Married With Secrets on ID investigates the tragic death of bigamist Jean-Claude Dominique, which then led to the attempted murder on one of his wives, Eliette Dominique, in a battle over his estate.
Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique led a double life. He was married to Eliette Dominique, and the pair had two children and a home on Long Island, New York. However, when not in New York, he stayed with his second wife, Betsy Dominique, and their two children in New Jersey.
Eliette and Betsy were completely unaware of each other until a tragic event in April 1999, when a hit-and-run driver killed Jean-Claude. The two wives met each other as their mutual husband lay in a coma in a hospital bed.
A judge ruled that Eliette was the rightful heir to Jean-Claude’s estate as she had been married to him first, and the second marriage had only proceeded because her signature had been forged on a divorce decree.
This decision had angered Jean-Claude’s brother, Aly Dominique, who believed that Betsy should have been the rightful heir. Betsy and Aly had known each other since childhood, and the police believe that he might have tried to wrest control of the estate from Betsy for himself.
Aly Dominique paid two hitmen to kill Eliette Dominique
Aly promised two thugs, Marvin Geden and Alexander Exama, $10,000 if they killed Eliette. In October 2000, the two hitmen ambushed Eliette outside her Long Island home as she left for work.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThey fired five shots at the 56-year-old, but she managed to crawl back inside her home, where her children dialed 911. Thankfully, Eliette survived the attack.
Geden and Exama totally botched the hit and were both arrested a short time later. They both pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder. Geden received a 19-year prison sentence, whereas Exama got 12.
In July 2002, Aly Dominique was convicted of second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy in the second-degree. The high school chemistry teacher was sentenced to 8 to 25 years in prison.
More from Married With Secrets
Follow the links to read about more crimes profiled on Married With Secrets.
Stephanie Roller’s marriage was over; she was having an affair, and she wanted a divorce. Her husband, Dale Bruner, decided that he’d prefer to strangle her to death, rather than let her go. He was sentenced to 112 years in prison.
In 2010, Angela Dixiano went missing from her home in Anchorage, Alaska. Her husband, William “Mike” Dixiano, couldn’t seem to make up his mind what had happened to her. He told some that she’d left and others that she’d died of cancer. Eventually, he admitted to beating her to death with a baseball bat.
Married With Secrets airs at 9/10c on Investigation Discovery.
Jean-Claude Dominique was only married one time – to Eliette. The ‘marriage’ to Betsy was legally ruled invalid, it never happened.