysterious silver minivan driving by within minutes of Jessica Herringa's disappearance.

15:55We're able to determine that this van is now going northbound on Grand Haven Road. But that's where the trail of the silver minivan fades to black. Good afternoon. My name is Daniel Shaw. I'm the chief of police for the Norton Shores Police Department. Two days later police hold a news conference. We are now prepared to reclassify this case as an abduction or a kidnapping under Michigan law. But police don't reveal everything they found to the public. And we have parts of a gun that we didn't disclose to the public. So at this point our only clue is the white male that I described to you and the silver minivan. Anybody knows anything called a high line? Does it like to say? I think I'm done now, man. Who would have a motive to take Jessica Herringa? The investigation now turns to secrets of her love life, including a married man.

17:03He asked her to move away and she said no. She was going to stay put. Our later she's missing. Today I want to tell you about an exciting new deal from our friends at Cozy Earth. Take a moment and close your eyes and think back to the best night of sleep you ever had. Did it feel like you'd never sleep that well again? Well, good news. You can give yourself an amazing night of sleep every night by upgrading your bedding to Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth offers luxury bedding at an incredible price. Their ultra soft temperature regulating sheets, coverlets and duvet covers are the perfect companion for a night of uninterrupted relaxation. Their sheets come in all different colors and stripes so there's something for everyone, whether you're doing a big fall refresh of your master bedroom or updating a guest room in time for the holidays. And as comfy as they are on day one, they only get better from there because they're designed to get softer with every wash. Best of all, with our limited time deal, the already great prices are even better. You can get 50% off of a wide assortment of bedding options by going to our unique link. That's right, 50% off.

18:08But hurry, this deal is only for a very limited time. Get yourself the bedding of your dreams. Right now, go to abcsecretsavings.com slash 2020 for 50% off the best bedding you'll ever sleep on. That's abcsecretsavings.com slash 2020. Hello, this is Chad. The whole original Chad powers. Everyone's obsessed with Chad powers. He released a master of disguise. Chad is hot. From Glenn Powell and the creator of Loki. I might be an overman. Please do not get caught. The Hulu original Chad powers. The source they can happen. Coach, find out your best holiday and actually murders you. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundled subscribers. Terms apply. Jessica's described as a white female 25 years of age. Five foot, one inches tall, approximately 110 pounds, blind shoulder length hair and blue eyes.

19:13We love her very much. Hey, miss her. It is the most difficult part. It's just not knowing and not having the answers and not being able to be there for her. You know, I'm sure she's scared and doesn't know what to do or... I just hope she knows that we're all looking for her and we're going to find her. The police did, I mean, they really did rely on the media for help. As everyone held out, hope that she could be found. So they released a sketch of a gentleman. This is a man that they're looking for, a man of interest. If you've seen him or you recognize or the silver minivan, that was always the prevalent thing. Looking for that silver minivan. Due to the fact that there's no signs of disturbance within the store, we tend to believe it is someone either that she knows, like in a acquaintance, or someone that she knows through the store, maybe a customer or someone that she has met before. She was always trying to make people smile. Be happy.

20:13Love life, sad to think that that great quality was probably a downfall in this situation, you know. They're here because we have not given up hope for Jessica's safe return. We're receiving numerous tips from the public, which we truly appreciate. Of what we need more. And boy, did we get a lot of calls and a lot of sites. To our newsroom, probably hundreds. And people thought they saw her at a campground up north. They thought they had seen her at a store. Offs release, Norton Church Police Department, to Jessica here in your case. People were saying they saw her in Arizona. And then they saw her in New Jersey. And I got somebody in Chicago that acts suspicious. Every tip that was brought in was taken seriously and investigated. Yeah, there was quite a long list of potential suspects. When we were looking at the area case. She was abducted. Someone took her. One of the first people they did talk to was her boyfriend.

21:13And, you know, because he admitted to them that they did have a rocky relationship. I saw her right before she went to work. And they talked to her an hour before this happened. She was going to be out early and home quick, so. I mean, obviously we always think to right off the bat, maybe there is a problem with the relationship. Anybody know anything called the Highline? Is it like to say? He's the one who called me to tell me that she was missing. He's devastated about the whole thing. This is the mother of his child. They were in love. Yeah, it asked her to marry him. And we think Dakota is part of the family. Dakota is quickly excluded as a suspect. Detectives turning their attention to other men in Jessica's life. Jessica Haring always pretty. She was a pretty blonde. People even would say there's a good looking lady who works at that gas station.

22:16There were other people of interest in her life that would frequent the gas station. What we had heard is that she may have had a boyfriend or two, in addition to the father of her baby. Police say Jessica was having a relationship with a regular at the gas station, a married man. His name came up multiple times. He was always in the gas station, always around. And he said that they had some type of an intimate type of relationship going. The week before Jessica's disappearance, police say the man's wife had come into the gas station to confront Jessica. She found out about the relationship and entered in and tried to make contact with Jessica. She kind of talked with her about it. And Jessica got upset and told her to get out of the store. Which she did. Police say Jessica had a tearful talk, maybe a break up with the married man just hours before she vanished.

23:23An hour before she went missing, just an hour before hand, they had an emotional, his quote was, we had an emotional discussion. He asked her to go away with him, to move away, and she said no. She was going to stay put. Hour later, she was missing. Is there a love triangle? Is there jealous lovers out there that got so enraged with jealousy that they went to the extreme to solve that issue? I called him a suspect for a good probably year. We checked phone records, we got search warrants, we bought in polygraph, twice for him and his wife. But ultimately, he's innocent and he had no involvement. Detectives cross the married man and his wife off their list. Another dead end. Started out as it looks really, really good and it ends up melting right in your hand right down to it.

24:29All those suspects, all those tips to police here, but still, no Jessica. Weeks, months, a full year goes by with no word about the missing woman. The tips start waddling so they're not getting as many tips, not hearing anything more about the silver minivan. There was nothing more investigators could do so we also stopped covering it. As 2013 becomes 2014, her case colder than a West Michigan winter. And then, some miles away, in another part of Muskegon County, another young mother not lost, found dead. I don't know why I'm wearing a serenade. We go up to this lady, she laying in the road. Oh my gosh, you can do this. Oh, look at that woman, they did some fever. Could there be a connection?

25:43We're going to turn on the road that Becky used to jog or walk on. This is automobile road. It was a Sunday evening late June 2014 when a couple was driving here along automobile road in Muskegon County. In the middle of summer, six o'clock in the evening. Suddenly, they saw something in the road, maybe a deer, but soon discovered it was worse, much worse. I'm Ron Myers, your emergency. It's an automobile road. We go up to this lady, she laying in the road. I think she would hit by a car. Okay. We got a start CPI if she's not breathing normally. I want you to go ahead and start. This is Dashcam video from the first Muskegon County Sheriff's Deputy arriving on the scene. You can see an EMS worker rushing in to help the 911 callers. The wife is a nurse and she was trying to see what she could do.

26:48I started out initially a hit and run. She was found on the side of the road. She was in running gear, so she'd been out for a run. Oh my gosh, you can do this. Look at that woman, they can be there. And unfortunately, shortly after she was discovered, she succumbed her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman is Rebecca Blet. She lives just down the road. And as a placeer in the ambulance, police are stunned to find her death was no accident. In the back of her head, she's got three bullet balls. Rebecca Blet's case went from a hit and run to a homicide. So it was a shooting murder. People were crying, people upset, people were scared. People were, I was scared. I was scared to be in my own yard. Rebecca Sister Jessica sees a report of a woman killed on Facebook. And then I called her and she didn't answer.

27:50So I called her again, no answers, but then I called her daughter. She called me and asked if my mom was home. I said, no, I don't know where she's at. I said, where's her dad? She said he's outside talking to the police. And I knew it was her. Rebecca's daughter, Ellie, says her grandmother told her what happened. My dad was outside and my grandma was inside. Talking. She used to jog by here all the time, very nice, friendly girl. Always would say, hi, how you doing, what not when she went through. From all accounts, she was just a nice person. Everyone just loved Rebecca Blotch.

28:50Tell me about your sister. Becky was the oldest of the three of us sisters. Kind of more of a mother to us and in times of need. Absolutely great spirit, big laugh, great smile. Always the life of the party. You couldn't help, no, she was there. She walked in a room, you knew. Yeah. What was she like as a mom? Very involved. It was very active with, with Ellie. She loved to go unruns, bike rides, walks through woods. At the crime scene, police find Rebecca's belongings, cell phones, sunglasses, earbuds, all in a neat pile across the road from her body. Why was her body on one side of the road and these items in a nice little pile on the opposite side of the road? I mean, it only seems that someone would have ordered her to take off, you know, everything that she had had and set it down.

29:53Investigators speculate that after the killer forced Rebecca to put her things down, she tried to get away. I think when she realized what was happening, I think she tried to run. There was a trail of casings that went from the middle of the road and then toward her body, three different casings. I think he, he hit her with the first shot and it knocked her down and she tried to crawl away. And this is where she made it until he walked over to her and... The killer shoots Rebecca three times with a 22 caliber gun. Investigators recover CCI brand shell casings. This was that close range. This was certainly execution style. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why on a Sunday afternoon that she would be targeted and killed in such a fashion. And the only witnesses are my horses. They absolutely stood at that fence and watched and I can guarantee you.

30:56If they could only talk, they would have got this solved a lot quicker. Jessica Herringa's disappearance and Rebecca Blech's murder were never really tied together. I mean, people speculated and wondered. Here we have two females that are one's missing, one's deceased. But there were no real strong ties. I made a call. I always do. Hey, what kind of description to have? He just couldn't see how these two were related. There was no mention of a silver minivan or any minivan of that nature being anywhere in that area at the time that she was shot in kill. There is one possible connection. Firearms experts say that the 22 caliber shell casings found near Rebecca's body may have been fired by a Walter 22 pistol. And that's the same kind of gun possibly involved in Jessica's case. It was explained to us that the characteristics left by the firing pin of the gun that was used to kill Rebecca Blech was very similar to what they've seen.

32:06The Walter P22 would have left. Unconvince their cases are related. Investigators turned their attention to the person closest to Rebecca. They were focused on her husband. They really decided that he must have done it. At any point did you guys think maybe he did it? It never crossed my mind. You guys never thought it was her husband, no. He just never did anything like that. He's not like that. It was determined that he didn't have anything to do with this crime. With Kevin Blech cleared of any involvement in his wife's death, her murder is unsolved. I hate to call the cold case because we were still actively working on it and we didn't stop. But we had no solid leads. We had nothing. What happened was an incident that blew the case open, that changed everything.

33:08This new pick-up blueberry farm seems an unlikely place to solve cold cases. The Jessica Herringa disappearance, the 22 caliber killing of Rebecca Blech, but police say an incident that happened just down the road from here. And what the security cameras see puts it all into focus. I don't know how to describe. What kind of car was it? What color was it? That was the turning point. Now, one where is your emergency? It's come immediately. We have a man with his six-foot-of-a-shrill and he has a gun and he doesn't have a shotgun. It's the Analyleon meter who has a gun. In April of 2016, we received a 911 call from a homeowner who just had a young lady come running up to her house screaming saying that somebody was trying to kidnap her. Is it female?

34:09It's a miracle right now and I'm shaking. Can I talk to her? Yeah, here she is. Hello. Hi, this is 911, okay? Is it bombing? Are you calling? You got one, I got some help there. That phone call. That was the turning point. Jessica Herringa vanished in April 2013. Rebecca Blech shot and killed in June 2014. Try as they might, frustrated detectives in Norton Shores and Muskegon County cannot solve either crime. Two cold cases unsolved for years, no arrests until a scary 911 call after a teenage girl runs for her life on this very road. I had a job out of the car. I had a wonder of. I knew it was a fun accident. Who was it? I don't even know me and I would say please let me out right now.

35:11A young teenager by the name of Madison Nighguard finds herself walking home and she's a rural part of Muskegon County after attending an all night party. Walk us through what that night was like, what was this party? We had a big old bonfire and then everyone left and went to a different party. So then I started walking home. Oh so you were out all night? All night long. It's early in the morning. She's walking along the road. Did you know where you were? No. But I figured, like I'll be a little figure out. Did you have a cell phone? I did have a phone but it was dead. By now, Madison is lost and in tears. Instead of taking the left and going towards town, I took a right and went towards the lake. I'm crying at this point.

36:11A silver mini van pulls up. Hey, do you need a ride? The man in the mini van said to her. I was like, no, absolutely not. And I pleaded to use your phone and it was like, yeah, just come on, get in. It was okay. So I got in. She got in the car and he took off. I don't know why she decided to happen that car but I think she was just really desperate at that point. So you get in the car. Get in the car, he rolls up the window and laughs at doors. I'm still crying and I feel bad because I think he's a nice guy. So I'm like, I am sorry. I'm not trying to be mean but please warm my window back down. The man in the mini van turns off the main road onto more isolated North Green Creek Road. Not where Madison wants to go.

37:12She didn't know where she was but she knew enough to where that was definitely the wrong direction. I asked you to cell phone and he was like, it's dead. And he was just staring at me the entire time and I'm like, let me out, let me out, let me out. And he was just staring at me. And then that's when he reached under and grabbed his gun. He's now pointing a gun at her. She has two choices, really. One, just submit and hope for the best or two, run. As soon as I saw the gun, I was out. And I'm off the door and jumped. You saw you were on the van going down south? Yeah. Okay. He's going down. When she jumped, she jumped right out of her shoes, rolled, got road rash. They fell, broken fingernails. She was going to get away from this man. You haven't been back over here.

38:12No. Madison has moved on so she has not been back to the scene of her deaf defying leap until this moment when she agreed to go back to show us what happened. I remember running completely down this road. Did you look back? I did look back and that's when he was like standing there with his gun aimed at me and I'm just like, don't kill me, please don't kill me. Did you say that to him? Yeah. I was like, please do not. Like I have family. And he was like, it's just a joke. Come back. Come back. It's a joke. Yeah. I'm just like, I have really not. I just kept running. There were two unspent 22 cartridges lying in the road. I think those two live rounds were because the gun itself jammed. We believe we pulled the trigger. It jammed up and so you rack it, get that round out.

39:14So you get the next round. Somehow it jammed up again. Were you assaulting at all? No. But I need to put a house in my job out of his car while he was eating. Do you want an ambulance? No. She was very lucky. She was very bold to be able to jump out of a vehicle. I don't know how many people would have done that. Takes a lot of fortitude and she hadn't had what it took to save herself. He chased me. He was chasing me. Where was he? Where was he chasing you? That is all. And you don't know where he went? No. Now deputies are on a van hunt, driving up and down country roads looking for telltale surveillance cameras. When they said they were looking for anyone with video, I thought they're not going to find anyone with video, especially in that stretch where she was. Police figure find the silver minivan, solve the Madison Nygarde case.

40:15But what detectives never figured on finding that ordinary minivan would be the key to solving two more cold case mysteries. The detective asked if you could see the video. I was sure. He wasn't up there for five minutes. And he says, I see it. He just pulled through the lot. When Madison got away and they were able to connect the dots, were you surprised? I was very shocked that one individual could have been responsible for three women. He really is a monster. Who lives with secrets that dark? There is so much NFL on ESPN right now. Monday night football plus pregame and postgame. NFL live NFL prime time. Everything you need to stay on top of every game every week. Unbelievable. And now NFL network is on the ESPN app. More football, more coverage, more ways to watch. Football is on. All season long on ESPN and streaming on the ESPN app.

41:16There's a headlight every 30 minutes for our show. I'm pretty sure. Welcome to Get Real. I'm your host Amanda Hirsch. This is the show for the reality TV obsessed. You thought the show was crazy living it was crazy. I was dripping sweat for even stinking. I was like, I'm going to be a little bit more honest. I'm going to be a little bit more honest. I'm going to be a little bit more honest. I'm going to be a little bit more honest. I'm going to be a little bit more honest. Everything you want to build for your time. This is what RTVE North fringeindustries uses all the time. Is that a beautiful Мне pollen, think plante. Wow. I love this, there's technology. Couldn't be a good news in this region. in 10 years. In the wild with me. Anyone want me to go to show what I want. I love to see beautiful transition in 2020. From a different environment to an emotional world to graduate. I missed out on extra adventures, and I'm very happy today. I miss people working in the theater by watching Am noticing that are one's missing, one's deceased. But how do they connect? And how do they connect to a new victim? They showed the 16-year-old girl and she said, that's the man who pointed it on at me who tried to kill me.

42:17I'm trying to tell you, all right? I'm gonna go. We're not here having a fish in my throat. I gotta talk more things to say. Bell's and whistles started going off. So I've holy cats. What do we stumble upon here? That's a medical diagram on where to inject someone. They discovered a file folder labeled VIX, VICS. Inside the house, we found some recording equipment, almost like a covert hidden type camera. A significant amount of bleach bottles in the basement of his house. They found evidence after evidence after evidence. I mean, it did blow the case wide open. Is this a new lab that I've never heard of? He's saying he didn't kill her, but he was there. Can you tell me anything? Big question. It's so hard. He just kept saying, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It makes me shudder. I get goosebumps to think what they found.

43:22The first questions are easy. What's your name? Madison. And spelled out for me. M-A-D, I-S-O-N. We have the 911 car. I wanna play it for you. Okay. What was your name? I can see her. He just told me he was gonna let me use his phone. So I got in and said he wouldn't give it to me. And then he said it was dead. So I was like, let me out. He reached for the car. And I jumped out of the car. It is very clear, based on the evidence that we collected at this particular crime scene, that Madison, through divine intervention, is alive. We discover that there were two unspent 22 cartridges lying in the road. It's only that the gun jammed, not once, but twice, that she's able to make it to this house alive. Nobody knew I left, the party that I was at. So if his gun didn't jam up, he would have just left me. I don't know, no, anything. Investigators are able to determine that it's a 22 cartridge

44:23manufactured by the CCI company. Those bullet casings and Madison's details about the van will become more important than police in this area realize. What kind of car was it? A van. What kind of a van? Silver. Police are searching the area for cameras that may have caught something that could be useful to this investigation. When they said they were looking for anyone with video, I thought, you're not going to find anyone with video, especially in that stretch where she was. It's Madison's description of her would be capture at his silver van that brings detectives here to the Saldeni Blueberry Farms. Locals and visitors come here to pick blueberries. But detectives are picking through surveillance video, hoping security cameras captured that mysterious man and his silver van. He asked if the cameras were real and if you could see him. So I was sure anything you want. It had two security cameras, one that kind of pointed to the semi-circle drive they had and the other that kind of pointed out to the roadway.

45:25And he wasn't up there for five minutes. And he says, I see it. Right there on that surveillance footage, a silver minivan. What of the chances the blueberry farm has surveillance video? That shows a silver minivan. The cameras only have a 30-day loop. If a week would have gone by, I think it would have been too late. It gave really good close-up images of this particular silver minivan. He turned in an assault drive and went out the North Drive. He turned around in the blueberry farm to go back and watch me. What did he look like? The man that pulled up. He was heavier than that and had dark facial hair and dark hair. Kind of normal. Yeah, it was normal to me. You didn't think anything of him when you saw him pull up. He didn't look creepy. Madison is also able to remember some specific details from inside the van. In the middle, there was like this little netted thing so there was a bit of stuff in there. I remember seeing his phone in the net thing

46:27and it was a flip phone, which I thought was really weird because we had a flip phone nowadays. While the video is pretty clear, authorities can't make out the license plate. So they're now searching for a proverbial needle in a haystack. The first step is to identify the van's make and model. And for that, they turned to a local car dealer. My name is Mike Kring and I was the owner of Riches Auto Mark, which was a minivan car lot. I was able to establish that it was 2004 to 2007 Dodge Caravan. They call it a soccer mom vehicle for a reason. It just was a grocery gutter and they went to soccer games with all games and families would buy them. Kring notices the van has some unique features. Similar to the ones he demonstrates on this Dodge Caravan. The door handles were not painted. So these door handles are not painted as well, so that's very similar. So I knew it was an SE package, but I knew it had stolen go seedings. And then they would have a compartment in the floor

47:27that you could flip these down. And then turn them into the floor. When they're up in this position, the compartment's completely empty to stole whatever you'd like to steal. More importantly, the moldings on the side of the van and a black antenna catch the minivan expert's eye. I saw that little antenna that was on the roof. In that, that van was more unlikely made in Canada. Because of that, the detectives were able to involve the secret service and find some database that told them how many minivanes were in the county that were made in Canada. And they were able to take the van number of vehicles and compare them to registered vans here in Michigan. And then from that, narrow the list down by geographic area. We were able to establish that there are roughly 33,000 vehicles in the state of Michigan that match those attributes. That's the number now that investigators can take and they can start ticking off vehicles in the Michigan county. And so that's exactly what they do.

48:29And they go from 33,000 silver minivanes all the way down to just one. And most importantly, to the man behind the wheel. And all the different clips and pictures that we had seen, the silver minivan that was dark and shadowy. And they found it. Now authorities wanted to see a Madison clip confirm that this was the man who allegedly attempted to kidnap her. So they put together a photo lineup. When you saw the pictures that they showed you the lineup. I picked them out right away. Yep. They showed the 16-year-old girl and she said, that's the man who pointed a gun at me who tried to kill me. And that man was Jeffrey Wilson. Jeff Willis happened to work at this manufacturing plant at the time and a detective walked through the parking lot, discovered the vehicle, and noticed through the window that this vehicle had cargo netting in the center console area. This netting that had a bunch of stuff in it

49:30that seemed to be similar to what Madison had described. And Jeffrey Willis is a name police have heard before. Three years earlier, an ex-on-gas station employee, Jessica Herringa, vanished. At the time, detectives got a tip about a man named Jeffrey Willis, who owned a silver van. So they went to talk to him. We asked him how long he has owned his van, if he'd ever been to the ex-on-gas station, if he knew Jessica Herringa. And witnesses in that case describe seeing a silver minivan, the same type of minivan detectives recognize unsurveyluance images from so-dini blueberries. It turns out Willis was a regular at the exon. And when police catch up to him again, this time it's about the alleged kidnapping of 16-year-old Madison. We can stay up and stay up and drive a great van. I'm with your side of the book. And Willis is about to offer up something jaw-dropping, something that takes the detectives by surprise.

50:32Will you stay in high-tucker? Do you think that's right? The search for a silver minivan leaked to an alleged attempted kidnapping leads police to 46-year-old Jeffrey Willis. After Madison picks him out of a photo lineup, police haul him in for questioning. When Mr. Willis is getting off of work at 6.30 in the morning, he's being pulled over by a state trooper, and then ultimately taken into custody, his van is then secured and taken to a location where it can be searched. He walks in very relaxed, sort of matter of facts. Jeffrey Willis was a worker at a furniture manufacturer in nearby spring, like he worked the overnight shift. He was well under the radar. He had no criminal history. He was a middle-aged guy married kind of your normal ordinary person in the community.

51:38A regular guy next door. Willis grew up in Michigan, attending high school in Mesquigan County. He has a daughter from a previous relationship. Turns out he's also a grandfather. He is no criminal history, but a work history of being a janitor at two local elementary schools back in the 90s. According to school district records, Willis was eventually fired for allegedly using a school computer to look at adult websites. He appears to want to cooperate. He's like, oh man, what's this all about? And yeah, he finds the opportunity to make small talk or even flirt a little bit with the female detective. A little bit of a familiar. I do? Yeah. I do now. Trying to think. I think he's trying to make a move. I'm sorry. While police are questioning him, Willis makes a surprising admission. He tells them he was questioned back in 2013 about the unsolved disappearance of Jessica Haringa

52:40at the Exxon gas station. I got bugs about the other ones. People saw them. Oh, really? Well, I mean, they're doing their routine. They're going around them. Yeah. As far as someone actually came to your house. Always come around and ask me some questions. I'm going to ask you some questions. Back in 2013, I told him that we were investigating silver vans and registered owners that are in the area due to the Jessica Haringa investigation. He said he had heard about that and understood. Receipts show that Willis was actually a regular at the Exxon. And many of his visits happened during Jessica's shifts, including on the very night she disappeared. He had actually stopped into the gas station that night and Jessica was working. He recalls seeing her there. He said that he didn't have a relationship whether it didn't talk to her a lot, just had seen her working in the gas station.

53:43Remember, police were talking to many potential suspects. And when they searched it, Willis's van appeared clean. We asked if we could see it. It was empty and it smelled of cleaning products. They asked him about what he was doing that night. He had an alibi. He was home with his wife. He was at the gas station earlier in the evening. But at that time, he was home. They did a really good job at that point in time of following up and helping establish his relationship or what he had done that night. I was angry. I was emotional. I was upset about what we might have stopped. Had we brought him in, sat him down, polygraphed him, and went at him. They had him right there. He was right under their noses. But if you don't have evidence, how can you arrest him? They're not to be blamed for not having arrested him initially because they didn't have probable cause initially. It happens often that police speak to suspects

54:45in these kinds of cases early in a spree like this and only come back to a suspect later. But Madison Nygards alleged attempted kidnapping puts Jeffrey Willis back on police's radar. And now they're grilling him about his whereabouts on that morning. Come up. Climb the red river road. OK. Going home? I don't know. We know that you were at River Road. I don't know. OK. That girl is taking a nap. OK. And also take time that you were at. So you're just saying hi, Tucker? Do you think I took her? Do you mean I know what happened? I can't tell you. I don't know what was prepared. I can't tell you. I don't know what was prepared. I can't tell you. I can't tell you. I don't know what was prepared. I can't tell you. I can't tell you. I don't know what was prepared. Did you listen? You know, I mean, I wasn't there with whatever happened here.

55:45That's what I'm telling you. I might have been there. I wasn't forever there. Willis is comfortable to mean or changes. When detectives tell him they have his mini van on Surveillance video. I'm racing. I'm going to. So, why were you? I don't know. I was up there for. I don't know why I was doing up there. Obviously, something happened up there. All right. When you go from my home. You ask where I went and I say, I don't know. I know. I got my little change. You know, I know. I know. I know. I know. I'm just. And I'm not trying to. If I get up and walk out, you're going to slam me down. Jeffrey Willis heads for the door. Well, then I'm going to walk. We did it. You do it. You run for me? Just sit down please. You please sit down. Okay. Let's. I'm trying to tell you. All right. I'm going to go. We're not in your ever pissing mess with you.

56:45I got a couple more things to say and I want you to hear me out. All right. Okay. It's that simple. Investigators tell Willis that he is not free to leave. And not only that, but they are searching his home and that silver mini van. They got the two search warrant. Oh, boy. Willis seems worried about what police will find. I guess what you're searching for. And what they're about to uncover would shock even the most seasoned investigator evidence of a dark, double life. It makes me shudder. I get goosebumps to think what they found. Detectives have been talking to Jeffrey Willis for hours about the alleged kidnapping of Madison night guard. And now they tell him they're also searching his home and his van.

57:45The search was a search warrant. It wasn't. I was just heading down to get the help stuff there. I could go to the search at the house and the car. Everything. Everything's going to go. Well, obviously you're looking for something. It turns out that that model of mini van had hidden compartments. And in that they find this metal toolbox that is padlocked. It's locked. And the things that were in the toolbox are discussing. We find things that you would use in a bonded situation like chains and rope. What they call a j-hug, which is something that you hang from the rafters and you kind of, you know, hook a rope or chain to. So you're kind of dangling with your arm spread. They also find some rubber gloves. There were syringes, along with the syringes were vials of insulin. So on the inside cover of this toolbox is a laminated, small laminated diagram of a human body. That's a medical diagram on where to inject someone with insulin.

58:47So it's a diagram of a human torso showing the injection points. Ultimately, he had this map, if you will, where, if I wanted a low dose, where would I inject somebody? If I wanted a high dose or something to move rapidly, where would I inject somebody in order to make that happen? Insulin for a non-insulin taking person can have some very detrimental effects. It can literally render you unconscious. It was at that point in time that light bulbs started and bells and whistles started going off of holy cats. What do we stumble upon here? Investigators also find a second box in the minivan hidden under the driver's seat. And in this one, they find a gun, a Walther P22. It's a different gun from the Bertha 380. Willis told police about during his interrogation. I own a 380, Bertha 380. You own a 80 out of your body? I do. What I also found in the secret lock box is a box of 22 caliber CCI brand ammunition.

59:50We recovered the 22 casings from Rebecca Bletch's scene. The lab was able to conclusively show that the shell casings and bullet fragments collected at the Rebecca Bletch scene were fired from the gun that was recovered from Jeff Willis's van. So Bingo, that's when they started to put everything together when it all started to add up. Now, investigators have evidence connecting Jeffery Willis to both Jessica Herringa's disappearance and Rebecca Bletch's murder. We get a search warrant, we go back to Ms. Howes. During the search of Willis' house, investigators speak to his wife. She had no idea about anything, the furious that he was involved in. There was nothing that suggested to her that there was anything creepy, weird or evil going on in Jeff's life. In the second search warrant on his house, we found a hard drive that was hidden.

1:00:50To check the duck work, inside the furnace cold air return, stuck to the wall was a portable hard drive. In his hard drive, they discovered a file folder labeled VIX, VICS. Inside that folder there were two subfolders. One containing the initials of Rebecca Bletch, the other containing the initials of Jessica Herringa. VIX, we automatically assume stand for victims. Jessica, Lynn, Herringa, and in that folder there was all these little pictures of her, things from the internet, things from the news, anything that he found he would put in that folder. The other one was RB, Rebecca Bletch. And in there was all these pictures, different pictures, and different articles of her. Why we were at his home doing the search warrant there and talking with his wife, we'd learned about the Bailey Street address, which was his grandfather's home that he had access to. And his grandfather was deceased, so he had pretty much soul access to that property.

1:01:52There was a significant amount of bleach bottles in the basement of this house. So the point where you would really question why somebody would have that many empty bleach bottles in a run down abandoned house. Jeffrey Willis is accused of the attempted abduction of a 16 year old girl last month and is under investigation in the murder of Rebecca Bletch two years ago, and the disappearance of Jessica Herringa. Willis pleaded not guilty to the attempted abduction of Madison Nygardt. As they continued to investigate and they arrested Jeffrey Willis and they found evidence after evidence after evidence. I mean, it did blow the case wide open. While Willis sits in jail, the investigation continues. Detectives talk to family and friends trying to figure out who this guy is. You're asking, who's Jeffrey Willis? Where did this guy come from? An interview in friends and relatives and all that kind of stuff. One of the names that came up was Boom.

1:02:54Well, Kevin Bloom is his cousin. They say they were like brothers. They were very close. We then went to his house, talked to him about, you know, Jeffrey Willis and how do you know him? And it was really, if anything, a fact, what we call a fact witness. Somebody that was really not of interest to us other than that. Well then, the information came out. I believe in the news that we were located the gun. Shortly after that, one of the detectives gets a phone call from Mr. Bloom. Mr. Bloom tells us that's detective. Hey, you know, I just wanted to tell you something. I had this really weird dream about handling this particular weapon. You probably touched it or you had a dream that you thought you touched it. You know exactly what happened. So, police are now wondering, is it possible their prime suspect, Jeffrey Willis, had a partner in crime? Tupac Shakur, now 30 years after he was gunned down in Vegas,

1:03:57a one-time reputed gang leader stands trial for his murder, follow every detail, streaming live daily on ABC News Live, wherever you stream, and for a burden of proof daily wherever you get your podcasts. A new podcast series from ABC Audio in 2020 goes inside a case that has captivated the nation. To many people, Luigi Mangione is a modern-day Robin Hood. People were cheering the demise of this person they'd never met. It was a father of two and a husband and had a life and was just doing a job. From the manhunt, ending in a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to what authorities are saying about a possible motive. I'm ABC News Legal Analyst, Brian Buckmeyer. Listen to Burn in a Proof, Luigi Mangione, wherever you get your podcasts. While Willis sits in jail awaiting trial, investigators wanting to learn more about his past,

1:04:57track down his cousin and close confidant, a man named Kevin Bloom. Kevin Bloom at the time that this was all happening worked for the Department of Corrections. He was a corrections officer at one of our local prisons here in town. He was talked to just as a witness that might be familiar with Jeff Willis. We then went to his house, talked to him about Jeffery Willis, and how do you know him? Well, I haven't seen him in a long time. And we didn't think much about it. It's like, okay. What's really interesting about this is that shortly after that interview, one of the detectives gets a phone call from Mr. Bloom. Mr. Bloom tells this detective, hey, you know, I just wanted to tell you something. I had this really weird dream about handling this particular weapon and Jeff being there. I think I might have touched that gun. You think you might have touched that gun? Yeah, I'm not sure if I touched it or it was in a dream,

1:06:00but I think I touched it. So I'm not sure. And she was played at Cools. She was, oh, okay, well, come over and talk to you about it. This detective had been around for a while, and the red flags just went screaming off in her head. Basically, the two detectives go, we're not buying this. Would you do a polygraph? He was interviewed for a long period of time. He had taken a polygraph. He had failed. But Kevin Bloom continues to talk to police and eventually tells them that his cousin, Jeffrey Willis, told him that he was the person who abducted and killed Jessica Herringa. I get a call at about two in the morning at home from the detectives. They said, you need to get here. He's starting to talk about Herringa and what they did with the body. I was like, this can't be happening. Do I finally have somebody talking? Let's go back to get gone and kiss first. That's the only time I've ever seen him have a kiss. He had told them that he was around Saturday night when he saw Jessica or saw a body at the grandpa's house.

1:07:09And he believes that he might have seen that she was dead and helped him move the body. If you don't do this, you'll not be able to enough hurt your family. And then I come down and helped him wrap her up and he carried her into his van. He's crying. He's emotionally upset. He's saying he didn't kill her, but he was there. And he states that he was with Jeffrey Willis when he buried her body. And that he knew where her body was buried. I felt confident. I didn't think anybody would be lying about this. So he talks about getting rid of the body and how they carried her out in a gray sheet out to the van. I opened the van and I followed him and then we went here and we put her somewhere in there.

1:08:09I felt like I finally have a witness to this. I said, well, can you bring her me to the body? He said, absolutely. I can do that. I thought, OK, finally, we're going to have really good closure all the way around. So we go out there. We brought out cadaver dogs from the state police. Everybody's got a shovel and we're looking and we're walking up and down and up and down. I just can't remember. So I went in there and I confronted him. I thought she was with me. No, I did not find her. No. I thought it was fucking I found her. I'd be bringing her home right now. That's what I'd be doing. And he stopped. He looks and he goes, I'm lying. I go, yeah, I know you're lying and I go, let's get to the truth. So he's in order. I don't have to. I don't have to follow that school sublime. So he goes, no, I'm lying about everything. I wasn't at Jeffrepp. I didn't see the body. I didn't move everything. He retracted. He just said he made it up.

1:09:12So that doesn't happen very much. It's not that common that somebody makes up a story where puts themselves directly involved in it. So he was charged with lying and then accessory after the fact news convicted of both. In those interviews he did with police, he also mentioned Rebecca Bletch. He didn't implicate himself in her murder and he was never charged in relation to the case. But it did leave Rebecca's sister Jessica wondering if maybe he knew more about what happened to her than he'd said. So I went to the jail to talk to him. Who's this? I'm Rebecca Bletch's sister. Hi. He just kept saying, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Can you tell me anything? I'm all I'm going to say is the police were wrong when they investigated me. And when they questioned me that day, they questioned me so hard. I lied. I made it up. I'm not that kind of person. I didn't know anything about it.

1:10:14I'll make it up. What were you hoping to get from him talking to him and jail? You know more than you're telling us. I don't know what I wanted. I just felt I needed to go see him and see what information he would give me. It's time for Jeffrey Willis's day in court. And at the Rebecca Bletch trial, he surprises everybody by taking the stand to testify. We're never told whether a defendant's going to testify. He was your child with this case. Well, I'm telling him to spletch. Did you have a fact in bed? Nobody does that. That's not normal. What he thought was funny. Nobody was buying that line. Jeffrey Willis has now been charged with the murders of both Jessica Herringa and Rebecca Bletch. He pleads not guilty to both. And his first trial up is the Bletch case.

1:11:17It's not just another murder and it's not just another trial. It was a big stage. There were a lot of people paying attention. The physical evidence was better in the Rebecca Bletch case. Part of the forensic examination of the handgun and athletic type gloves, we were able to find blood in various locations and that blood matched the DNA profile of Rebecca Bletch. Prosecutors made a very smart strategic decision to try Rebecca Bletch's murder case first. There they had a body and they could prove up the facts very clearly for first degree murder. They called it a stand, Kevin Bletch. At the time the defense was, I didn't do it, I being Jeff Willis, but my cousin did. We knew going into this that because Kevin had his own case going at the time, that he was not going to testify in fear of incriminating himself and so he took the fifth.

1:12:20Kevin Bloom had an alibi for the Bletch murder and was never charged in connection with that crime in any way. He was a non-player in this. He wasn't a person who was going to impact the outcome from my client one way or the other. When Willis appears in court, he looks like a different man than the one who sat in the interrogation room a year earlier. He looked different, it lost a lot of weight and now he was trimmed and fit. You may call your next witness, Mr. Johnson. Yeah, no, we call Jeff Willis to the stand. In the Bletch case we put my client on the stand. The defendant almost never takes the witness stand in a criminal case. To see Jeff Willis get up on the witness stand and try and talk his way out of a conviction is pretty astounding. The penalty for first degree murder in this state is you spend the rest of your life in prison with no possibility of getting out. We have a seat state named for the record. Jeffrey Thomas Willis. When you have that much on the line, ultimately you leave that call to him.

1:13:21Mr. Willis, you're a child for this case. I'm coming to the Spletch. Did you have a fact to do that? I did not. I did not kill him as a spletch. I wasn't even there, I was home. You have the other red blood shoes about that day in general? Well, I cut the grass that day between four and I want to say six thirty. I was cutting the grass. The problem with it is once you take the stand you got to answer questions too. And if you have a highly skilled prosecutor as they did, he's going to have some questions that you may not want to have asked. And just nobody else can verify that for you. Well, my wife, she was home. By this time Willis and his wife had divorced. Over three years have passed. His wife doesn't remember. And she doesn't remember whether he was home or not. She has no real independent memory about that particular evening. What I'm saying is if your wife has no recollection of that, he only wanted to verify that as you.

1:14:23Yeah, I guess. I remember when he got on this stand. He said when they asked him about the toolbox in his van. He chuckles, oh, it's kind of a funny story. My grandson would come over on Wednesdays. That toolbox is full of adult toys. And he laughs it off like, oh, my grandson got into there. So I put it in the van. That's how it ended in the van. Nobody does that. That's not normal. To laugh it off like he's so innocent to that jury, nobody was buying that line. Do you think he was trying to be charming? Yeah. A complete debacle on the witness stand. Not charming, not convincing, and not telling the truth. Ultimately, the jury deliberates for about 90 minutes. You have given the signal that you've arrived at the first. And they find him guilty of first degree murder in the death of Rebecca Blatch.

1:15:24With one trial finished, Willis's defense now prepares for the next, the murder of Jessica Herringa. If you read those two trials, the evidence coming in is almost identical in both cases. You try again and see if you can't figure out a different argument. That might be more effective this time. I believe you will have information that paints him as an evil person and that may be your judgment, but you will not have evidence that you feel or kidnapped is here. The victim's body is never discovered. So under those circumstances, we're able to pursue the argument that the person is not deceased. The prosecutors have some powerful evidence, and they tell jurors about those pieces of plastic and batteries from a laser site found at the Exxon station were Jessica vanished. They explain that the gun recovered from Jeffrey Willis's van was originally sold with a laser site on it. But when the gun was recovered, that laser site was missing.

1:16:27Usually you can't talk about a defendant's prior alleged bad acts to prove that he did the bad act in this case. But there are exceptions. In this case, the judge allows prosecutors to call Madison Nygarde, the 16-year-old police say Willis attempted to abduct. Not only does she help establish a pattern of behavior on Willis's part, but she is also able to link him to that silver minivan. Because she was a minor at the time, she was not shown on camera. Jeffrey Willis called up. Did you know Mr. Willis? No. The first time I had a test by a satellite pride in the pride and I was like, I do not want to do this. I don't want to. We have to do it. Where do you stand? I just don't stand yet. Where do you go? I'm not the doer and jump top. This child being traumatized. That was the bit of evidence, I think, which locked them into a course

1:17:27that we couldn't turn the ship around. In a surprise, people were different kinds of Willis. Out one, I'll be murdered. You'll be a first three person. It almost seems unreal. We're looking at a guy that's a potential serial killer that at a minimum has killed two people, was probably in line to kill a third. We never did a trial for your case, you know? The prosecutor starts to waste their time. He's already going away for life. What would you have liked to have seen happen? I think I would have just liked to have the option of things. That was kind of like a huge slap in my face. Madison had played a key role up to this point, but he'd been convicted of two separate counts of first degree murder. So he's essentially going to die in prison. Ultimately, made the decision that there wasn't a need to move forward with the criminal prosecution. At the sentencing, the victim or her family

1:18:28is allowed to look the defendant in the eye and tell him, this is what you did to my loved one. This is what you did to me. I was looking forward to him being there to hear what I had to say. But Jeffrey Willis had one last sickening surprise in store. About six weeks after Willis has found guilty of murdering Rebecca Bletch, he sentenced a standard part of any trial. But this time, it's different. Usually, at the sentencing, the victim comes in or her family. It's allowed to look the defendant in the eye and you get to tell him, this is what you did to my loved one. This is what you've done to her children. This is what you did to me. Mr. Willis knew that was coming. I get approached by his lawyer who basically says, hey, my client doesn't want to be present. Not a big approach. Your honor, it is the position of defense that we're here by the question that my client will

1:19:31allow to leave these proceedings of this junction. In my 24 years of doing this, this was the first for me. I'm desire to be relieved. Do you want to have to be here? That was a moment I had waited two years for. You know, to have my chance to look him in the eyes and talk to him and say what I wanted to say. Not only is it my time, but I was looking forward to him being there to hear what I had to say. The victim's family is sitting there and he looks over at them and he blows the kiss to them. I know. You ready to do that? Rock, go. All me three, blow a kiss. All me three, blow a kiss. You're going to blow a kiss. I'm going to pull it. I'm going to find out. When he blew the kiss in your direction, it was a shock. I couldn't believe it. I can't hate it. He got his way and got to walk out and not listen to us. It's one of the lowest points in my career. It was just a horrible thing to do.

1:20:33It was just a horrible thing to do. Shortly after the sentence, the sheriff came to me and said, hey, look, do you think there would be an issue if, when we transport Mr. Willis, that on that trip, if my guys just played the victim impact statement, the entire trip. And I said, I just didn't know she would that go for it. And he claimed that he's not a monster, but his actions be cloudless and work. They played it loud. She was amazing inside and out. She would give you love, and people wanted to be around her. And they played it farmed over and over again. He just stand up there and take it, but he heard it. You were three names, you were the reason that they figured all this out. For a long time, I know everyone would be like, you're like, you put the salt in, and I was like, I didn't want to be the one to solve it. I didn't want to go into that. I mean, it feels good that I'm the one that got away, but, I think it's a good thing to do.

1:21:33I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. It's a good thing I'm the one that got away, but I wish it didn't happen. For their part, Jessica Herringett's family didn't support Willis' prosecution and have never believed he's the person responsible for her abduction and murder. The family still, they still have their Facebook page. They still help us find Jessica. They still have not acknowledged that Jeffrey Willis had anything to do with her disappearance or her death. They're still holding out hope that she might come home. So this is a memorial that was set up for Becky after she passed. A friend of the family made the cross. So the plaque says, Becky Bletch, 1977 to 2014. And then it says sister next to it with a heart and an infinity sign on it.

1:22:35When I'm in the area, I try to stop and share a little moment with her and let her know I'm thinking of her. Let me have a forgotten her. And we should point out tonight that she's now remembered in a new Michigan law, the Rebecca Bletch law, which ensures that a defendant is present in the courtroom when a victim impacts statement is read. And asked for that silver minivan, which played such a big role in the case, a judge ruled that it could be sent to a scrapyard where it's now been destroyed. And you can find all new broadcast episodes of 2020 Friday nights at nine on ABC. On Reddit true crime doesn't come from journalists. It comes from the victims, the witnesses, and sometimes the suspects

1:23:38themselves. Every Tuesday on crimes of Reddit, we read these posts out loud. I'm Sabrina Deanna Roga and I'm Alexis Lingleter. One of us brings the story. The other goes in blind reacting in real time, just like you. New episodes dropped every Tuesday. Listen to and follow crimes of Reddit available now wherever you get your podcasts.