The Murder of Bret Struck
For this case, I watched an episode of Deadly Deception. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘The Blame Game.’
A 41-year-old man is found dead in his new home.
Background
After a tumultuous relationship that affected his life, Bret Struck was turning his life around. He had a new home, a new relationship, and a new job.
Bret was described as lover of sci-fi. He had a large bookshelf filled with books, and loved movies. He also came from a very large tight knit family. He was a family man, and his family said he would help anyone close to him.
Bret Struck
A Bad Relationship
In 2001, Bret met a woman named Rochelle Inselman, at a bookclub. Rochelle had just gotten divorced, and was a single mom of two. Bret took a liking to the kids, and treated them as his own.
The relationship moved quickly. The two moved into together, so Bret could help look after the kids, while Rochelle worked.
In the summer of 2001, Bret introduced Rochelle to his best friend Susan, and her husband. Rochelle seemed fine at first, until a trip to Mexico. Rochelle became very jealous of Susan and Bret’s friendship, and told Susan that she needed to stop being so touchy with Bret.
After that trip, Bret started to distance himself from Susan, and even from his own family. Bret and Rochelle stayed together for three years, and had a terrible breakup.
On August 1, 2004, Brett was arrested for a DWI (drinking while intoxicated). He had gotten into a fight with Rochelle, who then reported Bret to the police. He spent a night in jail, and had to pay a $500,00 fine.
The Murder
After the break up, both of their lives were heavily affected. Bret’s identity was stolen, and whoever had stolen his identity had taken four credit cards out in his name. Bret had to move in with his mom, until he purchased his house in 2010.
On February 12, 2012, Rochelle showed up at Bret’s house, after 8 years of them not seeing each other. Rochelle told Bret that she had lost custody of her children.
While she was at his home, Rochelle discovered that Bret had started dating. Rochelle also had a lot of animosity towards Bret. She shot him eight times, three times in the front, and four to the back.
The Discovery
One of Bret’s friends called the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police the next day. He had gone over to his home to check on him, and found him lying on his kitchen floor.
Bret had been baking cookies when he was interrupted by his uninvited guest. The oven was still on, and the cookies were obviously burnt. Several shell casings were found at the scene from a .9mm. The shell casings had unique markings on them, and they were sent in for testing.
The police questioned Bret’s family about who would have wanted to kill him. Many said that the one person he had issues with was Rochelle.
Rochelle’s Denials
Rochelle was questioned for the first time on February 16. Rochelle insisted that she hadn’t seen Bret in years. She also claimed that she had agoraphobia, or a fear of going out in public.
The police learned from a neighbor of Bret’s that they had seen a car in the neighborhood, and a heavyset woman walk up to Bret’s home. The car that was described to police was very similar to the car that Rochelle drove.
Rochelle was questioned again on February 28. She was confronted about being dishonest, and said that a neighbor had seen her on the night of the murder. Rochelle denied it over and over.
Rochelle was questioned a third time on April 11. The police had received a tip from a maintenance worker at a interstate rest stop.
The worker had found a box used to hold a gun. The gun was missing, but the serial number and manufacturer numbers were on the outside of the box. There was also an envelope with a shell casing inside. The shell casing was a match to the ones found at the crime scene.
The police had also discovered that Rochelle made four phone calls in January 2012, to a man that had sold her the gun. The man had picked Rochelle out of a photo lineup.
The Conviction
Rochelle pleaded guilty to second degree murder. She also admitted to being the one who had stolen Bret’s identity, and to being the one who had taken out the credit cards in his name.
Rochelle said she had intentions of killing herself that night, but that the gun had accidentally gun off. Now remember, Bret was shot eight times. The gun didn’t accidentally go off, sorry Rochelle.
Rochelle was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Rochelle Inselman
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s obvious that Rochelle had a lot of animosity and anger towards Bret for no reason. Bret was not the reason that she lost her kids. She was. Rochelle didn’t clean up her home, or even get out of bed to go to work. She was maybe struggling with mental health issues, but that does not excuse what she did. Bret was finally getting his life together, and it was taken away by a jealous ex.
Sources
https://www.news8000.com/police-ex-girlfriends-obsession-motivated-murder/
