MUSKEGON, Mich. — "Jeffrey Willis did do it," his cousin, Kevin Bluhm, told police when being interviewed about the disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, according to a court document obtained by FOX 17.
A transcript from a June 21 probable cause warrant of Kevin Bluhm, which led to lying charges against him, shows he told investigators he was "scared from it and that he was forced to ... help Jeffrey Willis take care of Ms. Heeringa," Norton Shores Lt. Michael Kasher testified under oath to a Muskegon County magistrate.
Kasher said when he interviewed Bluhm he stated, "that Jeffrey Willis did do it."
The transcript does not provide any further detail.
However, in an initial interview the day after Willis' arrest in May, Bluhm told investigators he "knew nothing" of Heeringa's disappearance or Willis' involvement, according to the probable cause warrant.
It was during a second interview with police several weeks later Bluhm said he helped "take care of" Heeringa with Willis. But then, Bluhm later said he lied about everything, Kasher told a magistrate.
Sources told FOX 17 they cannot say for sure which part Willis is lying about, but that he's clearly changed his story multiple times while under oath. His motivations for lying remain unclear.
Willis has not been charged in connection to the disappearance of Heeringa, but remains a "person of interest" in the case.
Bluhm, 47, is charged with obstruction for allegedly lyingto police about his knowledge of Willis' involvement in the abduction of Jessica Heeringa in April of 2013. Heeringa, then 25, vanished from an Exxon Station in Norton Shores where she was working the late shift, alone.
Bluhm isalso charged for lying during a police interview connected to the 2014 killing of Rebekah Bletsch. Bluhm, a sergeant at West Shoreline Correctional Facility in Muskegon, was suspended without pay June 17.
Bluhm's father, Tom Bluhm, previously told FOX 17 he believed his son is lying to protect his cousin.
"They were friends and hung around with each other and played poker," he told FOX 17 on June 21. "I just wish he would tell them the truth. He didn’t do anything except try and protect Jeff, possibly."
Willis faces murder charges for the June 2014 shooting death of Rebekah Bletsch, and kidnapping charges for the attempted abduction of a 16-year-old girl in April. He also faces charges for child pornography, and multiple counts of "surveilling unclothed persons without their consent," connected to incidents involving minors in 2011.
FOX 17 confirmed Monday that Willis' wife, Charlene, has officially filed for divorce. Joshua EldenBrady, her attorney, said he filed the documents on her behalf more than one week ago.
Asked if Charlene had any knowledge of her husband doing what he is accused of, EldenBrady would only say "information will come to you when investigators decide that it's time."
"My client has been fully cooperative with the investigation, and will continue to cooperate with the investigation," he said. "I would ask that both the press and members of the public to continue to be respectful of my client's privacy and the privacy of all the other people who have been hurt by Mr. Willis' actions."
FOX 17s Michael Dupre contributed to this report.
