If you’re reading this, you’re about to get the best “how-to” tip for creating a successful dating profile on the top dating websites. You ready? Here it is: don’t tell prospective dates that you killed your husband. That kind of info probably won’t land Mr. Dreamboat. But you should probably have a little more background on this one, so read on…
See there’s this woman from Vermont—Christine Billis—who, back in 2009, was in an awful car accident. She was driving and her husband, Charles Billis, was in the front passenger seat. Christine apparently had her seat belt on; Charles did not.
The accident occurred on Route 5A in Charleston, VT. Christine, at the wheel of the car, drove the car into a tree. She survived, her husband did not.
At first, it appeared to be just an awful accident. After all, what else could it have been?
Life went on and Christine must’ve felt it was time to get back into the game of love, so, she joined the online dating website, OKCupid. (Note for those who care, About.com calls it the ‘best free dating site on the web’…fwiw). Hey, Christine knows how to pick ’em.
Ahh, but she did not know how to pick her guy. Heck, who does when just about anyone can create a glowing, attractive profile online, right? Everyone’s so beaauutiful and successful there…
Well, Christine fell—hook, line and sinker apparently as she felt super-comfortable letting it rip with one particular suitor. That would be Kevin Leland. She trusted Kevin for sure—otherwise she wouldn’t have told him (in Leland’s words, according to a report on NECN.com), “I killed him. I drove him into the tree on purpose. I did it on purpose.”
Christine, Christine, what were you thinking? Didn’t you know that Rule #1 in dating—especially online dating—is don’t reveal everything? You know, a little mystery is sexy—that sort of thing?
Well, reveal she did. And then Kevin did a little revealing himself. To the local police!
Sidenote: Kevin, our seemingly angelic tattletale, was caught at a later date at the border with a gun and drugs, according to a report by WCAX.com. Earth to Christine…
Oh, should mention, too that Kevin started blogging about his new ‘police informant’ role as well—the pic of Christine Billis above is from his blog.
Long story short—and fast-forward—Christine was charged with first-degree murder. The charges were ultimately reduced after a plea bargain deal for manslaughter, for which Billis has now been sentenced to 7 – 15 years in prison. Moral of story: if you’re going to commit murder, don’t share that little tidbit with your online dating connections.
Aside from the fact that Christine is living proof of the dangers of feeling too comfortable online with people you don’t know, and aside from the fact that a man was killed, reports indicate that the reason Christine Billis took her husband’s life was because she suffered from his mental and verbal abuse.
Abuse of any kind is serious—but killing someone is not usually the way to go unless, one could imagine, it’s truly in self-defense. Any woman (or man) who is suffering from abuse by a spouse or partner should contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit www.thehotline.org. You can also visit www.safehorizon.org.
Hey Johnnyspade! It's Kevin Leland, the gun toting, angelic tattletale. Nice try with this story. The thing is, if you want to do a better job, at least trying to interview the people involved in the story. I would have gladly talked to you, especially now that her case is done -and so is mine. I got misdemeanor possesion (carrying and old expired narcotic painkiller script in a bottle mislabeled, but with my name, of prescription ibuprofen.) The gun? That's quite legal in Vermont. I always carry a gun. Not just to protect myself, but in case some madman tries to shoot up a town meeting and a congresswoman or a school. Incidentally I think Zimmerman was a douche. I never would have pulled the trigger in that same situation. And besides, Chrissy and some of her f**k-buddies have threatened my life. See, the story was more like this: I met Chrissy on OKCupid, yes, an awesome, free dating site. Before we even met in person, on the phone, she confessed to murder… I think more of a 'Tell-Tale Heart' thing than an 'I love you so much, I trust you with my deepest darkest secrets' thing. But of course, I agree, that was bizarre. So there an then, she made me, against my will, a witness to her serious crime. She told me, without details, that she and her girls were abused. I agreed to meet her, because I can go for the kind of woman who would off some asshole who abused her and her children. However, I found out that her husband was NOT abusive. She was. In the span of about eight weeks of a strictly platonic relationship, she regretted her confession to me, and then threatened to kill me if I ever told. At that point I contemplated a pre-emptive strike. As you can imagine, I was very pissed, because I befriended her and her kids and tried to help them…no good deed goes unpunished, right? But, I thought her poor kids suffered enough violence and death at this point, so decided to forego the idea of slipping an IED under her (and the guy she conspired with in making those threats against me) seats and blasting their fat asses through the top of their heads, and instead played a proud and important role in helping the VT State Police get evidence to bring her to justice, the compassionate, legal, Vermont, American way. Although being a 'tattle-tale' put me in danger, I was not disappointed. I learned so much about how our justice system works, and about the true, compassionate and fair professionals that make it work, and I'm impressed and proud of them all, from her attorney, to the States attorney, to Detective Annis, who worked the case. So I agree with you, killing is not the way to go, sometimes, like in my case, even when it IS truly in self defense. I also agree that anyone subjected to severe domestic violence, should seek help in order to retreat from the situation before blood is spilled. Her husband, tried to reach out, but being male, I don't think he was quite as able to get any, as a female would have been under the same circumstances. Did you know that he was blind and therefore disabled, and quite vulnerable? There are a lot more weird circumstances to this very strange story. Discovery ID will be coming out with a show about it in late fall, and I'm about half way through writing a story about the experience. As a guy who writes for a 'legal site' you should watch how you try to label a person who is on the side of our justice system. Our system can't work if witnesses are threatened or stigmatized as 'rats' or 'tattletales' for coming forward wit the truth, and people will get away with murder. What if it was your brother who was driven into that tree? As a writer in general, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Try a little harder to get more facts before you tell a story. No hard feelings -though that could change depending how you respond to my comment. Peace.
Hi Kevin, Thanks for sharing your side of the story. At the time of publication, we reported on what was available, and we don't typically get interviews with folks who are actively involved in criminal litigation–regardless of their innocence or not–as they are advised to not speak with the press while the case is going on. So we have to go on what's in the press or on public record at the time. We report from time to time on the dangers of online dating and it was from that perspective that this story initially came to be–as we don't typically cover stories involving homicide. Our main point of the story was how will go online and reveal anything and everything to people they either do not know or have known for a very brief time–and regardless of the background of this case, revealing that you killed someone is just not typically good common sense, though of course when it leads to rightful prosecution of a murderer, then there's obviously merit for society in general. Typically though, people go online and chat away and it can lead to some very bad situations–from identity theft to stalking and worse. You were a very lucky man–though you clearly went through a lot and found yourself in a bizarre situation–it could've been worse. Again, thank you for sharing your story. And, like I said, while we don't typically cover homicide cases, please let us know when the Discovery ID show comes out as we'll do a follow up post about.
Kevin, Are you single or did you marry a lady with money? Just wondering. A good looking guy like you goes on a date with that murderer. I can’t fathom it that’s all no offence I hope
Hey Kevin saw your story on the Justice network. Had to look you up and see what kind of guy falls for someone like her. I have a feeling you’re a good guy. Who cares if some nobody thinks your a tattletale. There should be more people like you. Hope you’ve found love since this.
Thanks for the reply. Although "you did the right thing, and sorry for calling you a tattletale" would have been appreciated! 🙂 Anyway, as I assumed, you didn't know the whole story, and I understand you not asking me for a comment at that time while my case was still pending. I will keep you posted. If we could switch gears a bit, I would like to discuss online dating, in relation to dating in general. Meeting new people who are not associated with anyone else you know is what is dangerous, and I think that's what causes folks to say things to strangers that they wouldn't tell their sister. I'm still a big fan of online dating, especially okcupid. It's a necessity for some of us who due to divorce and subsequent estrangement, kinda get 'spit out' of their original circle of friends and family. It's a great way to drop into potential new circles. Contrary to the advice in this article though, I would recommend that people represent themselves honestly. If you're an orgy person, say so. If you're the Bible study type, say so. You'll find the types of circles you are looking for. I've met women online and in the flesh, most have represented themselves truthfully. Some, including Christine, have not…even though she was quite upfront about the murder thing…The reasons for that, I think, ran a little deeper than 'no common sense.' I am trying to do a really good job at telling this story in writing. One of my hopes is to prevent intimacy crime, with the story. When it's done, and posted, I hope you will allow me a link from your site to the content.
Hi Kevin, Thanks for your reply and your insight–you definitely have some perspective on online dating that many folks out there do not. Certainly wish you all the best with your writing your story (and with online dating!), and keep us posted!
Hi, I would like to tell the REAL story now that I am home.
I saw the “Snapped” episode tonight. It doesn’t take an investigative illuminary to see what motivated Kevin. And now a book is forthcoming. People would do well to avoid the book and stop Kevin’s hungry pockets.
I completely agree. I am finally home and can tell everyone what really happened
Drew, my pockets are not hungry. I don’t do anything for a single motivation. I had several reasons behind each choice I made in this situation that I didn’t search out. Chrissy forced it on me, for some strange reason. So, what would you have done in my shoes? By the way, I’ve made a grand total of $100 blogging about this. I made less than $2,500 doing interviews for true-crime shows. I didn’t even get a “thank-you” from the victim’s family, never mind a cash reward. But money and notoriety was the least of my motivations. That claim was part of her defense strategy.
Hey Kevin, I just watched your story on Snapped. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you for doing the right thing.i searched for you on fb to talk privately about this. I’d love to write a paper in my college class on this in my Ethics class. Thank you & best wishes!
Thanks, Lora. It’s been a while since I checked this msg board. If it isn’t too late, I would really like to talk to you about this story. I thought it would be all about philosophy, ethics, law and order, and the chaos of dating, marriage and romance. But, I was disappointed from the beginning. It seems most people are philosophically retarded. You seem like an exception!
Hi Kevin. Just watched your story on the CI channel here in Scotland. Wow you had a lucky escape.
Love and best wishes x
It baffles me that for what ever reason you contacted police or in what ever way you came about the information that anyone would consider you a “tattle tale”. Which it tells a lot about the person’s maturity level having used the words “tattle tale”. I cannot think of anything else to do with that information but to pass on to proper authorities. It is ridiculous and irresponsible to do anything else. As for book, blogs, movies or anything else you may make a buck from pertaining to this event, more power to you. You aren’t victimizeing anyone. You gotta love America. Stay safe brother.
I hear you, Bro! My own mother watches these true-crime shows like it’s her job! Then, even though her own son gets involved, at first, against his will, she sides with all the other ding-bats that think it was immoral of me to be a “tattle-tale” after the murderer “trusted me with her secret” and then threatened to murder me too, if I told on her. And, Mom swears O.J. Simpson was innocent! Gotta love America, but got to worry about a democracy too when so many voters have these twisted, immature, ethics. I think “The Allegory of the Cave” explains this phenomenon of ignorance best. In my philosophy class, I called it “The Prophesy of the Television.”
Kevin Leland, I just watched the episode of your story. You did the right thing. Never tried dating sites for that reason…meeting..people who you don’t really know. Hope you’ve had better luck..
Thanks Tina! I was worried that people would judge me for keeping her secret. I definitely would have, if it were true that Charlie was terrorizing Chrissy, and raping her daughters. I like to keep friends who can kill mini-tyrants in such a brave way, and are also smart enough to avoid prosecution for their crime. But the facts are evident. Charlie Billis was NOT a tyrant. He was a good husband and father, and a man of God. I hope that when Chrissy “tells the real story.” She doesn’t assassinate her late husband’s character, now that she is out of jail for assassinating her husband.