The Murder of Sheila Bellush
For this case, I watched an episode of Vengeance: Killer Millionaires. It’s season 1 episode 2, titled ‘Cashed Out.’
A mother of six young children is killed in her new home.
Background
Sheila Lee Walsh was born on October 19, 1962. After graduating high school, Sheila got a job as a receptionist in a law firm. She eventually met her future first husband, Allen Blackthorne. They had two children together, but divorced in 1988.
Allen was very bitter after the divorce. Both Allen and Sheila tried to get custody of their children, but Sheila was granted full custody. In 1993, Sheila married her second husband, Jamie Bellush, a pharmaceutical sales representative. Together, they had quadruplets, and eventually moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1997.
Sheila Bellush
Sheila, Jamie, and their children
The Murder
Sheila and Jamie were excited for their new lives in Sarasota. They had moved to get away from Allen’s control. Allen had constantly been taking Sheila to court for things like decreasing the cost of child support. Sheila was fearful of Allen, and what he was capable of.
On November 7, 1997, Sheila’s 13-year-old daughter, Stevie, returned home from school. She called the police, and said her mother was dead. Stevie also told the dispatcher that her young siblings were also inside the house, and crying could be heard in the background of the 911 call.
When the Sarasota police arrived, they found Stevie standing near her mother’s body. Sheila had been shot in the face, and had defensive wounds on her arms and hands. It seems as if Sheila had fought for her life, and for her children.
Sheila had attempted to crawl from the kitchen to the utility room, which was about 17 feet away. Sheila was able to get the phone off the hook, but it was an old rotary phone, so she wasn’t able to call the police. A bloody kitchen knife from a set inside the house, and .45 caliber shell casing were found.
Sheila’s young children were unharmed. They had most likely walked or crawled around Sheila’s body because they had blood on their hands and feet. Stevie was asked to help bring her young siblings outside.
A Possible Suspect
The police interviewed Stevie, but she wasn’t able to tell the police much. Next, they spoke to Jamie, who was heartbroken. Jamie was able to tell the police about his day. He left the house for work at 7:30am, and drove to Ft. Myers to meet with some clients. Jamie said he then met with a contractor for their house around 3pm. The police were able to verify Jamie’s movements, and he was ruled out as a suspect.
The police did learn from Jamie that Sheila’s first husband, Allen, was most likely involved. Allen and Sheila fought for 10 years after their divorce, and were in and out of court in San Antonio, Texas.
Just 6 weeks before the Bellush’s moved to Sarasota, Allen finally gave up his rights to have custody of the children. Jamie’s company allowed him to transfer to Sarasota, and they met with a lawyer to keep their new address off any public records. Sheila knew that Allen had something up his sleeve, and feared him even after they moved.
A Suspicious Man
The police contacted airlines and car rental companies to see if Allen had been in the Florida area. The police also reached out the San Antonio police, but learned that Allen hadn’t left Texas. Allen told the San Antonio police that he only learned of Sheila’s death on the news.
Back in Sarasota, the police canvassed the area. Several neighbors said they had seen a suspicious car in the area around 9:15am on November 7. They also said they saw man wearing camouflage and combat boots. It was very unusual because many of the residents of the area were retired or elderly.
A gas station employee had also seen the man. The man came inside, and asked for directions to Sheila’s neighborhood.
One of the neighbors had been able to give the police a license plate number. The license plate number was registered to a woman that lived in La Pryor, Texas, a small town near San Antonio. The police contacted the woman, who told them that the car was primarily driven by her grandson, Jose Del Toro.
Jose was in his 20’s, and was a small time criminal. In 1997, he was on a work release program for a robbery conviction. He hadn’t shown up to his program that weekend.
The Evidence
The Sarasota police contacted several hotels around the area. They learned that Jose had stayed in a hotel just a few miles from the crime scene on November 6.
Luckily, Jose was sloppy and had left behind a fingerprint in Sheila’s house on the washing machine the utility room. His fingerprints were compared to that print was that lifted, and it was a match.
The Texas Rangers tracked down Jose’s car. It was found outside the home of one of his girlfriend’s. A search warrant was obtained, and inside, they found Jose’s camouflage clothes, and a receipt for them from Sports Authority in Sarasota.
The police learned from Jose’s girlfriend that she thought Jose had gone to Miami for a drug deal. The girlfriend told the police that if Jose had killed anyone, then his cousin, Samuel ‘Sammy’ Gonzales would know more information.
The Murder for Hire Plot
On November 12, the police interviewed Samuel. Samuel said he was approached by his friend, Daniel Rocha, who claimed he had a job for him. Daniel said they would be getting about $10,000 if this job was done. Samuel refused, but said his cousin, Jose, would be up for it.
Samuel and Jose traveled to Sheila’s house in San Antonio, and reported to Daniel, that it looked like they had moved. On November 5, Daniel had Sheila’s new address, and Samuel gave it to Jose.
Samuel said Jose returned on November 8, and admitted to firing a gun at Sheila. Samuel said Jose told him that he didn’t know if Sheila was dead. Samuel said when Daniel hired him, he had told him to beat Sheila up so and that she couldn’t take care of her kids.
Samuel said Jose had fled to Mexico after his grandmother told him that the police were looking for him.
The Mastermind
The police knew that Daniel, Jose and Samuel didn’t have any connection to Sheila. They did know that Daniel was friends with Allen, and that they golfed together. Daniel was also a gambler, and would bet on games of golf.
On November 17, Daniel Rocha was arrested, and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. He was held in jail in San Antonio, but eventually extradited to Sarasota. Daniel refused to flip on Allen.
On November 20, Jose was arrested in Mexico. But, by mid December, Jose was still awaiting extradition. Mexico wasn’t allowing Jose to be extradited if the death penalty was on the table.
Samuel agreed to a plea deal. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, and sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Samuel Gonzales
On December 16, Daniel was also charged with solicitation to commit capital murder. He still refused to testify against Allen. He said he would go to trial even though he was facing life in prison.
Daniel was eventually found guilty in January 1999, and sentenced to life in prison.
Daniel Rocha
Jose’s Confession
Before the murder, Allen had hired a private investigator to track Sheila down. When he learned where she was, he told Daniel that he wanted Sheila beat up, but said killing her would be a better option. Daniel claimed to have connections to bad people, but hired Samuel and Jose.
Jose drove from San Antonio to Sarasota, and made several calls to his girlfriends on the way there. The cell phone towers basically tracked his whole trip.
In July 1999, Jose was extradited. He pled guilty and agreed to give the police a full confession.
Jose said on November 7, he waited inside the house and watched Sheila. He said he was getting ready to leave because he got cold feet, but Sheila spotted him. Jose said he became nervous, and shot Sheila in the face. In his confession, Jose said he was told that Sheila was a horrible person and mother.
Jose Del Toro
Justice For Sheila
It took awhile for Allen to get what was coming to him. The police tried Allen in federal court because state lines had been crossed.
Allen was finally arrested on January 4, 2000. He went on trial in June 2000. Allen was very cocky at trial, and even spoke the media. He seemed to have made a joke about the trial and Sheila’s death.
The prosecution described Allen as a controlling man who would’ve done anything to control Sheila again.
Daniel agreed to testify, and it helped. Allen Blackthorne was convicted on the federal charges of interstate conspiracy to commit murder and interstate domestic violence. He was sentenced to two life sentences which were to be served concurrently. He died in federal prison on November 18, 2014.
Allen Blackthorne
Other
Samuel Gonzales was released from prison on January 6, 2014.
Jose and Daniel are still serving life sentences.
In 2019, Daniel asked a judge to reduce his life sentence, but it was denied.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This case is so heartbreaking. Not only did a mother of six lose her life, but her children either witnessed her murder or found her body. I think it was good that they were so young. I hope they barely remember what they saw, but I hope they haven’t forgot their mother. Allen is an evil man, but so are Daniel, Jose and Samuel. They all agreed to help Allen all because they were greedy and wanted his money. It’s a shame that Allen died, and isn’t rotting in a cell.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sheila_Bellush
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-28-mn-58564-story.html
