Last year, Jeffrey Willis was found guilty of murdering a Michigan woman in June 2014. Now, he’s facing another another murder charge for the 2013 death of Jessica Heeringa.
Investigators were led to Willis after the alleged kidnapping of a teenage girl in 2016. The girl claimed she escaped from Willis’ van after he tried to abduct her. She told authorities that she was walking home from a party, when Willis offered to let her use his cell phone if she got in. She said that once she got in, he drove off and didn’t let her use the phone. She then dove out of the moving vehicle, ran away, and reported the alleged incident. Willis will stand trial for the alleged kidnapping after the trial for Heeringa’s alleged murder.
When officers searched Willis’ van, they found a weapon that they linked to the 2014 murder of Rebekah Bletsch, and the van itself was then connected to Heeringa’s disappearance. The van was believed to have been spotted outside the gas station where Heeringa had worked on the day she vanished. Investigators also searched Willis’ computer, and said they found a folder labeled “VICS,” which they believe stood for “victims.” They also said they found files labeled with Bletsch’s initials and others related to Heeringa.
During Willis’ trial for Bletsch’s murder, Willis denied wrongdoing, but he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
[Image via screengrab]
