Kriti Mehrotra
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Sex, Lies & Murder’ is an episode that examines the 2012 slaying of Jane Bashara, which left the entirety of Wayne County devastated because of the heinousness of the crime. Thankfully, though, law enforcement officials identified Jane’s husband, Bob Bashara, as a person of interest within a few days, which only got reinforced when Joseph “Joe” Gentz confessed to being an accomplice. But now that it’s been a while since the dust has settled on this matter, let’s find out more about Joe and his current whereabouts, shall we?
Who is Joseph Gentz?
Joseph “Joe” Gentz is a developmentally disabled former handyman who got to know Bob Bashara after renting out one of his properties and doing small jobs for him here and there. On January 31, 2012, less than a week after Bob’s wife of 26 years was found dead in the backseat of her SUV, Joe turned himself in and detailed how he was involved in her murder. He said that Bob paid him $8,000 and an old Cadillac to kill Jane, after which they dragged her lifeless body into her vehicle and drove to East Detroit.
In every interrogation and confession, Joe asserted that he was “forced” to commit the crime. It was only in March 2012 that the authorities took his statements seriously and arrested him for first-degree murder. In the months that followed, Bob attempted to hire someone to murder Joe for saying that he masterminded Jane’s killing but was unsuccessful. Eventually, though, Joe signed an affidavit stating that he had committed perjury under pressure from the police and that Bob was innocent. However, he later recanted it by saying, “I never read what I sign.”
Joseph Gentz is Serving His Prison Time
Joseph “Joe” Gentz, who never denied his involvement in Jane Bashara’s killing, pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder in 2013. Thus, according to the agreement, he was sentenced to 17-28 years in state prison. Joe has since called the affidavit specified above “garbage,” testifying in court that his anger towards the police and the prosecutors is what led him to sign that piece of paper.
Speaking during the proceedings that were a part of Bob’s efforts for a retrial after being convicted of first-degree murder, Joe said that he was mad at the authorities because they failed to give him the safety they had promised him in prison. Around that same time, Joe described the night of Jane’s murder in full, declaring that he was the one who strangled her once Bob pulled a gun on him following the argument he had with his wife and ordered him to “shut her up,” and “do it now.”
“I broke her neck,” Joe said. “I’ll be honest, I did do it.” The former handyman repeatedly said in court that he was “not that bright.” Having said that, today, at the age of 59, Joseph “Joe” Gentz is incarcerated at the maximum-security Muskegon Correctional Facility in Muskegon County, Michigan. As per the State Department of Corrections inmate records, Joe’s parole board jurisdiction date or earliest release date is March 2, 2029, whereas his sentence should end on March 2, 2040.
Read More: Jane Bashara’s Murder
