The Case of Rachel Bellesen
Warning, this case discusses domestic violence, rape, and attempted suicide.
For this case, I watched an episode of Accused: Guilty or Innocent? It’s season 2 episode 2, titled ‘Killer Ex-Wife or Self Defense.’
A woman calls 911 to report that she shot her ex-husband.
Background
Rachel Bellesen started dating Jacob ‘Jake’ Glace in 1999 while they were living in Washington State. Rachel said she was 15, and Jacob was 22 or 23. They had sex, and Rachel became pregnant shortly around her 16th birthday. They went on to have two sons together.
Rachel said that Jacob had started to sexually abuse her just after the birth of their first son. He also became physically abusive while she was pregnant with their youngest son. Rachel said she wasn’t herself, and had attempted to commit suicide. She was trying to raise two kids, but was constantly afraid.
Rachel became isolated from her family, but finally left Jacob after 5 years together. In 2004, Rachel moved to Montana. Jacob followed her 6 years later. Rachel said she allowed Jacob to see the kids when he wanted, and would run into him at their kids events.
Rachel Bellesen and Jacob Glace
The Incident
On October 8, 2020, Rachel called 911. On the call, Rachel admitted to killing someone. The dispatcher can be heard asking for an address. Rachel said she didn’t have one, and hung up.
Around 6pm, Rachel and Jacob drove out to Orchard’s Fishing Hole in Paradise, Montana. Jacob had claimed that something was wrong with one of their sons, and wanted a private place to talk to her.
Rachel had agreed because they hadn’t had much contact in years. Rachel said that Jacob had tried to kiss her, but she pushed him off. At first, he laughed it off, but became angry, and said his life was falling apart. He then attempted to take off her pants and rape her. Rachel shot Jacob several times with the gun that she had in her car.
The Defense Team
Rachel’s defense team took her case pro bono. Rachel was looking at life in prison if convicted on the charge of deliberate homicide. The prosecution was arguing that Rachel had planned to kill Jacob. The defense team needed to come up with a timeline of Rachel’s events from the day of the shooting.
Rachel’s day had started at work. She started to receive text messages from Jacob. He claimed that something was wrong with their son, and wanted to meet with her. Rachel had a new car, and agreed that they could go for a drive to have a private meeting. Jacob had been staying at someone’s house, and felt that he couldn’t have a private conversation there.
Rachel said they arrived at the fishing hole, started talking, but Jacob was pacing around. Rachel said Jacob tried to kiss her, but she rejected him. Jacob tried to laugh it off, but seemed to get angry, and was telling her that his life was messed up. He then attacked her as she was sitting in the hatchback of her trunk.
Rachel said that Jacob was on top of her, but she was able to get him off, and run. Rachel said he caught up to her, and grabbed her pants. There was a sound of the zipper of her jeans breaking, but she was able to grab the gun in her car. Rachel then shot Jacob in self-defense.
There were a few questions that both the prosecution and defense teams had. First, why did Rachel have a gun with her? The defense team said that Rachel liked to hike, and had a gun with her in case she ran into a bear or other animals. But, to the prosecution it was evidence that Rachel had planned to kill Jacob.
The second question was why was Jacob shot in the back of the head? Rachel would later say that she had fired the first shot, and closed her eyes until Jacob was in the dirt.
The Flawed Investigation
Lance Jasper, the lead defense attorney, hired a former detective to review the case. He believed that the Sanders County Sheriff’s Department dismissed Rachel’s sexual assault investigation.
Jasper went over his interviews with detectives Martin Spring and Brian Josephson. Martin Spring claimed that he found the shot to the back of Jacob’s head odd, and said it was an execution.
Brian Josephson claimed to be a domestic assault and domestic violence case detective. He was asked why he changed his mind, and didn’t transport Rachel to First Step. First Step was a facility trained to collect evidence, do exams and interview victims of domestic violence.
Josephson admitted that he hadn’t been in charge, and had done what he was told. He also said that because there was no penetration during the assault he didn’t think Rachel needed to be transported there. He also claimed that Rachel’s claims were alleged. The defense said it all came down to Josephson not believing Rachel.
The Re-enactment
The defense team hired a team of experts to help them re-create what had happened on October 8, 2020. Rachel said she was angry that she as a survivor had to return to the scene of her attack.
Rachel again walked the defense team and experts through what happened to her. The re-enactment was recorded, and was going to be shown to the courtroom.
Rachel said that when they arrived, they talked, smoked, and that Jacob was pacing. She described the looks that Jacob was giving her before he attacked her. She said he had a mischievous grin on his face, and his eyes became glassy. She also heard him say “fuck it” before he attacked her.
Rachel said she had grabbed the gun after her zipper ripped. She said she couldn’t remember if the gun had to be cocked. She shot Jacob the first time, and closed her eyes until he was in the dirt. The defense believed that the impact of the shots could’ve forced Jacob to turn away from Rachel. This would explain how Jacob was shot in the back of the head.
In 2010, Jacob had started dating a woman named Jasmine. In 2020, he received a felony conviction for domestic assault.
Jasmine was interviewed by Lance Jasper. She said Jacob had assaulted her in March 2020. She got a restraining order, and went into hiding with her kids. Jasmine explained the same looks that Rachel had described, and said Jacob had attacked her before in front of her kids. Jasmine said that she believed Rachel did what she had to do to stay alive.
The Hearing
In 2021, the prosecution filed an unexpected motion. It was a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that the case would be open for the rest of Rachel’s life.
Jasper offered that they could request a hearing with the judge to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the case would be closed. The judge granted the request.
At the hearing, the prosecution claimed that there were no statutes of limitations in Montana for a homicide case. The defense argued that if the case was picked up later, it was possible that Rachel wouldn’t have a good attorney, or that the case wouldn’t be pro bono.
The case was dismissed with prejudice, and Rachel was permanently cleared.
Rachel in court
Other
Before her arrest, Rachel was working at The Abbie Shelter, and working with domestic violence and assault survivors. She worked as a coordinator, and would help victims find homes, shelters, etc., when they were ready to leave their abusers.
Rachel is also married to Corey Bellesen. They met and married the same year, in 2012.
Rachel and Corey
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I’m not condoning shooting someone, Rachel did what she had to do to survive. Jacob not only abused her, but would go on to abuse another woman, and terrorize children. I really hope going forward that this police department will start believing people, especially women. I hope everyone will start to believe women.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/did-rachel-bellesen-kill-her-ex-husband-jacob-glace/
https://heavy.com/news/rachel-bellesen-today/
