Post by hi224 on Jan 28, 2019 2:16:56 GMT
Let me preface this by saying that I will understand if this is removed from the subreddit, as it is more about the wild story of someone whose death hasn't fully been determined to be intentional murder. Hopefully it won't be, and you'll see in the "My Opinion" section why I personally feel it fits in this sub. However, I really want to write about this and didn't know of another place to post it. All of the following information has either been written by me or copy and pasted with proper sources below. Some of this has come from an ID series episode on the case, which I trust to be reliable since other information in the episode matches what outside sources reported.
Introduction
When Dr. Jean-Claude Dominque was struck the evening of March 22, 1999 in what appeared to be a hit-and-run outside of the hospital where he worked, it is safe to say everyone in his world was stunned. Dr. Dominique, an immigrant from Haiti and doctor at Kings County Hospital in Long Island, was a well-respected member of his community regarded for his kind nature and hard-working, steadfast character. However, as cliché as it sounds, Dr. Dominique’s surviving family and friends would soon find out that the good doctor had a terrible secret.
Dr. Dominique’s wife Eliette arrived as fast as she could to her husband’s hospital bedside, only to find another woman in her place. This woman, who was distraught at Eliette’s presence, identified herself as Betsy Dominique- the doctor’s wife.
An Unsolved Murder
A witness saw Jean-Claude walking down the sidewalk, presumably to his car, when a car sped down the street and seemingly swerved to hit him. Dr. Dominique was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for 30 days before passing on April 30. He was 50.
Investigators located the car that struck Jean-Claude and discovered it to be a stolen vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was never located.
The death (or murder) of Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique remains an open investigation.
Jean-Claude Dominique
Jean-Claude Dominique was an older child of 23 siblings in Haiti. He was beloved for his kind and caring nature, even tending to sick neighbors outside of work who appreciated his bedside manner. A family man, Jean-Claude aided in bringing several of his family members to the United States.
Eliette Dominique (Wife 1)
Eliette, a Haitian immigrant, moved to the United States in the early 1970s to pursue a career in nursing. She met Jean-Claude through the workplace and the two fell in love. Eliette and Jean-Claude married in 1980, and they lived together in a small Brooklyn apartment. Eliette was a vital part of Jean-Claude’s success as she helped him pay for further medical school education and aided him in gaining U.S. citizenship. Their first child, a son named Jean-Claude Jr., arrived in 1982, and their second child, a daughter named Rachel, was born in 1984. They moved to Long Island in 1993. By the time they moved to their new home in Long Island, Jean-Claude had become an established and admired doctor and Eliette much the same as an intensive care nurse.
Betsy Dominque (Wife 2)
Marie Betsy Barbalier met Jean-Claude in Haiti when they were very young, and their childhood friendship grew into romance as they grew older. Some reports state that Betty followed Jean-Claude to the United States when he initially left, and others say she arrived some time later. Her hometown in Haiti was St. Louis du Nord.
Betsy had two children with Jean-Claude, whose names and birth years I could not find.
Second Life
Fortunately for Jean-Claude, he and Eliette had decided to keep their small Brooklyn apartment, for the nights when Jean-Claude was too exhausted from work to make the drive home (they did not want to risk him falling asleep behind the wheel) to Long Island for the night and when his schedule prevented any time for home. In court, Eliette stated that she was never suspicious of her husband’s absences from the home for this reason, and that he would always call to inform her of his whereabouts. Because of this and reporting to have had a “very normal marriage relationship” with Jean-Claude, she had no reason to suspect.
Jean-Claude would often use needing to stay in the apartment for work as his reason for absence when he was really with Betsy, although he did legitimately use the apartment for its intended purpose often.
Jean-Claude carried on a second life with a second family for over 15 years.
One true crime blog reported that a source in the past had stated that Eliette received a phone call from an unknown woman claiming that she was having Jean-Claude’s child in 1986. However, as the blog stated, this is most likely hear-say (given that no major source had documented it).
Dr. Dominique’s Funeral
When the time came to lay Jean-Claude to rest, Eliette was met with strong family friction. Aly Dominique, one of Jean-Claude’s younger brothers, presented his plans for an elaborate funeral – complete with limousines for the entire family- to Eliette. Eliette was hesitant, as this grandeur event would be extremely costly. While Jean-Claude left Eliette and his children in good financial standing, she was thinking ahead to the future. She also stated she didn’t believe Jean-Claude would have wanted a funeral of this standard and cost. Aly, and the rest of Jean-Claude’s family, was absolutely outraged and proceeded to ostracize Eliette and her children from the funeral entirely. Once source reported that Eliette had even received threats from Aly. Aly went as far as proclaiming that Eliette “wasn’t the true wife”, showing preference to Betsy, as he was aware of his brother's second life.
The Fight for the Estate
While Jean-Claude was in the hospital, Eliette was asked to leave, with the hospital ruling in Betsy’s favor. And after Jean-Claude’s death, Betsy gained control of his estate, being listed as next-of-kin in recent documents. Eliette and her children were left with nothing.
A divorce decree and similar documents, dated 1984, were found by Eliette among Jean-Claude’s personal effects showing that Eliette had been the one to ask for divorce. The documents were complete with her signature. Betsy’s marriage documents showed that she married Jean-Claude in 1984.
But Eliette did not sign the papers.
An investigation was launched by Eliette’s attorneys that found these documents were, of course, forged. In the end, the court ruled that Betsy’s marriage to Jean-Claude was void, as the divorce documents with Eliette were false. Jean-Claude had apparently hired a woman to stand in for Eliette for a notary to forge the papers. Therefore, a judge ruled Eliette was the true wife, and she regained control of the estate. The identity of the woman Jean-Claude cast to play Eliette is unknown.
All Jean-Claude’s children, including the two with Betsy, received an official portion of the inheritance. Betsy did not. However, Eliette elected to give Betsy the apartment in Brooklyn, as it was “the right thing to do”.
Betsy’s lawyer, Yvonne Gardner, reported her client “sympathizes with what happened” to Eliette.
Attack on Eliette
Around 5 A.M. on October 30, 2000, Eliette Dominique was shot thrice outside her home in Daniel Crescent (Long Island) while getting into her car on her way to work (she had recently returned to work as a nurse). Miraculously, the 53-year-old woman survived, and when stabilized in the hospital told police that she saw two masked gunmen. As there was no evidence of a robbery or carjacking, investigators determined that Eliette was the target and that the attack was deliberate.
Investigation and Arrest
A man, identified as Alexander Exama, was spotted hanging around Eliette’s home after the shooting. After questioning, Exama confessed to being a member of a team hired to kill Eliette Dominque. The man who hired them? Aly Dominique. Aly reportedly offered two hitmen, Exama and a Marvin Gebin, $10,000 for the hit on Eliette.
Jean-Claude allowed Aly, in association with Betsy, to use property he owned for a beauty supply business. When Eliette gained control of the estate, Aly and Betsy no longer had control of the property. This, along with his preference of Betsy as his sister-in-law and general resentment of Eliette, served as the motive.
Alexander Exama himself was charged and convicted second-degree attempted homicide and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Gunman Marvin Gebin was convicted of the same and sentenced to 19 years.
A third man, Joseph Moise, who Aly originally hired to kill Eliette and who passed on the job to Gebin and Exama, served as a witness in the trial and served 1 year behind bars for attempted criminal facilitation in the second degree.
Aly was charged with and convicted of attempted murder in the second degree and conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 8 to 25 years in prison. It is unknown if other family members were aware-of or participated-in the murder plot.
Aly was a high school chemistry teacher and soccer coach at Erasmus High School. Teachers and students at Erasmus were shocked by the allegations against their teacher. “He’s innocent. I want him back in school,” said student Denese Dunwell, 17.
Where Are They Now?
According to the Married (With Secrets) episode on the case, Eliette is now retired from nursing and spends her free time with her children and traveling. Rachel graduated from two Ivy League universities and is now an attorney. Jean-Claude Jr. is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering.
I could not find any information on the current whereabouts of Jean-Claude’s children with Betsy.
My Opinion
While his death might very well be an accident committed by a car thief in the heat of his theft, I still can't shake my feeling that this kind of an accident would happen to someone who's leading a double life such as this. Based on his vicious attitude towards Eliette and saying she "isn't the true wife" (despite her being married to him first), I honestly have a feeling Aly orchestrated a hit on his brother, in the hopes he'd get a handsome portion of the estate. Betsy and Aly were apparently close in general, and owned that business together, and Betsy was initially listed as next of kin, so Aly would've gotten the money that way. After all, he had no qualms about hiring someone to kill Eliette. Trying to kill his brother via hit-and-run-in-stolen-car almost didn't work, so he opted for a shooting. It's possible that Betsy may have also been involved, but I think that is more unlikely.
Sources
nypost.com/2000/11/03/bigamy-widow-i-sympathize-with-shot-other-wife/
www.mrt.com/news/article/Bigamist-s-Brother-Found-Guilty-7865438.php
www.news24.com/xArchive/Archive/Double-life-shatters-two-families-20001106
nypost.com/2000/11/02/the-bedside-manner-of-a-devious-doctor/
www.sfgate.com/news/article/MORNING-FIX-Pot-smarts-bigamy-doom-2698399.php
www.blogtalkradio.com/itsaboutdamncrime/2018/11/07/ep-77-jean-claude-dominique\*
The story was chronicled in an episode of ID’s Married (With Secrets). Season 1, Episode 1 “Dr. Deception” (series premiere). www.dailymotion.com/video/x6nga8v
*Podcast about the case that I have not listened to, so cannot comment on.
Introduction
When Dr. Jean-Claude Dominque was struck the evening of March 22, 1999 in what appeared to be a hit-and-run outside of the hospital where he worked, it is safe to say everyone in his world was stunned. Dr. Dominique, an immigrant from Haiti and doctor at Kings County Hospital in Long Island, was a well-respected member of his community regarded for his kind nature and hard-working, steadfast character. However, as cliché as it sounds, Dr. Dominique’s surviving family and friends would soon find out that the good doctor had a terrible secret.
Dr. Dominique’s wife Eliette arrived as fast as she could to her husband’s hospital bedside, only to find another woman in her place. This woman, who was distraught at Eliette’s presence, identified herself as Betsy Dominique- the doctor’s wife.
An Unsolved Murder
A witness saw Jean-Claude walking down the sidewalk, presumably to his car, when a car sped down the street and seemingly swerved to hit him. Dr. Dominique was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for 30 days before passing on April 30. He was 50.
Investigators located the car that struck Jean-Claude and discovered it to be a stolen vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was never located.
The death (or murder) of Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique remains an open investigation.
Jean-Claude Dominique
Jean-Claude Dominique was an older child of 23 siblings in Haiti. He was beloved for his kind and caring nature, even tending to sick neighbors outside of work who appreciated his bedside manner. A family man, Jean-Claude aided in bringing several of his family members to the United States.
Eliette Dominique (Wife 1)
Eliette, a Haitian immigrant, moved to the United States in the early 1970s to pursue a career in nursing. She met Jean-Claude through the workplace and the two fell in love. Eliette and Jean-Claude married in 1980, and they lived together in a small Brooklyn apartment. Eliette was a vital part of Jean-Claude’s success as she helped him pay for further medical school education and aided him in gaining U.S. citizenship. Their first child, a son named Jean-Claude Jr., arrived in 1982, and their second child, a daughter named Rachel, was born in 1984. They moved to Long Island in 1993. By the time they moved to their new home in Long Island, Jean-Claude had become an established and admired doctor and Eliette much the same as an intensive care nurse.
Betsy Dominque (Wife 2)
Marie Betsy Barbalier met Jean-Claude in Haiti when they were very young, and their childhood friendship grew into romance as they grew older. Some reports state that Betty followed Jean-Claude to the United States when he initially left, and others say she arrived some time later. Her hometown in Haiti was St. Louis du Nord.
Betsy had two children with Jean-Claude, whose names and birth years I could not find.
Second Life
Fortunately for Jean-Claude, he and Eliette had decided to keep their small Brooklyn apartment, for the nights when Jean-Claude was too exhausted from work to make the drive home (they did not want to risk him falling asleep behind the wheel) to Long Island for the night and when his schedule prevented any time for home. In court, Eliette stated that she was never suspicious of her husband’s absences from the home for this reason, and that he would always call to inform her of his whereabouts. Because of this and reporting to have had a “very normal marriage relationship” with Jean-Claude, she had no reason to suspect.
Jean-Claude would often use needing to stay in the apartment for work as his reason for absence when he was really with Betsy, although he did legitimately use the apartment for its intended purpose often.
Jean-Claude carried on a second life with a second family for over 15 years.
One true crime blog reported that a source in the past had stated that Eliette received a phone call from an unknown woman claiming that she was having Jean-Claude’s child in 1986. However, as the blog stated, this is most likely hear-say (given that no major source had documented it).
Dr. Dominique’s Funeral
When the time came to lay Jean-Claude to rest, Eliette was met with strong family friction. Aly Dominique, one of Jean-Claude’s younger brothers, presented his plans for an elaborate funeral – complete with limousines for the entire family- to Eliette. Eliette was hesitant, as this grandeur event would be extremely costly. While Jean-Claude left Eliette and his children in good financial standing, she was thinking ahead to the future. She also stated she didn’t believe Jean-Claude would have wanted a funeral of this standard and cost. Aly, and the rest of Jean-Claude’s family, was absolutely outraged and proceeded to ostracize Eliette and her children from the funeral entirely. Once source reported that Eliette had even received threats from Aly. Aly went as far as proclaiming that Eliette “wasn’t the true wife”, showing preference to Betsy, as he was aware of his brother's second life.
The Fight for the Estate
While Jean-Claude was in the hospital, Eliette was asked to leave, with the hospital ruling in Betsy’s favor. And after Jean-Claude’s death, Betsy gained control of his estate, being listed as next-of-kin in recent documents. Eliette and her children were left with nothing.
A divorce decree and similar documents, dated 1984, were found by Eliette among Jean-Claude’s personal effects showing that Eliette had been the one to ask for divorce. The documents were complete with her signature. Betsy’s marriage documents showed that she married Jean-Claude in 1984.
But Eliette did not sign the papers.
An investigation was launched by Eliette’s attorneys that found these documents were, of course, forged. In the end, the court ruled that Betsy’s marriage to Jean-Claude was void, as the divorce documents with Eliette were false. Jean-Claude had apparently hired a woman to stand in for Eliette for a notary to forge the papers. Therefore, a judge ruled Eliette was the true wife, and she regained control of the estate. The identity of the woman Jean-Claude cast to play Eliette is unknown.
All Jean-Claude’s children, including the two with Betsy, received an official portion of the inheritance. Betsy did not. However, Eliette elected to give Betsy the apartment in Brooklyn, as it was “the right thing to do”.
Betsy’s lawyer, Yvonne Gardner, reported her client “sympathizes with what happened” to Eliette.
Attack on Eliette
Around 5 A.M. on October 30, 2000, Eliette Dominique was shot thrice outside her home in Daniel Crescent (Long Island) while getting into her car on her way to work (she had recently returned to work as a nurse). Miraculously, the 53-year-old woman survived, and when stabilized in the hospital told police that she saw two masked gunmen. As there was no evidence of a robbery or carjacking, investigators determined that Eliette was the target and that the attack was deliberate.
Investigation and Arrest
A man, identified as Alexander Exama, was spotted hanging around Eliette’s home after the shooting. After questioning, Exama confessed to being a member of a team hired to kill Eliette Dominque. The man who hired them? Aly Dominique. Aly reportedly offered two hitmen, Exama and a Marvin Gebin, $10,000 for the hit on Eliette.
Jean-Claude allowed Aly, in association with Betsy, to use property he owned for a beauty supply business. When Eliette gained control of the estate, Aly and Betsy no longer had control of the property. This, along with his preference of Betsy as his sister-in-law and general resentment of Eliette, served as the motive.
Alexander Exama himself was charged and convicted second-degree attempted homicide and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Gunman Marvin Gebin was convicted of the same and sentenced to 19 years.
A third man, Joseph Moise, who Aly originally hired to kill Eliette and who passed on the job to Gebin and Exama, served as a witness in the trial and served 1 year behind bars for attempted criminal facilitation in the second degree.
Aly was charged with and convicted of attempted murder in the second degree and conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 8 to 25 years in prison. It is unknown if other family members were aware-of or participated-in the murder plot.
Aly was a high school chemistry teacher and soccer coach at Erasmus High School. Teachers and students at Erasmus were shocked by the allegations against their teacher. “He’s innocent. I want him back in school,” said student Denese Dunwell, 17.
Where Are They Now?
According to the Married (With Secrets) episode on the case, Eliette is now retired from nursing and spends her free time with her children and traveling. Rachel graduated from two Ivy League universities and is now an attorney. Jean-Claude Jr. is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering.
I could not find any information on the current whereabouts of Jean-Claude’s children with Betsy.
My Opinion
While his death might very well be an accident committed by a car thief in the heat of his theft, I still can't shake my feeling that this kind of an accident would happen to someone who's leading a double life such as this. Based on his vicious attitude towards Eliette and saying she "isn't the true wife" (despite her being married to him first), I honestly have a feeling Aly orchestrated a hit on his brother, in the hopes he'd get a handsome portion of the estate. Betsy and Aly were apparently close in general, and owned that business together, and Betsy was initially listed as next of kin, so Aly would've gotten the money that way. After all, he had no qualms about hiring someone to kill Eliette. Trying to kill his brother via hit-and-run-in-stolen-car almost didn't work, so he opted for a shooting. It's possible that Betsy may have also been involved, but I think that is more unlikely.
Sources
nypost.com/2000/11/03/bigamy-widow-i-sympathize-with-shot-other-wife/
www.mrt.com/news/article/Bigamist-s-Brother-Found-Guilty-7865438.php
www.news24.com/xArchive/Archive/Double-life-shatters-two-families-20001106
nypost.com/2000/11/02/the-bedside-manner-of-a-devious-doctor/
www.sfgate.com/news/article/MORNING-FIX-Pot-smarts-bigamy-doom-2698399.php
www.blogtalkradio.com/itsaboutdamncrime/2018/11/07/ep-77-jean-claude-dominique\*
The story was chronicled in an episode of ID’s Married (With Secrets). Season 1, Episode 1 “Dr. Deception” (series premiere). www.dailymotion.com/video/x6nga8v
*Podcast about the case that I have not listened to, so cannot comment on.