Pocatello woman charged with exploiting dying champion speedskater
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Pat Reavy, KSL.com
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS (KSL.com) — Prosecutors have refiled charges against an Idaho woman accused of getting a champion speedskater in Utah to sign his will over to her while he was dying and unable to comprehend what was going on.
Marina Billings, 50, of Pocatello, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, second-degree felonies. It’s the same charges she faced in 2021. That case was dismissed in March when prosecutors said more investigation was needed.
As of Friday, Robert Billings, Marina’s husband who also had charges filed against him in 2021 that were later dismissed, has not been recharged.
Marina Billings, who was a Bannock County Jail employee when she was charged last year, met Boris Leiken, of Cottonwood Heights, online in 2020. Leiken, originally from Russia, was a champion speedskater.
Despite being married, Billings began traveling to Utah and developed an intimate relationship with Leiken, the charges state.
Starting in May of 2021, Leiken began experiencing medical problems, and by April or May of that year, Billings moved in with Leiken.
“She expressed to Mr. Leikin’s neighbors that she was going to care for Mr. Leiken and would take care of his finances while Mr. Leikin was in the hospital. Records indicate Mr. Leiken was in and out of the hospital between May to July 6, 2021, when he passed away,” the charges state.
Leiken died at age 69, “after being diagnosed approximately a month prior to his death with an aggressive and lethal form of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, commonly referred to as mad cow disease,” according to the charges.
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Prosecutors say prior to Leiken’s death, Billings “created or changed Mr. Leiken’s testamentary documents … resulting in her becoming the administrator and beneficiary of his estate.”
As investigators continued to look into Leiken’s new will, they learned that a notary was contacted by Billings and notarized several documents in May 2021 while Leiken was in the hospital, including power of attorney, his health care directive, his will and deed on his home, the charges state.
“The notary explained that all of the documents were executed at the hospital where Mr. Leiken was a patient and further clarified Mr. Leiken was brought outside each time she notarized the documents,” according to the charging documents.
A nursing assistant told investigators that on one of the those signing days, Leiken was “not at all with it,” the charges allege. In fact, doctors told investigators that in the month prior to Leiken’s death, “Leiken as unable to speak, answer questions, and lacking the capacity to express even simple preferences,” and that due to dementia which had set in during May 2021, “Leikin did not have the capacity to execute financial decisions.”
Prosecutors say another man, later determined to be Robert Billings, was also present for the signings but represented himself only as a friend of Marina Billings.
Robert Billings told investigators that he helped draft a new will for Leiken, allegedly one that would address the ongoing care of Leiken’s elderly mother, the court documents state. Investigators later served a search warrant on the Billings’ Pocatello home. While doing so, they reported finding a PVC pipe with wires in the basement.
“When questioned, Robert said it was to thread wires. But when officers pulled the wires, it opened a concealed door leading to a hidden room. In the room, officers found Mr. Leiken’s will, power of attorney, advance health care directive, trust, and quit claim deed that were created by Marina and Robert Billings,” according to charging documents. “The will named Marina Billings as the sole beneficiary and personal representative of Mr. Leiken’s estate and Robert Billings as a secondary personal representative. The will makes no reference or bequests to Mr. Leiken’s dependent elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.”
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Marina Billings.