Who Killed Jessie Blodgett? What to Know About Daniel Bartelt and Where He Is Now
Investigation Discovery's A Killer Among Friends recounts the true story of Jessie Blodgett's murder at the hands of Daniel Bartelt
The 19-year-old theater student was found strangled in her bed in July 2013
Bartelt was arrested for Blodgett's death, and he was sentenced in August 2014Jessie Blodgett was an actress and musician whose life was cut short by Daniel Bartelt.
A recent episode of Investigation Discovery's true crime series A Killer Among Friends recounted the 2013 murder of the 19-year-old Wisconsin theater student by her friend and former boyfriend, Bartelt.
The incident stunned the town of Hartford, Wis., as Blodgett's friends and family tried to solve who killed her and why.
"Prior to Jessie Blodgett's murder, we hadn't had a homicide in almost 30 years," Lt. James Zywicki, Hartford police investigator, said on A Killer Among Friends.
The authorities were immediately on the case, and following a 16-day investigation, Bartelt was arrested and charged with the murder of his friend.
Here's everything to know about Jessie Blodgett's murder, Daniel Bartelt's conviction and where he is now.
Who was Jessie Blodgett?
Blodgett was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she was studying theater.
On July 14, 2013, Blodgett came home later from a cast party after a performance of Fiddler on the Roof, where she was playing the Fiddler. According to a police affidavit obtained by ABC News, Blodgett returned at 1 a.m., and her mom discovered her lifeless body in Blodgett's bed around 12 p.m. the next day.
Investigators stated that there were signs of strangulation on her neck, but couldn't find a weapon in her room. Shortly after, the police got a search warrant to look through the teenager's phone records and Facebook account, on which she wrote about her play and posted a photo of herself with the rest of the cast.
An autopsy later confirmed that Blodgett's cause of death was strangulation, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Who is Daniel Bartelt?
Blodgett and Bartelt knew each other for several years, and according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, they had previously dated early on in high school. The former couple stayed friends and spoke regularly.
"Jessie and Dan sit together at school; he was a straight-A student ... they would write songs together and sing together. He was welcome in our home," Jessie's father, Buck Blodgett, said in A Killer Among Friends.
In a twist, after Blodgett was found dead in her bed, Bartelt showed his support to his family.
"He was just over, the day after Jessie's murder, sharing hugs and memories and tears with us until his phone rang and he was called in for questioning," Buck explained.
While there were unanswered questions about the tragedy, police were piecing together clues and instances related to Bartelt's activity outside of Blodgett's home.
Days before her murder, he had attacked a woman in a nearby park on July 12. While the victim was out walking with her dog, Bartelt charged at her with a knife. She was able to wrestle the weapon away from Bartelt, and he drove off in his van.
WISN 12 News reported that Bartelt was later questioned on July 16, and he admitted to attacking the woman. He was charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor.
How did the police catch Daniel Bartelt?
Authorities zeroed in on Bartelt as a suspect in Blodgett's killing when he mentioned an element of the crime that had not yet been made public.
While being questioned by the police, Bartelt said someone had "raped and murdered" Jessie, but the rape detail was not known to those outside of the investigation, according to A Killer Among Friends.
Police were able to obtain video footage of Bartelt walking through Woodlawn Park on the day of Blodgett's murder. They then searched the park's trash cans and found ropes, bloody sanitizing wipes and tape inside a discarded cereal box.
Once tested, it was later confirmed that the evidence contained Blodgett and Bartelt's DNA.
Per Oxygen.com, investigators also found "disturbing online search history" on Bartelt's computer, "including multiple queries about serial killers."
Why did Daniel Bartelt kill Jessie Blodgett?
Bartelt did not give an answer for why he killed Blodgett, and maintains his innocence.
"I can't give you the reasons you are looking for. There's no hiding from yourself in a tiny, concrete cell," Bartelt told Blodgett's parents, per Milwaukee's Fox 6. "This jumpsuit that I'm wearing, these shackles don't make me guilty. I know there's evidence that I can't refute that would make you believe that I am guilty."
Still, prosecutors stated during the trial that Bartelt likely targeted Blodgett because it was "convenient," according to Oxygen.com.
ABC News reported that Blodgett's friends said Bartelt had tried to get back together with her, but she didn't feel the same way.
What was Daniel Bartelt charged with?
Bartelt was charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide for Blodgett's death, per Milwaukee's Fox 6.
He also faced a second count of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of false imprisonment for the alleged attack against the woman with her dog.
Where is Daniel Bartelt now?
Bartelt was found guilty on Oct. 14, 2014, and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He's currently imprisoned in the Wisconsin Waupun Correctional Institution and maintains he is innocent.
"I find that the gravity of this offense, the premeditation, the brutality, is so overwhelming I think the Blodgetts are entitled to know that even after they're gone, there's no chance the defendant will ever walk the streets again and endanger someone else," judge Todd Martens said at the sentencing, per WISN 12 News.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Buck also told Bartelt he forgave him. "I not only forgive you, I love you," he said.
"I didn't mean it like I like him, like I want to hang out and watch Packer games," Buck later explained. "But like a willful act of what I want to bring to this world, which is the opposite of what he brought in and took out of this world."
Blodgett's legacy has lived on in the years since her death. In 2016, her father founded the Love Is Greater Than Hate Project in her honor.
Buck said his daughter's "last big cause in life was male violence against women. She was just fiercely outspoken about that for a year or two before her death."
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