Kriti Mehrotra
When 25-year-old machinist Justin Hilbert was found dead on June 21, 2016, in the middle of nowhere near Lake Mathews in Riverside County, California, it left everyone shaken to their core. That’s because there was not a single piece of concrete recoverable evidence at this scene despite him having been beaten, stabbed, and shot, as the crime actually occurred elsewhere. However, as explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Wrong Turns,’ even though there was a lead in the form of Jared Bischoff, Justin’s murder unfortunately remains unsolved to this day.
Jared Bischoff Allegedly Had a History of Violence
While not many details regarding Jared’s early years or relationships are publicly available, we do know he was a once-divorced, well-established Navy Officer by the time 2016 rolled around. This Riverside native was fortunately stationed relatively close to home at Naval Base San Diego, so he unabashedly stayed with his parents whenever not on active duty following his divorce. He had actually been married to Tonya Marie Reppe at one point in time, only for her to leave him for good owing to the fact he was “getting progressively more violent” and abusive towards her behind closed doors.
Tonya has never really elaborated much on her past union with Jared, yet she has conceded that red flags went off in her mind once her fiancé was found killed and officials started asking questions about her ex. That’s especially because she still vividly remembers his then-new girlfriend, 23-year-old Bailey Sharp, had sent both her and Justin Facebook friend requests just shortly before the fateful day. As if that’s not enough, Bailey had reportedly even started conversations with the latter on Snapchat, which upset them as they just wanted to focus on their own lives with their 6-month-old son.
Jared Bischoff Was Arrested For Another Murder Within Weeks of Justin’s Murder
It was after 5:15 pm on July 12, 2016, that local officers responded to a call of domestic violence near Calmhill Drive and California Avenue, only to find Bailey lying in a pool of her own blood. Jared had stabbed his girlfriend several times before fleeing the scene, just to be arrested a day later after leading police on an hours-long car chase all the way from San Diego to Riverside. That’s when he was formally charged with attempted kidnapping, evading arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and murder, as Bailey succumbed to her injuries in the hospital not long after the incident.
Jared subsequently pled not guilty and was held without bond, enabling detectives to access his phone records before also executing a search warrant on his parents’ home without any nuisance. By July 12, they had recovered 22 knives as well as several shotgun shells, along with text messages between him and Bailey suggesting their relationship was far from sunshine and roses. The conversation between them on the day of Justin’s murder actually had her “talking about selling drugs and taking risks for him because he was having financial” issues after his divorce.
In fact, according to court records, Bailey had gone as far as to text Jared on that fateful June 21 day that he “had no idea what she had just done for him.” However, owing to no concrete evidence directly linking either him or Bailey to Justin’s untimely death at the time, he wasn’t arrested. The 25-year-old was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for the murder of his 23-year-old girlfriend, with officials later stating he might not be connected to Justin’s case. However, this later changed as evidence indicated Jared, Bailey, and a friend, Danny Serrano, had actually targeted him over the former’s jealousy that his estranged wife had moved on to be with him. And since his divorce from Tonya was not yet finalized, he had a $100,000 life insurance policy on her – they planned on killing her new family in its entirety before distributing the money amongst themselves. He was thus later charged in this case too.
Jared Bischoff is Behind Bars For Good
It allegedly took some time for justice to be served owing to the different aspects of every legal proceeding and the particular complexities of these harrowing cases, but it was served. Jared actually chose to stand trial for the accusation of stabbing his girlfriend over 20 times until she bled to death, but the district attorney still decided not to seek the death penalty. It has been alleged she had been distancing herself from him over fear for her safety, which is when he lost control and decided to hurt her. As for his involvement in Justin’s case, he stood trial and was convicted on the charges of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy earlier this year. Therefore, in June 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. So, the 34-year-old is now incarcerated at the maximum-security High Desert State Prison in Susanville, California, where he will likely remain for the rest of his natural days.
Read More: Tonya Bischoff: Where is Justin Hilbert’s Fiancée Now?
