The Murder of Jeanne Dominico
For this case, I watched an episode of Wicked Attraction. It’s season 3 episode 10, titled ‘Live Free or Die.’
A mother of two is found dead in the kitchen of her home.
Background
Jeanne Dominico was a 43-year-old mother of two teenagers. She divorced her children’s father in 2000. A year later, she met a man named Chris, who eventually became her fiancé.
Jeanne was a hard-working mother, who worked three jobs to support, and give her children whatever they wanted and needed. She was also described as having a happy go lucky attitude.
Jeanne Dominico
Jeanne with her daughter Nicole
The Murder
On August 6, 2003, Jeanne’s fiancé, Chris, called 911. He said he had found Jeanne lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen.
When the Nashua, New Hampshire police arrived, there was no answer at the home. Chris eventually came outside. He was covered in blood, and told the police that he had tried to check for a pulse.
The police entered, and found a grizzly scene. The kitchen was covered in blood spatters and smudges. The wall was covered in blood, as well as the cabinets.
In the sink, the police found a broken portion of a steak knife. There was a bloody handprint on the refrigerator, and bloody footprints leading from the kitchen to the upstairs portion of the home.
Jeanne had been stabbed and slashed about 50 times. It was evident that she had fought back, as she had defensive wounds on her hands and forearms.
The Suspects
Chris was taken down to the station. He told the police that he had been planning a romantic evening for Jeanne. He went to her home, and found her in the kitchen.
The police asked Chris who else would want Jeanne dead. Chris brought up her ex-husband. Jeanne’s ex had a criminal history. Most were incidents related to him being violent to Jeanne. Even after their divorce, he constantly harassed her about finances and their kids. The divorce was really hard on their kids, Nicole and Charlie.
Charlie, Nicole, and Nicole’s boyfriend, Billy Sullivan, had all shown up at the crime scene. They were all taken to the police station as well.
First Love is Always the Strongest
Billy Sullivan came from a broken home. His dad was violent, and his parents both had issues with alcohol. Billy began showing signs of violence, and he was on several medications. He had also been in and out of mental institutions throughout his whole life.
Once he took his medications, Billy was able to do well in school, and got a job at a local fast food restaurant. He then met Nicole Kasinskas in a chat room in May 2002, and the two became obsessed with each other.
Nicole had issues of her own. She hated her appearance, but Billy was always there to remind her that he loved her. Nicole wrote Jeanne a letter, asking if she could move in with Billy. Jeanne said no, and soon, Nicole and Billy started talking about killing her.
Billy and Nicole
Several Attempts
While they were being interviewed by the police, Nicole revealed that she and Billy started to joke about killing Jeanne, but it soon became serious.
They had attempted to kill Jeanne three other times before they made their final plan for August 6, 2003.
Billy was told by the police that Nicole was starting to talk, so he did the same. Billy said he had placed a baseball bat in the home earlier in the day. Jeanne returned home from work, and Billy went to the house, while Nicole waited in the car at a nearby 7-Eleven.
Billy and Jeanne were talking, when suddenly he grabbed the baseball bat. Billy described it as the point of no return. Billy had swung the bat, but Jeanne fought back. The scuffle led into the kitchen. Billy grabbed a knife, and stabbed Jeanne until it broke. He then grabbed a larger knife, and continued stabbing her.
The police asked Billy how many times he had stabbed Jeanne. Billy said he believed it was around 8. It wasn’t 8, it was about 50 times.
Billy then tried to clean up. He wrapped the knives and a towel into a jacket. He then ran back to the car, where Nicole was reading a magazine. Billy begged Nicole to go to her mom’s home to get him a towel to clean up. Nicole revealed that she walked into the home, and stepped over her mom’s body to get a towel, and pick up a knife that Billy had left behind.
The two then disposed of items, and went shopping for new clothing for Billy. The police found the items behind a local golf course.
The Convictions
Billy Sullivan and Nicole Kasinskas were charged with first degree murder and conspiracy.
Billy pleaded not guilty due to reason of insanity. His lawyers claimed that he was incompetent to stand trial. However, the judge disagreed, and ruled that the trial would move forward.
Nicole accepted a plea deal, and testified against her former love. She was sentenced to 40 years, with 5 years reduced if she completed an education program while in prison.
Billy’s trial began in 2005. His defense said that Nicole lit the fuse, and knew that Billy was a ticking time bomb. The defense also listed Billy’s psychological problems, and said that he hadn’t been taking his medications.
Another young girl, who was only 15 years at the time, testified for the prosecution. Billy had written her over 100 letters from prison. Billy had told this girl that he would marry her, if she convinced Nicole to testify that someone else had killed Jeanne.
In July 2005, Billy was convicted of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Billy Sullivan
Nicole Kasinskas
Other
Two years after his conviction, Billy won a new trial to determine whether or not he was insane. Billy wanted to spend his sentence in a hospital, not prison. His insanity defense was again denied.
Nicole’s bid to get her sentence commuted was also denied.
There is a book on this case called Because You Loved Me by M. William Phelps. It has really good reviews on Amazon, so I’m excited to read it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jeanne and Nicole were described as having a very close relationship. However, it’s obvious that Nicole had issues. She very well could have been the manipulator, but I also think she was manipulated by Billy.
I think Billy could’ve been insane, and maybe he should have been sent to a hospital to get the help he needed. He still would’ve been off the street, and unable to hurt anyone else.
Sources
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2005-06-23-0506230794-story.html
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nh-supreme-court/1471260.html
https://www.wmur.com/article/daughter-sentenced-to-40-years-for-mother-s-death/5143423#
