Dateline: Unforgettable - Where is Joe Gentz now?

The upcoming episode of Dateline shows the confession by Joe Gentz which led the Wayne County authorities to close the murder case of Jane Bashara in 2015. While the Grosse Pointe Park police had identified Jane's husband, Bob Bashara, as the primary suspect in the case, Joe's confession solidified the case against him.

Bob Bashara reportedly held the developmentally challenged Joe at gunpoint and had him break Jane's neck. Joe was arrested in March 2012 and was sentenced to 17 to 28 years in prison, per Michigan Department of Corrections. He is presently incarcerated at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan.

The Dateline: Unforgettable episode titled Sex, Lies & Murder showcases how Joe Gentz was forced to kill Jane Bashara as it airs on June 27, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery. The official synopsis reads,

"When a woman is found dead in her SUV, the investigation into her murder reveals a tangled web of s*x and lies. Dennis Murphy looks back on his unusual interview with the lead suspect."

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Joe Gentz remains at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility

Joseph "Joe" Gentz was arrested for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder on March 5, 2012, and held at the Wayne County Jail, per ClickonDetroit News.

The Detroit News reported in May 2016 that Bob Bashara allegedly tried to hire a furniture store owner to have Joe killed after his arrest but failed to do so in the attempt.

As aforementioned, the website of the Michigan Department of Corrections states that Joe Gentz is currently housed at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, and lists his status as a "prisoner".

Gentz changed his account a couple of times. According to a report by The Detroit News in May 2016, Gentz signed an affidavit, without reading, claiming that Bob was innocent, out of anger towards the Wayne County Prosecutors and Grosse Pointe Park Police,

He later shared that he never reads anything he signs saying,

“I didn’t have nothing to do with this affidavit. This is all BS. All I did was sign it.”

As part of a plea deal, Joe was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Jane Bashara and was sentenced to 17-28 years in prison. However, he remained angry with the prosecutors and the police as he was promised his safety at prison.

Joe Gentz did not testify at Bob Bashara's trial and further shared that he never had his Miranda rights read to him, nor was he provided with an attorney despite requesting one, per the Detroit Free Press.

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How was Joseph Joe Gentz arrested?

Joseph Gentz turned up at the Grosse Point Park police station on January 31, 2012, to confess to murdering Jane Bashara on January 24, 2012, per CBS News. His long-time friend, Steve Virgona, drove Joe Gentz to the station and also took to Charlie Langton's Talk Radio 1270 morning show to share that Joe was not the only one involved in Jane's murder.

Virgona shared,

"Let's put it this way, he (Gentz) said Bashara pointed a gun at him and said 'Do it now'. Her last words were 'please don't do that, 'please don't do that.'"

Joe Gentz was reportedly kicked out of the police station thrice before the officers took him seriously. While Bob had allegedly offered other people money for the job, he found Joe at the wrong place and at the right time to threaten him to kill Jane at gunpoint.

Bob Bashara had asked his tenant and handyman, Joe Gentz, to help him move some boxes when the tragic incident took place in the garage.

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Watch the details of Jane Bashara's death on Dateline: Unforgettable as it airs on Investigation Discovery.