Jeffrey Willis charged with murder of Rebekah Bletsch

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- (WXMI) -- A kidnapping suspect is now facing open murder charges in connection to the 2014 unsolved killing of jogger Rebekah Bletsch.

The Muskegon County Prosecutor filed the charges Wednesday morning against Jeffrey Willis, who was arrested last week for attempting to abduct a 16-year-old girl in April.

Jeffrey Willis is now charged with one count of open murder and one count of felony firearms in connection to the June 2014 shooting death of Bletsch. Police said the 36-year-old mother was out jogging less than a mile from her home in rural Dalton Township when she was shot and left for dead. She had been shot in the head, none of her belongings were taken.

Willis was arraigned Wednesday afternoon. He did not have an attorney at the hearing, so the judge entered a "not guilty" plea on behalf of Willis. The judge also denied bond for Willis. Several of Bletsch's relatives watched on as the judge read the charges against Willis.

Last week, Jeffrey Willis was arrested and charged with an attempted abduction that happened in April. In the arrest, investigators found a gun that matched the size of the gun used in the Bletsch murder. Ballistics tests confirmed a match to the shell casings found at the scene where Bletsch was shot, according to court documents.