A Michigan man who was previously convicted and sentenced for murdering a jogger is now being tried for the kidnapping and killing a western Michigan gas station clerk, whose body was never recovered.
In his opening statements on Tuesday, Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson told the jury defendant Jeffrey Willis had in his possession hundreds of videos of women being abducted, raped and killed, as well as computer files labeled ‘RB’ and ‘JH’ containing information about the cases of Rebekah Bletsch and Jessica Heeringa, reported WOOD-TV.
Willis, 47, was convicted in November 2017 of fatally shooting the 36-year-old Bletsch while she was jogging in Muskegon County in 2014. He is serving a life sentence in her death.
Back on trial: Jeffrey Willis, 47, is pictured in court on Tuesday on the first day of his trial in the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa
Willis (left) is accused of abducting the 25-year-old gas station clerk (right) from work in 2013. Her body was never found
‘Darl and evil side’: A prosecutor said in his opening statements that police found Willis (right) to have been in possession of hundreds of videos of women being abducted, raped and killed
The 25-year-old Heeringa vanished without a trace from the Exxon Mobil gas station in Norton Shores where she worked in 2013.
‘You’re going to see the deep, dark and evil side of Jeffrey Willis,’ Hilson warned jurors.
Defense attorney Fred Johnson countered during his opening statement that there’s no evidence Willis killed or kidnapped Heeringa, a single mother the public defender described as ‘living a tumultuous life’ involving affairs and heroin use.
‘You’ll hear about pornography my client collected – [what] type it is, how disgusting it is,’ Johnson said. ‘What you won’t hear is no one has ever seen him alone with Miss Heeringa, no one has ever seen him assault Miss Heeringa. … You don’t have the evidence you need to convict my client.’
Following this trial, Willis is expected to stand trial in the 2016 kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl who escaped his van, ran for help from a nearby resident and went to police, leading to his arrest.
The teen testified Tuesday as well as at the previous trial. She said she was leaving a house party by foot on April 16, 2016, and a man she later identified as Willis pulled up in his van. She said she asked to use his phone and he said to get in the vehicle.
Life in turmoil: Willis’s lawyer described Heeringa as a single mother ‘living a tumultuous life’ involving affairs and heroin use
The public defender argued that the prosecution has no evidence required to convict Willis (pictured left in court on Tuesday) of killing Heeringa (right)
Willis was convicted in November 2017 of fatally shooting the 36-year-old Bletsch (pictured) while she was jogging in 2014
Willis was sentenced in December 2017 to a mandatory life in prison in the Bletsch slaying
After doing so, she testified that Willis told her his phone battery was dead and she asked to get out. She says he pulled out a gun, so she unlocked the door and jumped out.
‘[I had to] run for my life. I thought he was going to hurt me,’ she said, adding that he got out of the van and aimed the gun at her.
‘I asked him to please don’t shoot me,’ she said.
After Willis’ arrest, police searched his van and found a semiautomatic pistol, ammunition, syringes with Insulin, Viagra pills, a ball gag, chains, sex toys, a mask and a bar with wrist restraints. Investigators said the gun linked him to the murder of Bletsch.
A search of his home unearthed child pornography and videos of women being restrained, investigators said earlier. Police also discovered a computer file titled ‘VICS’ with Bletsch’s initials and her date of death.
Willis denied any wrongdoing doing his earlier trial.