Dateline: Point Blank - A complete investigation overview of the Todd Chance murder case, explored 

The Dateline Point Blank episode initially aired on November 20, 2020, at 9/8c on NBC. The episode has since aired in reruns, on Oxygen on February 22, 2024, and subsequently on August 17, 2024, 9/8c on NBC.

The episode focuses on the shocking murder of Todd Chance in Bakersfield, California. The story follows detectives as they unravel the case, relying heavily on surveillance footage and forensic evidence to track down the perpetrator.

The investigation revealed Leslie Jenea Chance meticulously planned to murder her husband; contrary to initial reports that pointed to carjacking or robbery as the cause.

This Dateline episode stands out for its compelling combination of extensive video footage uncovered by authorities and in-depth interviews with people who were at the heart of the events. Andrea Canning’s reporting adds an extra layer of insight and clarity.

Dateline: An overview of the Todd Chance murder case

Todd Chance and his wife, Leslie Jenea Chance, and their daughters vacationed in Las Vegas during the summer of 2013. During their vacation there, they visited a CSI-themed crime exhibit. Investigators later suspected Leslie had utilized what she learned at the exhibit to help her plan and carry out her husband’s murder.

The couple’s daughter, Sarah, told Dateline:

“It was perfect timing, and we had the money. It was a really good summer, probably the best summer I’ve ever had.”

On August 25, 2013, Todd left their Bakersfield home in his black Ford Mustang around 7:30 a.m., telling Leslie he was going to a gun show. That same morning, his body was found in an almond orchard northwest of Bakersfield. He had been shot twice in the chest and once in the hand at close range, suggesting he tried to defend himself.

His wallet was still with him, which ruled out robbery. Later that day, his Mustang was discovered abandoned and unlocked in a Bakersfield neighborhood. Inside was the murder weapon, his own .38 caliber revolver. Investigators also found the car had been cleaned with bleach to destroy DNA evidence.

Initially, detectives presumed it to be a case of carjacking gone wrong, but the evidence quickly pointed in another direction.

Kern County Homicide Detective Kavin Brewer explained to Dateline:

“Our carjacking theory now is showing less and less evidence, especially now with the car being left open and the gun left inside it. That was just so rare and unheard of that a carjacking now is not in my mind anymore.”

Footage from throughout Bakersfield showed a woman who resembled his wife, Jenea. Records also showed that while she said she only wore eyeglasses, she had ordered prescription contacts weeks before the murder and was using them.

Investigators discovered another possible reason: Todd had resumed an online relationship with his former girlfriend, Carrie Williams. Jealousy, hostility, and insurance money seemed to be potential reasons for the murder. In case he divorced her, Jenea would have to pay alimony, but with him dying, she would collect $250,000 worth of life insurance.

Police detained Jenea only four days following Todd’s death in 2013, but released her because there was no direct evidence against her. The case turned cold until 2016, when Jenea was re-arrested following stronger evidence from the video.

Jenea’s trial started in 2019. Her daughters, particularly Jessica Bullman, openly showed support for her and asserted she was innocent. However, initially, she had claimed that it was her mother in the blurred footage.

The defense claimed there was someone else in the security footage, but raised Jenea’s motive, planning, and opportunity to carry out the murder, especially her attraction to the CSI exhibit and her contact lens purchase.

Following eight days of jury deliberations, Jenea was found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. She was not found guilty of murder for financial gain.

In September 2020, she was sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment, 25 years for murder, and 25 years for using a firearm to kill. During the sentencing hearing, Todd’s mother and Jenea’s daughter made passionate remarks regarding the tragedy that divided their family. Jenea to this day asserts her innocence from behind bars.

In an interview with Dateline in 2020, Jenea stated:

“When the verdict came in I thought I heard it wrong. I seriously thought I heard it wrong.”

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Also Read: Dateline: The Night of the Audition - 5 harrowing details about Shannon Madill Burgess's murder, revisited

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