More than a decade after Wisconsin college student Jessie Blodgett was murdered, the case continues to resonate — and is now being revisited in a new television special.
ABC’s 20/20 will air an episode titled Her Last Note on Jan. 23, examining the July 2013 killing of the 19-year-old theater student and the investigation that led police to her former boyfriend, Daniel Bartelt. The episode will stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
Blodgett’s death shocked the small community of Hartford, Wis., and left her family and friends searching for answers. Within just over two weeks, investigators identified and arrested Bartelt — in part because he revealed a chilling detail only her killer would have known.
Who Was Jessie Blodgett?
Jessie Blodgett was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she studied theater and was deeply involved in campus productions.
On July 14, 2013, she returned home around 1 a.m. after attending a cast party for Fiddler on the Roof, in which she performed as the Fiddler. When her mother went to wake her around noon later that day, she discovered Jessie dead in her bed.
According to a police affidavit, investigators observed marks on Blodgett’s neck that suggested strangulation. No weapon was found at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed she died from strangulation.
As part of the early investigation, police reviewed Blodgett’s phone records and social media activity, which showed her excitement about the play and included photos with fellow cast members taken shortly before her death.
Who Is Daniel Bartelt?
Daniel Bartelt had known Blodgett for years. The two briefly dated early in high school and remained close friends afterward, frequently talking and spending time together.
“He was welcome in our home,” Jessie’s father, Buck Blodgett, later recalled. “They wrote songs together, sang together — he was a straight-A student.”
In a haunting turn, Bartelt comforted Jessie’s family in the immediate aftermath of her death. He hugged them, shared memories and cried with them — until he received a phone call summoning him for police questioning.
As investigators dug deeper, Bartelt’s recent behavior raised serious red flags.
Just two days before Blodgett was killed, Bartelt attacked a woman walking her dog in a nearby park. According to reports, he charged at her with a knife, but she managed to wrestle it away before he fled in his van. Bartelt later admitted to the attack and was charged with multiple felonies.
How Police Identified Bartelt as the Killer
Authorities began to focus on Bartelt after he made a critical mistake during questioning.
While speaking to investigators, Bartelt said Jessie had been “raped and murdered” — a detail that had not been released to the public. That statement immediately raised alarms.
Surveillance footage later placed Bartelt in Woodlawn Park on the day of the murder. When police searched trash cans in the park, they discovered rope, tape and bloody sanitizing wipes hidden inside a cereal box.
DNA testing confirmed the items contained both Blodgett’s and Bartelt’s DNA.
Investigators also uncovered troubling internet searches on Bartelt’s computer, including repeated queries about serial killers.
Why Did Daniel Bartelt Kill Jessie Blodgett?
Bartelt has never offered a clear motive and continues to maintain his innocence.
During court proceedings, he told Blodgett’s parents he could not explain what happened, saying that his incarceration did not make him guilty despite evidence he could not refute.
Prosecutors argued that Bartelt targeted Blodgett simply because she was accessible. Friends later told authorities that Bartelt had wanted to rekindle their relationship, but Jessie did not share those feelings.
What Was Daniel Bartelt Charged With?
Bartelt was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Blodgett’s death.
He also faced additional charges related to the park attack, including another count of first-degree intentional homicide, reckless endangerment of safety and false imprisonment.
Where Is Daniel Bartelt Now?
On Oct. 14, 2014, Bartelt was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently incarcerated at Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin and continues to assert his innocence.
At sentencing, Judge Todd Martens cited the brutality and premeditation of the crime, stating that Bartelt should never again pose a danger to the public.
In a moment that stunned the courtroom, Buck Blodgett told Bartelt that he forgave him.
“I not only forgive you — I love you,” he said, later clarifying that forgiveness was a deliberate act meant to counter the violence that took his daughter’s life.
Jessie Blodgett’s Legacy
Jessie Blodgett’s impact did not end with her death.
In 2016, her father founded the Love Is Greater Than Hate Project in her honor, continuing her advocacy against violence toward women — a cause he says Jessie cared deeply about in the final years of her life.
Her story, now revisited once again, remains a stark reminder of how trust can be weaponized — and how a single slip of the tongue can bring the truth to light.