Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘The Man with Two Faces’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Married With Secrets’ chronicles the double life of a well-respected police officer named Jeffrey “Jeff” Pelo, who led a seemingly picture-perfect life with his family in Bloomington, Illinois. When his horrific crimes against multiple women came to light, the entire community and the Bloomington Police Department were shocked to their core. Soon, as evidence against the police veteran piled up, his spotless reputation unraveled. Featuring interviews with the survivors’ loved ones and his colleagues, the documentary provides a detailed account of his crimes and how he was brought to justice.
Jeffrey “Jeff” Pelo Was Caught Sneaking Around His Fifth Stalking Victim’s House
Born on October 29, 1964, Jeffrey “Jeff” S. Pelo seemed to be a law-abiding police officer with the Bloomington Police Department, a devoted husband to Rickielee, and a father of three, on the outside. However, he led a double life that unraveled in the summer of 2006 after being involved in the rapes of multiple women between 2002 and 2005. According to investigative reports, he committed the crimes on December 18, 2002; April 4, 2003; January 4, 2005; and January 26, 2005. Jeff reportedly stalked each woman before breaking into their house, where he bound them and raped them. As a veteran police officer, he did all he could to cover his tracks. It is alleged that he also threatened the family of one of his survivors, claiming that he would harm them if she resisted.
By December 2005, the FBI got involved and asked the public for help in catching the perpetrator responsible for the rapes in the Bloomington area. On the night of June 10, a woman, who believed that she was being stalked for several weeks, called the police after her dog began barking and reported an attempted break-in. When the officer arrived at the scene, he found Jeff Pelo lurking outside the caller’s house. According to reports, Jeff tried to walk away from the scene before he complied with the officer’s order to stop. In his defense, Jeff claimed that he was looking for a house to buy for his mother-in-law in the neighborhood. Although he was allowed to leave, the police went down to his house the following day, on June 11, and arrested him on suspicion of attempted residential burglary.
Within a month of his arrest, Jeff was identified as their attacker from a photo lineup by three rape survivors. Two of them also recognized him by his voice. The detectives also found suspicious items in his home, including a pry bar, rope, and a ski mask, which were allegedly used by him in at least one of his attacks. They also discovered pornographic images of bondage and rape on his home computer. Thus, on July 14, 2006, he was charged with raping four women, aggravated stalking, attempted residential burglary, and two counts of home invasion. His bail was set at $2 million.
Jeffrey “Jeff” Pelo is Currently Incarcerated at an Illinois Prison
In May 2008, Jeffrey “Jeff” Pelo faced a total of 37 counts, including aggravated criminal sexual assault and home invasion, and he pleaded not guilty to all of them. His defense counsel argued that the authorities had made a mistake and had held the wrong man behind bars, as their evidence was based on uncertain identifications from survivors who saw a male figure in a ski mask. During his trial in June 2008, the prosecution showed the jury critical pieces of evidence found in Jeff’s house and portrayed him as a man obsessed with violent pornography. They said that the defendant had used his home computer to research his rape survivors before carrying out the attacks. On the other hand, the defense argued that the prosecution lacked any physical evidence that directly linked Jeff to the crimes.
Ultimately, on June 18, the jury deliberated over the course of three days and found Jeff guilty of raping four women and stalking a fifth woman. He was convicted on 35 counts, including 25 counts of aggravated sexual assault. The following month, the defense filed a motion requesting a retrial, but the judge denied it. Finally, on August 12, 2008, Jeffrey “Jeff” Pelo was sentenced to 440 years in prison for his gruesome crimes. A few years later, in May 2011, his 440-year prison sentence was reduced to 375 years after the court ruled that penalties added onto sexual assault counts were unconstitutional and his sentence should be recalculated. As of today, the 61-year-old serial rapist is serving his sentence at Lawrence Correctional Center in Sumner, Illinois.
Read More: Robert “Bob” Walden: Where the Serial Rapist Now?
