The Murder of Phyllis Bierdz
I watched another episode of Evil Lives Here for this case. It’s season 3 episode 7, titled ‘The Soap Star’s Secret.’
This case is told by Thom Bierdz, from The Young and the Restless, and how his younger brother killed their mom.
Thom Bierdz
Background
The Bierdz family lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is about two hours from my hometown in Verona, Wisconsin.
Thom said his parents split up several times throughout his childhood, and Phyllis thought she could save the marriage if she had another baby. She called Troy her miracle child, but the marriage didn’t survive.
Troy’s Behavior
When the kids were younger, Thom said Troy was very hyper. He said that their mom took Troy to the doctors, but they just told her that he needed more attention and discipline. Troy started off by destroying Thom’s houses made out of Legos and Lincoln Logs. Their mom enrolled Troy in karate, thinking it would teach him discipline. Troy loved it, and became a black belt. This didn’t solve anything and it worsened his behaviors.
Troy ended up beating up their mom’s boyfriend, after he interfered into an argument. Phyllis called the police, and Troy was charged with battery. Thom said Troy didn’t show any remorse.
Thom’s Acting Career
Thom said his lifelong goal was to become an actor. He moved to Los Angeles, and after acting in a few commercials, got a starring role in The Young and the Restless.
Troy’s behavior worsened, and Thom wanted to help. He invited Troy to come live with him in L.A. Thom also helped Troy get a job as a security guard at CBS Studios, but Troy never showed up. Thom was furious, but didn’t kick him out. He didn’t kick him out until Troy had peed on his front door one night. Troy threatened to kill Thom, and ended up going back to Wisconsin when Thom called their mom.
Troy ended up getting arrested again, after he stole their mom’s car and tried to go back to L.A. to hurt Thom. He was arrested in Illinois, when he hit a tree. The police were made aware of a stolen car that was reported by Phyllis.
Thom said he visited Troy in juvie, and he seemed to be doing better. However, he said their relationship was not good and Troy felt like a stranger.
A Few Months Before the Murder
In September of 1989, after Troy was released from juvie, he went back to live with his mom. He ended up choking her with a sock and saying he wanted to kill her.
Troy stole her car again, cut the phone wire, and ended up taking various tools. Troy would later tell Thom in a letter of what he took.
After this incident, Troy was sent to a halfway house.
Phyllis and Troy Bierdz
The Murder
On July 14, 1989, Troy was dropped at his mom’s house, by his cousin. His mom said she wanted to see him.
Thom and Troy’s cousin and grandpa went to the house later that day, and found Phyllis dead in the kitchen. She had been beaten to death with a baseball bat. She was hit so many times that her head was in pieces.
Thom received the call from his sister, and he thought it has been an accident, until he learned that Troy had called the FBI and told them his name was Thom Bierdz. Troy pretending to be Thom said he had killed his mom and raped his brother, Troy. Their sister told Thom to go and hide because either the police were going to be after him or Troy would show up.
Arrest and Conviction
The Bierdz family learned that Troy was planning on showing up at their mom’s funeral to kill them. On the day of the funeral, they had a bodyguard and a line of police in the back. Troy never showed up.
Troy was finally arrested a week later, after he stole a car in Texas. The police had fingerprinted him and realized it was Troy and he was on the run after killing his mom.
Troy Bierdz was sentenced to life in prison, for the murder of his mom, Phyllis. He will eligible for parole at the age of 69.
Troy
One of many mugshots of Troy Bierdz
Other
Thom said he went to visit Troy five years after the murder. He said it took awhile for Troy to admit to what he did and awhile for him to show remorse. Thom said he believes that Troy is sorry, and they are working on their relationship.
Thom’s other siblings couldn’t believe that Thom had forgiven Troy, because they don’t.
In 2000, Gregg Bierdz (some articles say his name was Craig), their other brother, killed himself.
Thom wrote a book called Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery. The book has a 4.5/5 rating on Amazon, and I would definitely be interested in reading it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wow, this case is terrifying. I can see the emotion that Thom has, especially when he talked about his mom and how he decided to forgive Troy. I’m sure it took a lot for him, especially with the rest of his family deciding not to forgive him. From the interview I saw at the end of the episode of Troy and Thom, I don’t see the remorse. Thom was almost telling him what to say about how he tried to frame Thom and to say he’s sorry. I think Troy is mentally ill and deserves to be in prison for life, so he can’t hurt anyone else.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Bierdz
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6798818-forgiving-troy
https://www.milwaukeemag.com/pastimperfect/
