Head teacher murdered husband over his X-rated messaging
| Published date | 17 January 2021 |
| Publication title | People, The |
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Leslie and Todd had also gone on to have two more daughters during their 17 years of marriage. When Todd wasn't tinkering with motors, watching sports or playing video games, he loved spending time with his kids. Todd and Leslie were a regular couple, which is why a grim discovery on 25 August 2013 came as such a shock.
A horrified member of the public discovered Todd's body dumped in an almond orchard. He'd been fatally shot twice in the chest. No one could think of a single person who would want Todd dead. Leslie was suddenly a widow and her loved ones rushed to comfort her.
Later that day, Todd's black Mustang was found abandoned at an intersection about 20 miles away. Police found a gun on the floor of the car, which was unlocked, with the key inside. It was as if the car had been parked there deliberately to tempt someone to steal it. The gun was the murder weapon, and it belonged to Todd and Leslie.
The medical examiner could see that Todd had put his right palm up in a defensive way when the first shot was fired. It struck him in the chest - which is where the second bullet also hit. Both were fired at point blank range and either devastating wound could have been fatal.
There were tire tracks near the body, and they belonged to Todd's Mustang. Someone had driven Todd to the orchard in his own car and killed him with his own gun. But why?
bullets in chest both fired
Further investigation revealed that Todd had last been seen alive around 8am that morning, leaving his home with a woman and getting into his Mustang.
A grainy surveillance image also showed a woman leaving the area where the car had been abandoned.
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Police had an idea of who it might be. They brought Todd's grieving widow in for questioning just days after his killing.
Leslie was accused of being the woman who got into the Mustang with Todd and then abandoned it. She denied the allegation, and others failed to identify her in the footage. Leslie said she was home doing laundry at the time and on her computer working. Without any evidence to hold Leslie any longer, she was released without charge.
Rumours circulated that Leslie had been questioned as a suspect by police, but it seemed incredulous that a head teacher, with no criminal record, would gun...
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