Episode Details

The episode details the tragic 2013 murder of Jessie Blodgett, a 19-year-old college student and musician from Hartford, Wisconsin. It recounts how her death, caused by strangulation in her own home, deeply impacted her community and led to a complex investigation. The source also describes how the Investigation Discovery true-crime series, "A Killer Among Friends," specifically the episode titled "Your Smiles and Your Lies," explores this case. This particular episode highlights the betrayal felt by Jessie's loved ones when her former high school classmate and friend, Daniel Bartelt, was identified and convicted as her killer, despite initially maintaining his innocence. The text emphasizes Jessie's vibrant life, the profound grief her family experienced, and her father's subsequent establishment of The Love > Hate Project, a nonprofit aimed at preventing interpersonal violence.