A married Russian booking deputy who emigrated to the US as a mail order bride has been accused of duping a former Olympic speed skater in...
A married Russian booking deputy who emigrated to the US as a mail order bride has been accused of duping a former Olympic speed skater into romance and making her the beneficiary of his will, then neglecting him as he died of mad cow disease.
Marina Billings, 49, emigrated to the US from Siberia in 2007 with her daughter Lina to marry Robert Billings, 70, after she was selected for marriage by Robert after listing herself as an eligible wife in a catalog.
Years later she allegedly wheedled her way into Olympian Boris Leikin's life despite being married, then neglected Leikin and got him to sign over his assets to her before his death in July 2021 aged 68.
Billings and her husband have both been charged with financial exploitation and abuse in relation to Leiken's death.
Cops haven't accused them of murder, but say their behavior may have hastened Leiken's decline from mad cow disease, a fatal degenerative brain condition which can be caused by eating infected meat.
It was unclear if the Billings intentionally sickened Leikin.
Married Russian booking deputy Marina Billings (right), 49, who emigrated to the US as a mail order bride, has been accused of duping former Olympic speed skater Boris Leikin (left) into romance and making her the beneficiary of his will, then neglecting him as he died of mad cow disease
Marina Billings (left) and her husband Robert have been charged with financial exploitation and aggravated abuse in connection to the death of Leikin (pictured right at the US Long Track Championships in 2005)
Friends of the late athlete said he took his health very seriously and was in good shape. Some of his neighbors were stunned to be summoned to his home to see that the Billings were able t get Leiken to sign an updated will giving them his assets while his hand shook, with Marina allegedly speaking to him 'like a dog.'
Friends said Leiken - who online records list as a competitor in the 1998 Winter Olympics - quickly fell ill after he started dating Idaho booking deputy Billings, who he met online on a chat forum for Russian expats.
Tammy, a former colleague who worked with Billings from 2008 to 2014, remembered her as a kind, outspoken and hardworking woman who 'was open about being a mail order bride'.
Tammy told DailyMail.com that Billings emigrated to America because of her husband, although she never met him or even knew his name.
'Last I heard she left him for someone else, but that's just rumors,' Tammy added.
Shortly after Billings moved into Leikin's Cottonwood Heights, Utah, home, he became sick and was hospitalized, according to court documents obtained by ABC 4.
However, it was unclear when Billings moved in with her so-called lover.
Billings emigrated to the US from Siberia in 2007 with her daughter Lina (pictured together) to marry Robert Billings, 70, after she was selected for marriage by Robert after listing herself as an eligible wife in a catalog
Billngs (pictured in February 2021) allegedly wheedled her way into Leikin's life despite being married, then neglected Leikin and got him to sign over his assets to her before his death in July 2021 aged 68
Leiken continued to skate well into his 60s, and was listed as competing at one event just weeks before his death.
The deputy reportedly told neighbors she was caring for the skater and managing his finances while he was hospitalized. After his release she acted as his caretaker, isolated him from others as his condition deteriorated and forced him to sign an amended version of his will despite appearing 'incapacitated'.
Billings and her husband have been accused of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult.
Investigators are still trying to determine if the married couple intentionally got Leiken sick, Fox 13 reported, and contributed to his death. It is unclear when he was diagnosed with mad cow disease.
Leikin, who was one of the oldest athletes to compete in the US Olympic Trials, started dating Billings after the pair met online.
His neighbors claim he had fallen in love with her, despite the fact that she was 20 years his junior, and did not know she was married.
Billings moved in with Leikin when he was, as neighbors said, the 'picture of health' and still competing in speed skating competitions.
His health quickly deteriorated after her arrival and he was hospitalized twice.
The corrections officer told Leikin's neighbors he had been diagnosed with mad cow disease and she would be caring for him, as well as controlling his finances, while he battled the ailment.
Court documents allege Billings, claiming she was Leikin's fiancée, restricted visitors during his hospitalizations.
The neighbors allege Billings invited them over to Leikin's home (pictured) while she was adjusting his will to name her beneficiary and executor. They claim she forced him to sign the document while 'visibly incapacitated,' noting that his hand was shaking a Billings spoke to him 'like a dog'
Neighbors claim Leikin (pictured at the US Long Track Championships in 2005) was the 'picture of good health' when he started dating Billings and that he quickly fell ill after she moved in with him
Hospital staff claimed the elderly man appeared 'severely neglected' and that Billings 'remained indifferent' to his condition.
Leikin's neighbors issued a similar sentiment claiming Billings once invited them over to his home. Her husband, Robert, was present at the time.
The neighbors allege they watched Billings place a pen in Leikin's hand and force him to sign an amended version of his will that named her as his beneficiary and executor.
They claim he was 'visibly incapacitated,' noting that his hand was shaking as Billings spoke to him 'like a dog'.
Investigators later confirmed that Billings drafted Leikin's new will and, during a search of her Pocatello, Idaho home, discovered a a secret basement room containing copies of his will, power of attorney, medical records and more.
While Billings stayed at his home, Leikin (pictured on right) was hospitalized twice. Hospital staff claimed the elderly man appeared 'severely neglected' and that Billings 'remained indifferent' to his condition
During a search of Billings' Pocatello, Idaho home (pictured), police discovered a secret basement room containing copies of his will, power of attorney, medical records and more
Billings and Robert both face charges of financial exploitation and aggravated abuse.
Jeff Hall, chief deputy at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, said the couple is not being charged with murder because they did not directly cause Leikin's death.
'In a murder charge, we would accuse someone of directly causing the death of someone else and doing that unlawfully,' he told Fox 13.
'In this instance, the allegation is that these people created circumstances that compromised a vulnerable adult's health, not necessarily that they directly caused a death.'
Billings was also been placed on administrative leave from her duties at the Bannock County Sheriff's Office while an internal investigation is underway.
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