'Cancer' grooms ex-girlfriend: He stole my hopes and dreams

Women say Ken Boyer used them for money, places to stay

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Brevard County woman is convinced that her former live-in boyfriend, Ken Boyer, used her to finance his life and love affairs while claiming to be fighting cancer.

Barbara Jones-Leyden, 63, a former Long Island police employee, told News 6 that Boyer lived with her from September 2015 to November 2016 and was probably cheating on her the entire time.

“He not only stole my heart, he stole a lot of my hopes and dreams, besides the money, “ she said.

Jones-Leyden said Boyer claimed his cancer had spread from his kidney to his liver and then “there was a lull.”

A few months later, she said Boyer told her the cancer was back in his brain and stomach.

Boyer never allowed Jones-Leyden to accompany him to a doctor’s office, there were no medical bills and, according to Jones-Leyden, no prescriptions for cancer treatments.

Records show she wrote checks for $16,000 in January of 2015 and an additional $6000 in March of that same year.

Boyer signed a handwritten promissory note that called for monthly installment payments but according to Jones-Leyden’s attorney  he never paid back a dime.

Jones-Leyden is convinced that the money was never about medical bills but more to finance dates with women he met on dating sites like SingleParent Meet.com.

“Ken Boyer does not know what love is,” she said. “He is a very selfish man. It’s ‘Hooray for me and screw you,’ that’s his motto.”

Jones-Leyden has access to Boyer’s cell phone records because she paid the monthly bill for Boyer and his daughter.

She made random calls to phone numbers listed on those records and found women in Tampa, New Haven, Winter Park, Jacksonville and Miami, all of whom confirmed  they were dating Boyer and admitted he told them he loved them and wanted to live with them.

Trish Marsee, a hair stylist in Winter Park, said Boyer claimed he fell in love with her and wanted to move in with her after their first lunch date.

“There were red flags as far as him pushing to move in with me and pushing to have a relationship,” Marsee said. “I think I’m just shocked, how did he even pull it off?” 

Boyer married Michelle Kimbrel, of Missouri, on May 1 in Palm Bay in a story that went viral.

A copy of the  formal  marriage certificate obtained by News 6 shows it  was filed in Indian River County four days later.

Boyer has stopped responding to reporters' messages and texts.

In his last response to News 6 he said, “I’m not denying that they know me, I have dated them all. I am not going to play their game. The people that truly know me ... you haven’t talked to any of them. You are only talking to angry, hateful, jealous women.”

Boyer’s daughter Hannah said her father called her in February to tell her doctors felt he wouldn’t make it past his June 4 birthday. 

 

In a text to News 6, he appeared to be backing off from that prognosis when he wrote: “Nobody said anything about weeks to live, and I’m sorry the drama card was played to sell the story but we are done with this.”


About the Author:

News 6’s Emmy Award-winning Investigative Reporter Mike Holfeld has made Central Florida history with major investigations that have led to new policies, legislative proposals and even -- state and national laws. If you have an issue or story idea, call Mike's office at 407-521-1322.