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Title : Convicted killer sobs as victim's family cheers on verdict
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Convicted killer sobs as victim's family cheers on verdict

• Jeffrey Willis, 47, was convicted for the 2014 murder of a woman 
• He cried as the victim's loved ones cheered after hearing the guilty verdict
• Jurors in the case collaborated for nearly two hours before making the final decision Thursday afternoon
• Willis was arrested in 2016 also after allegedly attempting to kidnap a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint in Muskegon County, Michigan
• The teen escaped Willis by jumping out of his moving silver minivan
• Police later arrested Willis and a search of his van and house uncovered a pistol, ammunition, a mouth gag, chains, and syringes filled with liquid
• Investigators said the gun linked him to the 2014 killing of Rebekah Bletsch
• A case is also open relating to the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, 25

By Jessa Schroeder For Dailymail.com

Published: 02:38 EDT, 3 November 2017 | Updated: 02:57 EDT, 3 November 2017

A Michigan man is facing life in prison without parole after being convicted of the 2014 murder of a jogger, after police linked the murder weapon to another kidnapping case in 2016.

Jeffrey Willis, 47, wept in court on Thursday after he was found guilty of shooting of mother-of-one, Rebekah Bletsch, who was 36 at the time she was killed while on a summer run three years ago in Muskegon County.

Jurors in the case collaborated for nearly two hours before making the final decision Thursday afternoon, following over a week of testimony.

'I've never seen pure evil, but the defendant to me is pure evil,' prosecutor D.J. Hilson told jurors during the court hearing, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Jeffrey Willis cries in court as Public Defender Fred Johnson gives his closing statements, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, at the Muskegon County Courthouse in Muskegon, Mich. Thursday

He was convicted of killing Rebekah Bletsch, who was jogging when she was shot in the head in 2014, one of two murder cases filed against him in western Michigan

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson watches as members of Rebekah Bletsch's family hug after Jeffrey Willis was found guilty

Hilson talks to Rebekah Bletsch's family as Jeffrey Willis enters the courtroom during his murder trial

'Not only does he have the willingness to lie, but he has no problem killing people.' 

Bletsch's heartbroken yet relieved father, Nick Winberg, said his family is 'pleased (they can now) heal up somewhat and move on.'

While the victim's relative, Tim Donkin, said in a statement: 'He's going to wake up every day in a place that he'll be reminded about what he's done, so I have nothing to say to him.' 

Officers said previously that ballistics from a handgun recovered from Willis's minivan matched those used to kill Bletsch - as did shell casings found at the scene of her murder.

Jeffrey Willis, 46, (left) was also arrested back in 2016 month over claims he tried to kidnap a 16-year-old girl, but is now convicted of the murder of mother Rebekah Bletsch, 36 (right)

Police say ballistics taken from Bletsch's murder scene match a pistol found inside Willis's minivan (center), where officers also discovered a mouth gag, chains, and syringes full of liquid

Willis had long been a suspect in Bletsch's slaying, but officers had never acquired enough evidence to arrest or charge him before now.

Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said after his arrest: 'Today is still a sad day for many people, but is a happy day for law enforcement.'

Bletsch's father, added: 'It's been a rough couple of years, but we've had our faith and trust in law enforcement and they haven't' let us down.'

Willis will receive his sentence come December. 

The convicted killer, who was a factory worker at the time, was also arrested in 2016 over claims he tried to abduct a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint.

A case is currently open on the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, 25, who vanished from the Exxon Mobil gas station where she worked in 2013.

A silver minivan similar to Willis's was spotted on surveillance cameras near the gas station, and police believe it may have been used to kidnap Heeringa, who was never seen again.

Detectives are also probing whether Willis is responsible for the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, 25, who vanished from her workplace at a Exxon Mobil gas station

Aside from the murder of Bletsch, two other cases are currently still open involving Willis

Prosecutor DJ Hilson (left) praised the work of detectives, saying many people are still grieving over Bletsch's death but added after the killer's arrest that it was a happy time for law enforcement

The evidence against Willis only came to light after he was arrested for the alleged kidnapping of the teen girl.

The girl told officers she was lost along a rural road on April 16, 2016 when Willis pulled over and offered her the use of his cell phone.

After climbing inside his minivan, a 2006 Dodge Caravan, the girl said he pointed a gun at her and locked the doors before driving away.

However, she said she managed to unlock the door and jumped from the moving vehicle before alerting authorities.

Eventually investigators landed on Willis, who was arrested at the time as detectives carried out a search on his home and vehicle.

Relatives of Bletsch, including sister Nicole Winberg (center) break down on May 25, 2016, as they are told of the new charges against Willis

Inside his van, police say they found a semiautomatic pistol, ammunition, syringes with liquid, a ball gag, chains, 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 added.

When asked whether Willis was being looked at in other cases, Hilson said investigators had been 'keeping lines open.' 

Bletsch was shot multiple times in the head while out jogging in 2014 in an apparently random attack

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