Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Married With Secrets: Dr. Deception’ chronicles the mysterious 1999 death of Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique, who led two separate lives with two wives — Eliette and Betsy. Although the police found several suspicious pieces of evidence after the hit-and-run, the case never reached anywhere. As his double life unraveled, it almost led to yet another tragic death. The documentary chronicles the life of Jean-Claude and the investigation that followed to identify a possible motive for the crime.
Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique Balanced His Double Life in New York and New Jersey
Originally from Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Haiti, Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique was one of his 23 siblings. While growing up in Haiti, he had a romantic relationship with Marie Betsy Barlabier. Later, the couple broke up, and Jean-Claude relocated to New York City, where he worked as a physician at Interfaith Medical Center. His younger brother, Aly Dominique, also settled in the Big Apple, working as a chemistry teacher and a soccer coach. At the hospital, Jean-Claude felt drawn towards his colleague, Eliette, an intensive-care nurse. After dating for a few months, they tied the knot on May 20, 1980, making their relationship official. The couple then moved into Eliette’s condo in the Crown Heights neighborhood, just five minutes from the hospital where they worked.
In the years that followed, Jean-Claude and Eliette welcomed two adorable children into the world — Jean-Claude Jr. and Rachel. After the birth of their daughter, Jean-Claude landed a promotion at the hospital while Eliette decided to take a break to focus on raising the kids. By 1993, they relocated to one of Long Island’s most exclusive neighborhoods, Baldwin Harbor. They also retained ownership of the Brooklyn condo, where the doctor spent nights between his long hospital shifts, to avoid the lengthy commute. However, Eliette wasn’t aware that her husband was leading a separate life, with another wife, Marie Betsy Barlabier, his childhood sweetheart, whom he reportedly married in October 1982. He also fathered two children with Betsy — Oneil and Mapessa.
He and Betsy led a content life in their home in Irvington, New Jersey. According to the documentary, in the first few years of his marriage to Eliette, Jean-Claude also used a female imposter, who posed as Eliette and forged her signature on divorce papers. His two lives collided after the 49-year-old got into a severe accident right before midnight on March 22, 1999, on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, when a fast-running car ran him over and fled the scene. A passerby called the ambulance, which rushed him to the Kings County Hospital. The doctors concluded that he had suffered multiple traumas to the head and his body.
Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique Died at the Hospital After Spending Days on Life Support
While Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique was on life support, his two wives confronted each other at the hospital, shocked at the lies woven by him. The investigators spoke with the witness who called in the accident and were led to a Cadillac DeVille parked one block away. The vehicle that collided with Jean-Claude had reportedly been stolen a few days earlier. They also lifted some fingerprints from the car, but they never matched against any suspects. Thus, the investigation went cold. After being on life support for 39 days, 49-year-old Dr. Jean-Claude Dominique passed away on April 30, 1999.
The cause of his death was listed as blunt trauma with complications. His death was followed by a heated dispute between Betsy and Eliette as the former was listed as the next of kin. When Eliette learned of the forged divorce papers, she took the matter to court and was declared the physician’s legal wife, granting her access to Jean-Claude’s estate ahead of Betsy. Eliette also got into a dispute with her brother-in-law, Aly Dominique, who reportedly threatened to prevent her from attending Jean-Claude’s funeral. The enmity between them resulted in Aly attempting to kill her by hiring three men — Alexander Exama, Joseph Moise, and Marvin Gedin.
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