Kriti Mehrotra
On July 15, 2013, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee student Jessie Blodgett was found dead in her own home, leaving the entire community utterly shaken. The 19-year-old theater major was an activist and a musician, as chronicled in ABC’s ’20/20: Her Last Note,’ so no one could have ever imagined anyone wanting to harm her. The investigations took a while, but authorities were ultimately able to bring her case to a satisfactory close with the arrest, conviction, and sentencing of her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Bartelt.
Daniel Bartelt and Jessie Blodgett Once Shared a Close Connection
A native of Hartford, Wisconsin, Daniel Bartelt first met Jessie Blodgett during their school years, since they were not only in the same grade but also shared many similar interests. In fact, according to records, they even dated for a brief while early in high school before parting ways romantically when she realized that they were better off as just close friends. It appeared as if the decision was respected because they were able to maintain a connection without any issues, including continuing to spend time together and staying in touch via texts.
As per Jessie’s father in ID’s ‘A Killer Among Friends,’ she and Daniel would often even “sit together at school… write songs together and sing together. He was welcome in our home.” What’s more is that the straight-A student was over at the Blodgett household the day after the homicide, too, “sharing hugs and memories and tears with” the family while offering words of comfort. He remained there right until his phone rang with investigators calling him in for questioning, which did not seem strange at the time, owing to the bond he had with the young victim.
Daniel Bartelt Was Arrested in Connection With Two Separate Crimes
When Daniel arrived at the police station, he was interrogated on more than just Jessie’s murder, as he matched the description of a suspect in an unrelated knife attack on a young woman a few days prior. It was on July 12, 2013, when the latter was jumped in the nearby Richfield park while walking her dog by an unknown man brandishing a knife, but she managed to defend herself. According to her account to the police, she was tackled to the ground by a young male with shaggy blonde hair and glasses, yet she somehow managed to grab the weapon from him.
The young woman was seriously injured in the process, leading to an extensive search for her attacker, which led officials right to Daniel a day after Jessie’s homicide on July 15, 2013. The then 19-year-old reportedly confessed to the assault around half an hour into questioning, claiming it was a very spur-of-the-moment action and that he only meant to scare her. This drove detectives to look deeper into him in regard to Jessie’s case, even though he maintained his innocence in the matter, because it indicated to them that he was capable of violence.
Their suspicions only grew when Daniel asserted all he knew was that his ex-girlfriend had been “raped and murdered,” as the fact that she had been sexually assaulted had not been made public. Then, by retracing his steps from the fateful day, they found a mountain of evidence in a trash can in Woodlawn Park that undoubtedly connected him to Jessie’s strangulation murder. These included a cereal box full of rope as well as sanitizing wipes and tape that were not only bloody but covered in both his and the victim’s DNA. He was thus arrested on July 17.
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Daniel Bartelt is Currently Serving Life in Prison
While Daniel was charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor in connection with the knife attack on July 12, he was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for Jessie’s murder. He stood trial for the latter in the summer of 2014, during which the evidence presented against him also included his online search history, like “multiple queries about serial killers.” In the end, after less than three hours of deliberations, the jury found him guilty as charged, of first-degree intentional homicide, for which he was sentenced to life in prison in October. During his sentencing hearing, Daniel maintained his innocence, stating, “I pray for all of you, and I hope that I believe that someday I will be before a court that will know that my conscience is clear. I love you, and I am so sorry for your loss.”
He added, “I can’t give you the reasons you are looking for. There’s no hiding from yourself in a tiny, concrete cell. 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.” As for the attack on the young woman, Daniel was ultimately convicted of first-degree reckless endangerment and sentenced to 5 years, to be served consecutively with his life term. Therefore, today, at the age of 31, he remains incarcerated at the maximum-security Waupun Correctional Institution, where he is expected to remain for the rest of his natural life.
