Who murdered Jessie Blodgett and why?

Daniel Bartelt murdered Jessie Blodgett. While Bartelt maintains his innocence and has not provided a reason, prosecutors suggested he targeted her because it was convenient, and friends indicated Blodgett had rejected his attempts to reconcile.

How was Daniel Bartelt caught for Jessie Blodgett's murder?

Authorities caught Daniel Bartelt when he mentioned the "rape and murder" of Jessie, a detail not yet released to the public. Evidence found in a local park, including DNA, also linked him to the crime.

What is Daniel Bartelt's current sentence?

Daniel Bartelt was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the murder of Jessie Blodgett.

Home / Crime and Justice / He Said 'Raped and Murdered': The Fatal Slip That Caught a Killer

He Said 'Raped and Murdered': The Fatal Slip That Caught a Killer

24 Jan

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Summary

Bartelt admitted details not released to the public.
Evidence found in park trash linked Bartelt to the crime.
He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

He Said 'Raped and Murdered': The Fatal Slip That Caught a Killer

More than a decade after Jessie Blodgett, a 19-year-old theater student, was murdered, the case is being revisited. Blodgett was found dead in her bed on July 15, 2013, with signs of strangulation. Investigators quickly focused on her friend and former boyfriend, Daniel Bartelt.

Bartelt's involvement became clear when he mentioned that Blodgett had been "raped and murdered," a detail not yet public. A subsequent search of a nearby park uncovered ropes, bloody wipes, and tape containing both Blodgett's and Bartelt's DNA.

Bartelt was also linked to an unrelated knife attack days before Blodgett's murder. In October 2014, he was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and received a life sentence without parole. He currently resides at the Wisconsin Waupun Correctional Institution, still professing his innocence.