What happened to Jessie Blodgett, and who was charged for her murder? All you need to know

What happened to Jessie Blodgett, and who was charged for her murder? All you need to know

The demise of Jessie Blodgett caught America by surprise. Jessie was a young lady who was murdered in her bed after a pool party. Investigations into the incident revealed unexpected details. Find out what happened to the teen and who was charged for her murder.

Jessie Blodgett is smiling for a picture and Daniel Bartelt during a court hearing
Jessie Blodgett is smiling for a picture and Daniel Bartelt during a court hearing. Photo: @morbidology, Mark Hoffman (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Jessie Blodgett was a young and gifted musician who was molested and murdered by her close friend. The pair had schooled together, and her male friend had developed feelings for her during class. Find out what happened and who the said friend is.

Profile summary

Full nameJessie Marietta Blodgett
GenderFemale
Date of birth22 March 1994
Date of death15 July 2013
Age at death19 years
Place of birthAtlanta, Georgia, United States of America
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityWhite
Zodiac signAries
ReligionChristianity
SexualityStraight
Hair colourBlonde
FatherBuck Blodgett
MotherJoy Blodgett
Siblings2
Alma materHartford Union High School
ProfessionUpcoming musician and actress

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Jessie Blodgett: facts about her life and gruesome murder

Jessie Blodgett was a young woman whose focus was building a career in music. She had graduated high school and just joined an institution of higher learning to actualise her dream before she was brutally murdered.

Her grave lies at Granby Centre Cemetery. Here are all the facts about her life and the events that led to her death.

1. She was 19 years old when she died

Jessie Marietta Blodgett was born on 22 March 1994 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, to Buck and Joy Blodgett. She was the eldest of three siblings.

Her parents relocated to Hartford, Wisconsin, United States of America, where they raised Jessie Blodgett's siblings and herself.

Jessie Blodgett was murdered on 15 July 2013 at 19. The young musician had returned home late into the night after her movie's premiere celebration, only to be discovered dead the following day in her bed.

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Top-5 facts about Jessie Blodgett
Top-5 facts about Jessie Blodgett. Photo: @morbidology (modified by author)
Source: Original

2. She was an upcoming musician

Growing up, Jessie showed a keen interest in music. Her music education programme began in Hartford, Wisconsin. Later, she started her own business, in which she taught young people the piano, voice, and violin. She gained 26 students in just two months.

She had long-term plans to impact people and change the world, especially young people. She hoped to direct a high school or university choir for 40 years and to touch 100 young lives each year through music. Jessie Blodgett's parents supported her ambitions.

3. She was murdered in her bed

Jessie was found strangled to death in her bed in 2013. She had been a member of the local youth theatre in Hartford, Wisconsin.

She was working on the production of Fiddler On The Roof and had gone to celebrate the film's premiere at her friend's house. Acknowledging that Jessie would return late into the night, her mother peeped into her room right before heading for work in the morning.

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4. Joy Blodgett discovered Jessie's unconscious body

Joy Blodgett, Jessie's mom, went to work and returned in the afternoon the following day after her death. She found her daughter still in bed and was disturbed because she expected her to be awake.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed her neck bore visible neck bruises. She attempted CPR, which was unsuccessful. She made frantic 911 calls because her daughter was not responding to the first aid.

The house was not ransacked. Jessie was pronounced dead shortly after the paramedics arrived. Detectives discovered that her body had been washed, puzzling everyone at the scene. The criminal responsible must have had plenty of time in the house.

5. Daniel Bartelt was her killer

Daniel Bartelt was close to Jessie. The two first met in high school and had sat next to each other for years, and Daniel fell in love with her. It shocked people that he killed her.

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Jessie Blodgett's parents knew their daughter was in a romantic relationship with their daughter. They welcomed him into their house and did not suspect him of the murder.

Jessie Blodgett and Daniel had dated in the past but Daniel ended their relationship. They remained friends. Daniel dropped out of college and returned home, so they spent more time together and had even recently composed music together. Daniel was a talented violinist.

The police summoned Bartelt after Jessie Blodgett's death because they were close. He told them his intention was only to scare her. The detectives called him in for further questioning and discovered he was the primary suspect.

6. Daniel Bartelt had previously attacked a woman at Woodlawn Park

As the police examined the Jessie Blodgett and Daniel case, they discovered that Daniel had a record. He had been reported earlier for violent conduct on a woman named Melissa Etzler. At the time of Jessie's murder, police were investigating Melissa's attack.

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He had allegedly attacked a woman with a fish fillet knife as she took a stroll in the park with her dog. He knocked her onto the ground and got on top of her. Melissa got hold of the knife.

She managed to fend off the attack, albeit with cuts on her hands. The police analysed the victim's statement. Police officers identified the attacker's description and vehicle, a blue Dodge Caravan, as Daniel Bartelt's.

7. Daniel was named the primary suspect after the Woodlawn Park incident

After questioning Daniel and failing to provide an alibi, detectives began to narrow him as their primary suspect. During a search at Woodlawn Park, detectives uncovered a cereal box in the trash.

The box was stashed with a ball gag, ligatures, and alcohol wipes. The items in the trash also included a rope which was linked to another rope discovered in Daniel's garage during a raid.

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8. Daniel Bartelt was convicted after his fingerprints matched those at the scene

Investigators unearthed that the rope they found in the trash matched the ligature marks on Jessie's neck perfectly. Tape investigators discovered the vents in Bartelt's home matched tape he found after Melissa Etzler's assault.

A full week after Blodgett's murder, investigators discovered the same tape under her bed. Daniel's fingerprints matched those found on the tape. This information proved that he was the killer. Therefore, he was arrested and convicted of murder.

9. DNA sample tied Jessie Blodgett's death to Daniel Bartelt

More incriminating evidence was found in Bartelt's laptop. It included adult and serial killer content. The evidence revealed that Daniel had fantasised about executing his lover and had a video depicting the same.

Daniel plotted to kill his then-lover on the night of Jessie Blodgett's movie premiere. Investigators then analysed DNA samples from Bartlett's house and those at the crime scene and found the samples to be an exact match.

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10. Jessie Blodgett's autopsy report

According to preliminary autopsy findings, the cause of death was ligature strangulation. Jessie had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death in her own bedroom.

There was no sign of any forced entry into the house. Police retraced her movements from the night before.

They knew her movie premiered that Sunday and she attended the cast party thereafter. They found her journal in her bedroom and discovered that there were two men who made her feel uncomfortable that night.

One of the men at the cast party pulled Jessie onto his lap. When police spoke to him, he was cooperative, so they cleared him quickly.

11. Daniel Bartelt was sentenced to life in prison

Daniel Bartelt faced four felony charges. He was charged with one attempted first-degree intentional homicide and one first-degree reckless endangerment.

He was also charged with attempted false imprisonment for the attack on Melissa and first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Jessie.

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On 14 October 2013, a Washington County judge found Bartelt guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

What happened to Jessie Blodgett?

Jessie Blodgett was murdered by her friend and former lover, Daniel Bartelt.

Who murdered Jessie Blodgett?

Daniel Bartelt murdered Jessie. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

How old was Jessie Blodgett when she died?

Jessie was only 19 when she died. She was murdered on 15 July 2013.

The murder of Jessie Blodgett murder was untimely and tragic. Her friend and former lover, Daniel Bartelt, was convicted for her murder.

Yen.com.gh recently published details of Cameron Herrin's car accident. Herrin is a convicted felon and a high-speed racer from the United States. He hit the headlines in 2018 after crashing in a street race on Bayshore Boulevard in Florida.

The accident took the lives of a mother and her infant. Cameron was the driver of the automobile that killed them.

Source: YEN.com.gh

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Julian Mireri (SEO editor) Julian is a content creator who has been working with Yen since 2018. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Project Planning and Management in the year 2013. Think of her as a content whisperer and a gifted storyteller who never disappoints when it comes to finding the right words for her pieces. Email: julianmireri@gmail.com

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Cyprine Apindi (Lifestyle writer) Cyprine Apindi is a content creator and educator with over six years of experience. She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kenyatta University. Cyprine joined Briefly.co.za in mid-2021, covering multiple topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She received the 2023 Writer of the Year Award. In 2024, she completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: cyprineapindi@gmail.com