THE MEANING OF MALICE
Sandra Bridewell was a beautiful socialite in the affluent Dallas suburb of Highland Park in 1978-82, when DALLAS was the world's most popular TV show and the Dallas Cowboys were America's favorite team. Her husband, Bobby Bridewell, was a top hotel developer and the most popular man in Dallas society. When Bobby died of lymphoma in 1982, Sandra quickly fell from grace in her tight-knit society. Four years later, she left Dallas and moved to the Bay Area under a cloud of suspicion that she had committed multiple murders. In 1987 she was the subject of a sensational D Magazine feature titled "The Black Widow" that suggested she had indeed murdered two of her husbands and the wife of the prominent cancer doctor who had treated Bobby Bridewell. But had she really? If, as so many in her community believed, she was a Black Widow serial killer, why was she never arrested?
True crime author John Leake has followed the story since the D Magazine feature was published. He grew up in Highland Park, just down the street from Sandra, and often visited her home to socialize with one of her children. Since 2007, when Sandra was arrested for stealing the identity of an elderly lady who lived near Cape Fear, North Carolina, he has documented her life and wanderings. He has also meticulously investigated four violent deaths among her family and friends in Dallas. With this book, he finally answers the question that has tantalized Highland Park society ever since. Is Sandra Bridewell a serial killer, or is she a victim of circumstance?