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Off topic. Sometimes I take a break from the usual fare and post something off topic — such as crime videos.
The following is a transcript of this chilling murder mystery of a man convicted of killing his step mom and how he got caught—without DNA evidence.
In the quiet suburbs of Detroit, a chilling mystery unfolded that would haunt a family for nearly five years. Helen Bazzetta, a 39-year-old mother and former Chrysler assembly line worker, vanished from her Warren, Michigan home on July 31, 1983, just before a family christening. Her disappearance, marked by an unlocked door, abandoned groceries, and a missing car, left her loved ones, including her 18-year-old son, Tom Copeland, desperate for answers. Stationed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force, Tom was forced to abandon the search due to military duties, leaving him tormented by uncertainty.
Helen’s life had been one of resilience. Born in 1944, she navigated a turbulent marriage to Thomas Copeland Sr., enduring his violent outbursts until their 1974 divorce. Raising Tom Jr. alone, she worked tirelessly at Chrysler, where she later met John Bazzetta, a widower and plant manager. After John’s first wife, Joan, died of cancer in 1980, he and Helen married in 1983, blending their families in his Warren home. But beneath the surface of their new life simmered tension, particularly with John’s 17-year-old son, Joseph, who resented Helen’s role as stepmother. Joseph, immersed in punk rock culture with spiked hair and leather jackets, clashed with Helen’s Christian values, especially over his girlfriend, Michelle Grandis, a 21-year-old topless dancer secretly living in the basement.
The day Helen disappeared, she had returned early from a work trip in St. Louis to join a golf outing and the christening. When she failed to appear, her sister Gwyn found the house eerily tidy, with Helen’s golf bag in the garage but no sign of her. John, still in St. Louis, seemed oddly unconcerned, raising suspicions among investigators and family. Helen’s car was later found abandoned at Oakland Mall, but leads fizzled out, and the case grew cold. Tom, heartbroken, returned to Germany, while an unrelated homicide investigation briefly cast suspicion on Joseph and Michelle, though their alibis held.
The breakthrough came on April 14, 1988, when Glenn Ellsworth, a treasure seeker in the Michigan woods near Milford, stumbled upon a shallow grave covered with potted plants. Inside were Helen’s remains, handcuffed, with a bathrobe belt around her neck and golf tees in her pocket—a grim discovery that retired Oakland County Sheriff’s Sgt. Douglas Hummel described as finding “Hell” instead of treasure. Evidence pointed to Joseph and Michelle, recently married, who were arrested on June 15, 1988. Metal scraps and red paint matching Joseph’s Dodge Charger linked him to the grave, and a blanket from the Bazzetta home sealed his connection.
At their 1989 trials, the chilling details emerged. Joseph, fueled by resentment over his father’s remarriage and dabbling in drugs and the occult, admitted to bludgeoning Helen with a bat and strangling her with his bathrobe belt, claiming insanity and failed “satanic rituals.” Michelle, alleging an abusive relationship, admitted to helping bury the body but denied the killing. Joseph was convicted of first-degree murder, deemed guilty but mentally ill, and sentenced to life without parole. Michelle, convicted of second-degree murder, also received life but had her sentence reduced to 20 years, securing parole in 2009.
The case, featured in Oxygen’s *Buried in the Backyard*, exposed the dark undercurrents of family dynamics. Tom described a cultural divide with Joseph, whose punk lifestyle and resentment toward Helen’s authority fueled the tragedy. John’s initial lack of urgency raised questions, with some believing he suspected his son’s involvement. In 2021, Michigan’s ruling against mandatory life sentences for juveniles led to Joseph’s resentencing in October 2023. Despite family protests, including from Helen’s niece Trish Hecker, who cited the crime’s “heinous nature,” Joseph received 40-60 years with 35 years credited, becoming parole-eligible in February 2024. Both he and Michelle were eventually released, leaving Helen’s family to grapple with lingering pain.
Helen’s memory endures as a beacon of love and resilience for her family, particularly Tom, who honors her as their guiding angel. The unresolved murder of Robert Knock, briefly linked to Joseph and Michelle, remains a haunting footnote. Helen Bazzetta’s story, marked by betrayal and hidden tensions, serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of family bonds and the enduring quest for justice.
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