Cooper Moll

His state of decomposition and his clothes were the first clues. Bermuda shorts and a light sweater. This was winter in Oklahoma City, and tonight, the temperature was below freezing.

His state of decomposition and his clothes were the first clues. Bermuda shorts and a light sweater. This was winter in Oklahoma City, and tonight, the temperature was below freezing.

And it looked like someone else had last driven the Bronco.

And it looked like someone else had last driven the Bronco.

The officers ran the license plate. The car belonged to Norman Allen Rarig. He was 30 and lived in Dallas, Texas, about 200 miles away.

The officers ran the license plate. The car belonged to Norman Allen Rarig. He was 30 and lived in Dallas, Texas, about 200 miles away.

Then the next clues. There was no weapon at the scene, no wallet. And here's the strangest part, no car keys.

Then the next clues. There was no weapon at the scene, no wallet. And here's the strangest part, no car keys.

This is the unbelievable story of a femme fatale with a trail of bodies in her wake. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty, available now on The Binge. Search for Fatal Beauty wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. Oklahoma City was shrouded in a quiet chill that December night. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas in 1985.

This is the unbelievable story of a femme fatale with a trail of bodies in her wake. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty, available now on The Binge. Search for Fatal Beauty wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. Oklahoma City was shrouded in a quiet chill that December night. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas in 1985.

Was this a robbery gone wrong? Still, something wasn't tracking.

Was this a robbery gone wrong? Still, something wasn't tracking.

He had two gunshot wounds from a .38 caliber pistol, one to the head, precise and deliberate, and the other to the body, leaving no doubt about the brutality of the crime. The faint odor of death intermingled with the frozen air. The officers exchanged knowing looks. This, they knew, was murder. But how this man was killed was something they wouldn't know for a long time.

He had two gunshot wounds from a .38 caliber pistol, one to the head, precise and deliberate, and the other to the body, leaving no doubt about the brutality of the crime. The faint odor of death intermingled with the frozen air. The officers exchanged knowing looks. This, they knew, was murder. But how this man was killed was something they wouldn't know for a long time.

And the victim himself, wedged between the seats of his car in a parking lot in Oklahoma in the dead of winter, had no idea of the danger he was in moments before he died. Alan Rarig was the kind of tall, broad-shouldered man that made people do a double take. An athlete. A hometown hero. The kind of man who would have aged gracefully. Chiseled even in middle age.

And the victim himself, wedged between the seats of his car in a parking lot in Oklahoma in the dead of winter, had no idea of the danger he was in moments before he died. Alan Rarig was the kind of tall, broad-shouldered man that made people do a double take. An athlete. A hometown hero. The kind of man who would have aged gracefully. Chiseled even in middle age.

Were he not face down on the back floorboard, his life ended. He hadn't fully appreciated that someone had it out for him. That someone wanted him dead. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty. Available now on The Binge. Search for Fatal Beauty wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.

Were he not face down on the back floorboard, his life ended. He hadn't fully appreciated that someone had it out for him. That someone wanted him dead. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty. Available now on The Binge. Search for Fatal Beauty wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.

Alan Rarig was found dead in a parking lot in Oklahoma. He'd been shot twice. Once to the head. You'd think his wife would be devastated. Not exactly.

Alan Rarig was found dead in a parking lot in Oklahoma. He'd been shot twice. Once to the head. You'd think his wife would be devastated. Not exactly.

The hum of jet engines could be heard in the distance. Two Oklahoma City police officers were patrolling a secluded area not too far from the Will Rogers Airport.

The hum of jet engines could be heard in the distance. Two Oklahoma City police officers were patrolling a secluded area not too far from the Will Rogers Airport.

Was someone in there? It was hard to see. Frost clung stubbornly to the vehicle's windows, obscuring the inside, as if nature itself sought to shield the horrors within. As the officers approached the Bronco, the cold air felt heavier, almost suffocating. One officer gripped the passenger door handle, pulling hesitantly. It was locked, left with no choice but to pry it open.

Was someone in there? It was hard to see. Frost clung stubbornly to the vehicle's windows, obscuring the inside, as if nature itself sought to shield the horrors within. As the officers approached the Bronco, the cold air felt heavier, almost suffocating. One officer gripped the passenger door handle, pulling hesitantly. It was locked, left with no choice but to pry it open.

Inside, the scene was chilling beyond the winter's cold. The partially decomposed body of a man in his prime wedged between the front seats, his head face down on the back floorboard. He was young, 30-something. His lifeless form seemed to have been abandoned in a final, grotesque tableau. Retired homicide detective Kyle Eastridge recalls the scene.

Inside, the scene was chilling beyond the winter's cold. The partially decomposed body of a man in his prime wedged between the front seats, his head face down on the back floorboard. He was young, 30-something. His lifeless form seemed to have been abandoned in a final, grotesque tableau. Retired homicide detective Kyle Eastridge recalls the scene.

It was a baffling tragedy, one you would imagine would have devastated his wife, Sandra Bridewell. But as investigators started to piece together the case, a far more frightening set of circumstances came to light.

It was a baffling tragedy, one you would imagine would have devastated his wife, Sandra Bridewell. But as investigators started to piece together the case, a far more frightening set of circumstances came to light.

Alan Rarig was found dead in a parking lot in Oklahoma. He'd been shot twice, once to the head.

Alan Rarig was found dead in a parking lot in Oklahoma. He'd been shot twice, once to the head.

Soon, people began to wonder, who was Sandra Bridewell?

Soon, people began to wonder, who was Sandra Bridewell?

And she had the charm to charm men, any man. This is the unbelievable story of a femme fatale with a trail of bodies in her wake and a lifetime of deception that has never been fully aired until now.

And she had the charm to charm men, any man. This is the unbelievable story of a femme fatale with a trail of bodies in her wake and a lifetime of deception that has never been fully aired until now.

From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty, coming April 1st to The Binge. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty, coming April 1st to The Binge. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. In an age before the internet could track every move and every deception, Sandra Bridewell moved like a ghost.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. In an age before the internet could track every move and every deception, Sandra Bridewell moved like a ghost.

To call Huskinson creative would be an understatement.

To call Huskinson creative would be an understatement.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering where Camille and her suitor were when this little break-in went down.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering where Camille and her suitor were when this little break-in went down.

His wife was at her wit's end. So Huskinson called around to hotels and verified Camille was in fact with him. The dude was still lying.

His wife was at her wit's end. So Huskinson called around to hotels and verified Camille was in fact with him. The dude was still lying.

Those were Bobby's documents, Sandra's second husband. And all those papers led back to Dallas. Then another clue and another name.

Those were Bobby's documents, Sandra's second husband. And all those papers led back to Dallas. Then another clue and another name.

They shared a last name. Could he be sleeping with sisters? Huskinson thought this man now had not one, but two mistresses. How the hell was she going to break this to her friend? Sometime after that, Huskinson caught wind that Camille and her three-timing husband were back in California, at the same vacation condo where her friend had found the long black hairs on the pillow.

They shared a last name. Could he be sleeping with sisters? Huskinson thought this man now had not one, but two mistresses. How the hell was she going to break this to her friend? Sometime after that, Huskinson caught wind that Camille and her three-timing husband were back in California, at the same vacation condo where her friend had found the long black hairs on the pillow.

At this point, they brought in some backup.

At this point, they brought in some backup.

They used this guy to let the wife know when they'd left the apartment. She wanted to do some sleuthing of her own.

They used this guy to let the wife know when they'd left the apartment. She wanted to do some sleuthing of her own.

The wife had grown a backbone. It was time for some answers. She wanted to see her husband's mistress, see this woman for herself, once and for all.

The wife had grown a backbone. It was time for some answers. She wanted to see her husband's mistress, see this woman for herself, once and for all.

Needless to say, they weren't expecting a visitor. Both of them looking shocked. The wife locked eyes with the other woman.

Needless to say, they weren't expecting a visitor. Both of them looking shocked. The wife locked eyes with the other woman.

I can only imagine her heart was pounding. But now Camille was backed into a corner.

I can only imagine her heart was pounding. But now Camille was backed into a corner.

Did Camille know about the other other woman?

Did Camille know about the other other woman?

For the rest of her life, as she moved from city to city, the article became a warning to people she tried to lure in. Like a woman in the Bay Area who struck up a fast and close friendship with Sandra after meeting at a black tie event. Who knows how that might have ended had someone not faxed a copy of the article to her. Here's a broadcast from San Francisco's News Center 4 with the scoop.

For the rest of her life, as she moved from city to city, the article became a warning to people she tried to lure in. Like a woman in the Bay Area who struck up a fast and close friendship with Sandra after meeting at a black tie event. Who knows how that might have ended had someone not faxed a copy of the article to her. Here's a broadcast from San Francisco's News Center 4 with the scoop.

And that's when the penny dropped for Huskinson and her client.

And that's when the penny dropped for Huskinson and her client.

For the wife at that moment, this mistress's real name wasn't the most pressing issue. She wanted her out of their lives.

For the wife at that moment, this mistress's real name wasn't the most pressing issue. She wanted her out of their lives.

When we spoke, Huskinson couldn't remember the precise financials. This was 1994 after all. But during this, what I can only imagine as a painfully awkward meeting, the couple agreed to pay Camille to leave them alone. She'd get to stay in the Boston apartment for a few months while she got on her feet. But the affair would end today.

When we spoke, Huskinson couldn't remember the precise financials. This was 1994 after all. But during this, what I can only imagine as a painfully awkward meeting, the couple agreed to pay Camille to leave them alone. She'd get to stay in the Boston apartment for a few months while she got on her feet. But the affair would end today.

This husband and wife may have come to some sort of reconciliation, but Huskinson was still stuck on who Sandra might be. There was more to this woman. She was sure of it.

This husband and wife may have come to some sort of reconciliation, but Huskinson was still stuck on who Sandra might be. There was more to this woman. She was sure of it.

Huskinson might have been up all night, but now she was wide awake. She stayed up a bit longer until the Dallas Morning News opened and got a hold of a woman in their archives who confirmed that Sandra and Camille were the same woman. Just when she thought her friend had dodged a bullet, Camille resurfaced months later with some news.

Huskinson might have been up all night, but now she was wide awake. She stayed up a bit longer until the Dallas Morning News opened and got a hold of a woman in their archives who confirmed that Sandra and Camille were the same woman. Just when she thought her friend had dodged a bullet, Camille resurfaced months later with some news.

When Sandra told Alan she was pregnant, she was still at an age where this was believable. Now, though, she was about 50 years old. The odds of this were vanishingly slim. Camille had proof, though. She had provided him with a sonogram. Then she claimed she delivered their child.

When Sandra told Alan she was pregnant, she was still at an age where this was believable. Now, though, she was about 50 years old. The odds of this were vanishingly slim. Camille had proof, though. She had provided him with a sonogram. Then she claimed she delivered their child.

In the apartment, he noticed more signs of childbirth.

In the apartment, he noticed more signs of childbirth.

but no baby. There was an explanation for that too. She told the guy while he was in California.

but no baby. There was an explanation for that too. She told the guy while he was in California.

It just doesn't happen like that. He had no choice to inform his wife he'd been patching things up with. Huskinson caught wind of this perplexing development and remembered something the daughter found in the apartment search. A current bottle of Premarin. Premarin is basically estrogen. People who take it typically are in menopause or have had a hysterectomy, not pregnant people.

It just doesn't happen like that. He had no choice to inform his wife he'd been patching things up with. Huskinson caught wind of this perplexing development and remembered something the daughter found in the apartment search. A current bottle of Premarin. Premarin is basically estrogen. People who take it typically are in menopause or have had a hysterectomy, not pregnant people.

Huskinson's mind was officially on fire. She decided to take a trip to Dallas.

Huskinson's mind was officially on fire. She decided to take a trip to Dallas.

How she'd played the same game with Alan.

How she'd played the same game with Alan.

This same friend claimed to have driven Sandra to the very appointment. Knowing what I know now about Huskinson's impressive skill set, I had to ask. Were you ever able to find any record of her hysterectomy? Um, no comment. But she did share what other intel she got on the pregnancy. She went the whole 10 yards on that one.

This same friend claimed to have driven Sandra to the very appointment. Knowing what I know now about Huskinson's impressive skill set, I had to ask. Were you ever able to find any record of her hysterectomy? Um, no comment. But she did share what other intel she got on the pregnancy. She went the whole 10 yards on that one.

But around this time, Sandra showed her true colors. She started demanding money. Or else she'd tell anyone who'd listen he'd had an affair with her. That they'd had a bastard child. Here's the thing.

But around this time, Sandra showed her true colors. She started demanding money. Or else she'd tell anyone who'd listen he'd had an affair with her. That they'd had a bastard child. Here's the thing.

Meaning?

Meaning?

Sandra had done it again.

Sandra had done it again.

Lying about being pregnant isn't illegal, but using that lie for financial gain? You bet it is.

Lying about being pregnant isn't illegal, but using that lie for financial gain? You bet it is.

Investigative reporter Glenna Whitley recounted what happened when the feds reached out.

Investigative reporter Glenna Whitley recounted what happened when the feds reached out.

And the next time she popped up, Camille was a Christian missionary, a woman of God, who's gone here, there, and everywhere spreading the good word. She played the part flawlessly, the soft voice, the comforting presence, the unwavering devotion to Christ. She wasn't just a believer. She's a shepherd, guiding the lost towards salvation. Or at least she said she was.

And the next time she popped up, Camille was a Christian missionary, a woman of God, who's gone here, there, and everywhere spreading the good word. She played the part flawlessly, the soft voice, the comforting presence, the unwavering devotion to Christ. She wasn't just a believer. She's a shepherd, guiding the lost towards salvation. Or at least she said she was.

Jay Benson, a then 46-year-old entrepreneur, was attending a conference at New Birth Ministries Baptist Church when she first noticed a new face in the congregation.

Jay Benson, a then 46-year-old entrepreneur, was attending a conference at New Birth Ministries Baptist Church when she first noticed a new face in the congregation.

None of this was out of the ordinary. New Birth Ministries is a megachurch in Stonecrest, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, with thousands of devotees. It's a Baptist institution with deep roots in the Black community.

None of this was out of the ordinary. New Birth Ministries is a megachurch in Stonecrest, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, with thousands of devotees. It's a Baptist institution with deep roots in the Black community.

She stood out not only because she was the only white woman in a crowd of Black parishioners, but because of the way she moved. Exuberant. Expressive. Almost theatrical.

She stood out not only because she was the only white woman in a crowd of Black parishioners, but because of the way she moved. Exuberant. Expressive. Almost theatrical.

That glow captured Jay's friend she attended the conference with. The magnetic pole extended at the parking lot, where he offered her a ride home with him and Jay. She introduced herself as Camille Bridwell. That's Bridwell, not Bridewell.

That glow captured Jay's friend she attended the conference with. The magnetic pole extended at the parking lot, where he offered her a ride home with him and Jay. She introduced herself as Camille Bridwell. That's Bridwell, not Bridewell.

After their initial meeting, their paths continued to cross in their faith-based circle. At a lunch hosted by the same friend who'd given both women a ride, Camille and Jay got to talking more.

After their initial meeting, their paths continued to cross in their faith-based circle. At a lunch hosted by the same friend who'd given both women a ride, Camille and Jay got to talking more.

Camille spoke of being forced to sleep in near squalor, of church members who had turned a blind eye to her misfortunes. This was no way for a woman pushing 60 to be living. Jay, moved by a sense of Christian duty, extended an offer.

Camille spoke of being forced to sleep in near squalor, of church members who had turned a blind eye to her misfortunes. This was no way for a woman pushing 60 to be living. Jay, moved by a sense of Christian duty, extended an offer.

Jay was new to Atlanta and newly divorced. She had room to spare.

Jay was new to Atlanta and newly divorced. She had room to spare.

But what seemed like an act of goodwill soon turned into something far stranger.

But what seemed like an act of goodwill soon turned into something far stranger.

As weeks passed, Camille proved to be peculiar. When Jay would attempt to get to know her new roommate, Camille kept personal details close to her chest.

As weeks passed, Camille proved to be peculiar. When Jay would attempt to get to know her new roommate, Camille kept personal details close to her chest.

Jay did learn Camille was widowed, that her husband Bobby had died of cancer, and that there was even a foundation in his name. Camille had also told her she was a mother of three, but she wasn't exactly eager to talk about her children. By then, her kids were grownups, in their late 20s and mid-30s.

Jay did learn Camille was widowed, that her husband Bobby had died of cancer, and that there was even a foundation in his name. Camille had also told her she was a mother of three, but she wasn't exactly eager to talk about her children. By then, her kids were grownups, in their late 20s and mid-30s.

Her demeanor would shift like a shadow against the light. It was odd, but Jay just figured it was none of her business. Speaking of business, Camille was eager to jump into it with Jay.

Her demeanor would shift like a shadow against the light. It was odd, but Jay just figured it was none of her business. Speaking of business, Camille was eager to jump into it with Jay.

Keyman insurance is a type of life insurance policy. A business buys it to protect against financial loss if a key employee dies or becomes disabled. Jay hardly knew this woman. Take out a life insurance policy? No way. Plus, Camille's financial situation wasn't exactly rock solid.

Keyman insurance is a type of life insurance policy. A business buys it to protect against financial loss if a key employee dies or becomes disabled. Jay hardly knew this woman. Take out a life insurance policy? No way. Plus, Camille's financial situation wasn't exactly rock solid.

This woman is terrified. Incredibly, she did manage to break free. Who knows why she was able to step away and survive while Betsy Bagwell died. We may never know. But here's what's truly scary about Sandra. She's the kind of predator who could stay under the radar. She could get people to underestimate her, to not worry even when they had heard multiple allegations against her.

This woman is terrified. Incredibly, she did manage to break free. Who knows why she was able to step away and survive while Betsy Bagwell died. We may never know. But here's what's truly scary about Sandra. She's the kind of predator who could stay under the radar. She could get people to underestimate her, to not worry even when they had heard multiple allegations against her.

She told Jay she was waiting on money from a trust fund. She was always short on cash.

She told Jay she was waiting on money from a trust fund. She was always short on cash.

An uneasiness set in. She began to lock onto Camille's habits that were just weird. She operated under a different clock, awake at all hours of the night, stepping out onto the veranda to murmur under the moon.

An uneasiness set in. She began to lock onto Camille's habits that were just weird. She operated under a different clock, awake at all hours of the night, stepping out onto the veranda to murmur under the moon.

Small, unshakable doubts formed into something sharper. After about two months of living together, she had a nagging suspicion there was something dishonest about Camille.

Small, unshakable doubts formed into something sharper. After about two months of living together, she had a nagging suspicion there was something dishonest about Camille.

Camille had just stepped out to go window shop at the mall, so Jay snuck into Camille's bedroom.

Camille had just stepped out to go window shop at the mall, so Jay snuck into Camille's bedroom.

She carefully turned over the air mattress.

She carefully turned over the air mattress.

It was an absolute rat's nest. Jay's gut began to churn. Just as she was trying to process how the hell Camille could live like this, something else caught her eye. A passport.

It was an absolute rat's nest. Jay's gut began to churn. Just as she was trying to process how the hell Camille could live like this, something else caught her eye. A passport.

Sandra Camille Bridewell. Jay freaked out.

Sandra Camille Bridewell. Jay freaked out.

Curiosity turned into urgency. She turned to the early days of search engines, scrolling through Google and Yahoo, typing in the name from the passport. A charity name surfaced, the Bridewell Foundation, something Camille had mentioned in passing. A fax number was listed, and in a moment of reckless need, Jay sent a message asking for any information. The next day, she received a cryptic response.

Curiosity turned into urgency. She turned to the early days of search engines, scrolling through Google and Yahoo, typing in the name from the passport. A charity name surfaced, the Bridewell Foundation, something Camille had mentioned in passing. A fax number was listed, and in a moment of reckless need, Jay sent a message asking for any information. The next day, she received a cryptic response.

She dialed immediately. A woman who worked for the foundation picked up the other end of the line.

She dialed immediately. A woman who worked for the foundation picked up the other end of the line.

Boy, did Jay have no idea what she was in for.

Boy, did Jay have no idea what she was in for.

Jay's blood ran cold. The woman living under her roof, the woman that she had fed, housed, trusted, was a fraud. She had been accused of killing.

Jay's blood ran cold. The woman living under her roof, the woman that she had fed, housed, trusted, was a fraud. She had been accused of killing.

She certainly didn't. By the sound of it, Sandra was a predator, one who changed her means to an end as easily as shedding skin. Neither Whitley nor Huskinson was the one to warn her, but she'd been warned. She still had a chance to save herself. Jay hung up the phone.

She certainly didn't. By the sound of it, Sandra was a predator, one who changed her means to an end as easily as shedding skin. Neither Whitley nor Huskinson was the one to warn her, but she'd been warned. She still had a chance to save herself. Jay hung up the phone.

Jay had to act quickly. She wanted Sandra out of her home.

Jay had to act quickly. She wanted Sandra out of her home.

Next, she called for backup.

Next, she called for backup.

Some people in her affluent circle in California were simply unfazed that she'd been called the Black Widow in print.

Some people in her affluent circle in California were simply unfazed that she'd been called the Black Widow in print.

With help on the way, Jay decided it was time to approach Sandra herself. She knocked on the bedroom door, her heart racing. When Sandra emerged wrapped in a towel, she greeted Jay with her usual syrupy warmth.

With help on the way, Jay decided it was time to approach Sandra herself. She knocked on the bedroom door, her heart racing. When Sandra emerged wrapped in a towel, she greeted Jay with her usual syrupy warmth.

For a fraction of a second, Sandra's face twisted into something else, something chilling. Her mask had slipped.

For a fraction of a second, Sandra's face twisted into something else, something chilling. Her mask had slipped.

Then she stepped toward Jay.

Then she stepped toward Jay.

Sandra stopped right there.

Sandra stopped right there.

She got dressed under watchful eyes.

She got dressed under watchful eyes.

Jay led Sandra to the living room and ordered her to sit on the couch while the police were en route. Her demeanor? Chilling.

Jay led Sandra to the living room and ordered her to sit on the couch while the police were en route. Her demeanor? Chilling.

As if she knew from experience the police couldn't touch her. When officers arrived, they ran Sandra's name. She didn't have any outstanding warrants. No immediate cause for arrest. What is it about this woman that keeps her walking away scot-free?

As if she knew from experience the police couldn't touch her. When officers arrived, they ran Sandra's name. She didn't have any outstanding warrants. No immediate cause for arrest. What is it about this woman that keeps her walking away scot-free?

But Jay didn't need the law to do what had to be done.

But Jay didn't need the law to do what had to be done.

Sandra left that night. She took her suitcase, her lies, and her carefully curated persona with her. By the time Jay went outside to check the parking lot, she was already gone. She had no money, no immediate means of escape.

Sandra left that night. She took her suitcase, her lies, and her carefully curated persona with her. By the time Jay went outside to check the parking lot, she was already gone. She had no money, no immediate means of escape.

Later, after Jay had some time to sit with everything that happened, someone pointed out how close she'd come.

Later, after Jay had some time to sit with everything that happened, someone pointed out how close she'd come.

Next time on Fatal Beauty.

Next time on Fatal Beauty.

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In those days, people gave other people like them the benefit of the doubt. There was an unspoken trust. And Sandra capitalized on it. Law enforcement hadn't been able to rein her in. With no one to stop her, she continued to hatch her next plot. Sandra was now on the move. It was going to take an army of self-appointed vigilantes to expose her misdeeds.

In those days, people gave other people like them the benefit of the doubt. There was an unspoken trust. And Sandra capitalized on it. Law enforcement hadn't been able to rein her in. With no one to stop her, she continued to hatch her next plot. Sandra was now on the move. It was going to take an army of self-appointed vigilantes to expose her misdeeds.

From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty. I'm Cooper Mall. Episode four, There's Something About Camille. Tracing the path of Sandra Bridewell is not a task for the faint of heart. I know from experience, it is painstakingly complicated and at times, frustrating. But there's nobody who knows this woman like Lena Whitley.

From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty. I'm Cooper Mall. Episode four, There's Something About Camille. Tracing the path of Sandra Bridewell is not a task for the faint of heart. I know from experience, it is painstakingly complicated and at times, frustrating. But there's nobody who knows this woman like Lena Whitley.

For Eric Miller and his co-author Skip Hollinsworth, their 1987 D Magazine article may have been the end of investigating Sandra. But for Whitley, it was only the beginning.

For Eric Miller and his co-author Skip Hollinsworth, their 1987 D Magazine article may have been the end of investigating Sandra. But for Whitley, it was only the beginning.

No social media to expose her lies. Former friends and acquaintances who suspected her of wrongdoing weren't sharing their concern online. So Sandra could just find new people to charm, who were none the wiser about her past. But in May 1987, that veil of protection wore paper thin.

No social media to expose her lies. Former friends and acquaintances who suspected her of wrongdoing weren't sharing their concern online. So Sandra could just find new people to charm, who were none the wiser about her past. But in May 1987, that veil of protection wore paper thin.

In 1989, Whitley wrote an explosive story called Whatever Happened at the Black Widow. After that, she became the person strangers called when their paths crossed with this intriguing beauty. They didn't call the cops. They called Whitley.

In 1989, Whitley wrote an explosive story called Whatever Happened at the Black Widow. After that, she became the person strangers called when their paths crossed with this intriguing beauty. They didn't call the cops. They called Whitley.

She didn't ditch meetings for a phone call, but the receptionist practically twisted her arm. She was very insistent. Whitley went to see who was on the phone.

She didn't ditch meetings for a phone call, but the receptionist practically twisted her arm. She was very insistent. Whitley went to see who was on the phone.

He had come across a story about the California chapter of Sandra Bridewell, a beautiful, mysterious woman known in Highland Park as the Black Widow.

He had come across a story about the California chapter of Sandra Bridewell, a beautiful, mysterious woman known in Highland Park as the Black Widow.

Glenna assured him that the piece had been meticulously researched, vetted, and fact-checked.

Glenna assured him that the piece had been meticulously researched, vetted, and fact-checked.

Whitley knew where this could be headed.

Whitley knew where this could be headed.

Whitley couldn't stop thinking about who Sandra might be targeting next. She felt compelled to expose her, to warn others.

Whitley couldn't stop thinking about who Sandra might be targeting next. She felt compelled to expose her, to warn others.

law enforcement had seemingly given up on stopping Sandra. If not Glenna, then who?

law enforcement had seemingly given up on stopping Sandra. If not Glenna, then who?

And then they'd call Whitley with a slew of questions. Sandra had started tweaking her name ever so slightly. Sandra Camille Powers was her name as a child.

And then they'd call Whitley with a slew of questions. Sandra had started tweaking her name ever so slightly. Sandra Camille Powers was her name as a child.

On legal documents, leases, IDs. She played musical chairs with her name. I think to try to outrun her reputation as a Black widow. Back in the 90s, Whitley had become a hotline.

On legal documents, leases, IDs. She played musical chairs with her name. I think to try to outrun her reputation as a Black widow. Back in the 90s, Whitley had become a hotline.

She'd go on to write for the Dallas Observer.

She'd go on to write for the Dallas Observer.

Each name change made tracking her harder. So did her frequent moves. Whitley found Sandra's web of deception stretched across the country. She had addresses in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. And she would use PO boxes to keep her address a mystery.

Each name change made tracking her harder. So did her frequent moves. Whitley found Sandra's web of deception stretched across the country. She had addresses in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. And she would use PO boxes to keep her address a mystery.

And if you're wondering, yes, it's illegal to use someone else's social security number. She was opening herself up to serious criminal charges, but it was nearly impossible to pin her down anywhere for long. For a moment there in the early 90s, the phone calls came to a halt. Whitley thought she may have lost her for good. She kind of vanishes. The trail had become sparse.

And if you're wondering, yes, it's illegal to use someone else's social security number. She was opening herself up to serious criminal charges, but it was nearly impossible to pin her down anywhere for long. For a moment there in the early 90s, the phone calls came to a halt. Whitley thought she may have lost her for good. She kind of vanishes. The trail had become sparse.

Sandra wasn't popping up in public records and databases.

Sandra wasn't popping up in public records and databases.

That's Eric Miller. He co-wrote a nearly 12,000-word story titled, Sandra Bridewell is the Black Widow. It didn't mince words. The article laid out how the good people of Dallas had long gossiped that she was guilty of at least one murder. It appeared in D Magazine, which has long been a voice of how Dallas sees itself.

That's Eric Miller. He co-wrote a nearly 12,000-word story titled, Sandra Bridewell is the Black Widow. It didn't mince words. The article laid out how the good people of Dallas had long gossiped that she was guilty of at least one murder. It appeared in D Magazine, which has long been a voice of how Dallas sees itself.

It seemed all bets were off getting law enforcement to do a thing about Sandra. But Whitley wasn't the only one keeping tabs on her. Other people had taken up the hunt, too. It was only a matter of time before they'd band together.

It seemed all bets were off getting law enforcement to do a thing about Sandra. But Whitley wasn't the only one keeping tabs on her. Other people had taken up the hunt, too. It was only a matter of time before they'd band together.

This is when Carrie Huskinson, P.I., reached out to Whitley. Here she is. This is where my career actually began.

This is when Carrie Huskinson, P.I., reached out to Whitley. Here she is. This is where my career actually began.

And you guessed it. The husband had taken up with a certain smoldering seductress with long brown hair and a tight waistline. And the friend wasn't one to rock the boat.

And you guessed it. The husband had taken up with a certain smoldering seductress with long brown hair and a tight waistline. And the friend wasn't one to rock the boat.

This is all going down in Northern California. At first, the friend wrestled with the thought that she may just be paranoid, that her husband, a successful businessman, might not be cheating.

This is all going down in Northern California. At first, the friend wrestled with the thought that she may just be paranoid, that her husband, a successful businessman, might not be cheating.

Huskinson wasn't buying it, but her friends still didn't want to face it. Only solid evidence of her husband's infidelity would convince her. Not long after, Huskinson heard from the wife again, while she and her husband were away at their vacation condo for the weekend.

Huskinson wasn't buying it, but her friends still didn't want to face it. Only solid evidence of her husband's infidelity would convince her. Not long after, Huskinson heard from the wife again, while she and her husband were away at their vacation condo for the weekend.

It's unclear if the housewife approached him that aggressively, but whatever she did, she managed to get him to confess.

It's unclear if the housewife approached him that aggressively, but whatever she did, she managed to get him to confess.

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

Huskinson told me these were devout Christians. Divorce was out of the question. But the wife wanted to know more about this Camille lady. She mentioned hiring a private investigator. But the guy she'd hired couldn't cut the mustard.

Huskinson told me these were devout Christians. Divorce was out of the question. But the wife wanted to know more about this Camille lady. She mentioned hiring a private investigator. But the guy she'd hired couldn't cut the mustard.

And Sandra's face landed on the cover with a headline that read, Death and Gossip in Highland Park. Picture donning a bright smile that stretched ear to ear and looked a touch like Katharine Hepburn.

And Sandra's face landed on the cover with a headline that read, Death and Gossip in Highland Park. Picture donning a bright smile that stretched ear to ear and looked a touch like Katharine Hepburn.

Finding something on the other woman was the whole point. Huskinson wasn't impressed.

Finding something on the other woman was the whole point. Huskinson wasn't impressed.

In an instant, Huskinson's career crystallized.

In an instant, Huskinson's career crystallized.

If you can't already tell, she doesn't mess around. Huskinson wanted to do this by the book. She took a course in private investigation, learned all the rules and policies, then dove in headfirst into finding out everything there was to know about Camille. The mission to track the mistress down was going to be complicated, but the husband was smarter than that.

If you can't already tell, she doesn't mess around. Huskinson wanted to do this by the book. She took a course in private investigation, learned all the rules and policies, then dove in headfirst into finding out everything there was to know about Camille. The mission to track the mistress down was going to be complicated, but the husband was smarter than that.

Operators weren't budging. It was a private listing. They couldn't just give out the address. So Huskinson tried a more unorthodox approach as a means to an end.

Operators weren't budging. It was a private listing. They couldn't just give out the address. So Huskinson tried a more unorthodox approach as a means to an end.

The operator didn't give her a name, but this was something.

The operator didn't give her a name, but this was something.

In her two-day stakeout, she didn't observe any comings and goings.

In her two-day stakeout, she didn't observe any comings and goings.

Bridewell. Now she had something to go off of, a last name.

Bridewell. Now she had something to go off of, a last name.

Huskinson thought if she could just get into the apartment, she'd be able to get a much better picture of who this Bridewell woman really was. Then an opportunity presented itself when no one would be home and someone else would be in town.

Huskinson thought if she could just get into the apartment, she'd be able to get a much better picture of who this Bridewell woman really was. Then an opportunity presented itself when no one would be home and someone else would be in town.

To this day, it's one of the publication's most popular pieces. Back in 1987, when it hit newsstands in Highland Park, locals devoured every word. By then, Sandra was long gone. She'd left for Marin County, as we told you last episode. But that Black Widow article would complicate things for Sandra.

To this day, it's one of the publication's most popular pieces. Back in 1987, when it hit newsstands in Highland Park, locals devoured every word. By then, Sandra was long gone. She'd left for Marin County, as we told you last episode. But that Black Widow article would complicate things for Sandra.

This daughter was clued into her father's misdeeds and wasn't happy about how dirty he'd been doing her mom. Huskinson thought perhaps she could use that resentment and angst to the advantage of the investigation.

This daughter was clued into her father's misdeeds and wasn't happy about how dirty he'd been doing her mom. Huskinson thought perhaps she could use that resentment and angst to the advantage of the investigation.

And if Sandra was capable of lying about this, where did she draw the line? From the start, she'd played him. He was never going to be a father. This was it. Gloria felt she had to stop Sandra from profiting off her son's death. His money should stay within the family. Not go to the woman she suspected of taking his life.

And if Sandra was capable of lying about this, where did she draw the line? From the start, she'd played him. He was never going to be a father. This was it. Gloria felt she had to stop Sandra from profiting off her son's death. His money should stay within the family. Not go to the woman she suspected of taking his life.

Nearly six months after Alan was shot to death, Gloria still hadn't heard any new developments from detectives on arresting Sandra. But she did hear from the life insurance company that sold Alan his policy. And the news wasn't good. Since Sandra hadn't been arrested, she was going to get the payout in 24 hours.

Nearly six months after Alan was shot to death, Gloria still hadn't heard any new developments from detectives on arresting Sandra. But she did hear from the life insurance company that sold Alan his policy. And the news wasn't good. Since Sandra hadn't been arrested, she was going to get the payout in 24 hours.

Gloria knew if she had any chance of stopping Sandra from getting that $220,000, she needed to get a lawyer ASAP.

Gloria knew if she had any chance of stopping Sandra from getting that $220,000, she needed to get a lawyer ASAP.

David Wise was a probate attorney in Dallas. He wasn't a cop, but he was exactly the kind of professional Gloria needed. Someone who could fight Sandra in court, stalled out life insurance payout, and if possible, strip Sandra of her power over Allen's estate.

David Wise was a probate attorney in Dallas. He wasn't a cop, but he was exactly the kind of professional Gloria needed. Someone who could fight Sandra in court, stalled out life insurance payout, and if possible, strip Sandra of her power over Allen's estate.

Over the phone, he took Gloria's case.

Over the phone, he took Gloria's case.

This was a neighborhood where first impressions were everything. Alan apparently understood the assignment.

This was a neighborhood where first impressions were everything. Alan apparently understood the assignment.

The letter claimed Sandra, the beneficiary, was the prime suspect in Allen's murder, so the payout should be delayed, at least until that suspicion could be ruled out or proven. David didn't stop there. We're talking murder here. This wasn't merely a probate case. So he set up a hearing before Nikki DeShazo, judge of Dallas County's probate court.

The letter claimed Sandra, the beneficiary, was the prime suspect in Allen's murder, so the payout should be delayed, at least until that suspicion could be ruled out or proven. David didn't stop there. We're talking murder here. This wasn't merely a probate case. So he set up a hearing before Nikki DeShazo, judge of Dallas County's probate court.

He subpoenaed detectives Mitchell and Pacheco to come along with him.

He subpoenaed detectives Mitchell and Pacheco to come along with him.

Criminal defense attorneys in probate court. More fodder for the claim David was there to make.

Criminal defense attorneys in probate court. More fodder for the claim David was there to make.

If David wanted to approach it that way, Judge DeShazo was prepared to play by those rules. Here he is recounting what she said.

If David wanted to approach it that way, Judge DeShazo was prepared to play by those rules. Here he is recounting what she said.

Let's just say David was frustrated.

Let's just say David was frustrated.

They left it at that, and the hearing would be continued at a later date. If Sandra couldn't be the administrator of Allen's estate, they had to put someone else up for the job. David suggested Allen's cousin, Robert Smith. He was local to the area and willing to rise to the occasion.

They left it at that, and the hearing would be continued at a later date. If Sandra couldn't be the administrator of Allen's estate, they had to put someone else up for the job. David suggested Allen's cousin, Robert Smith. He was local to the area and willing to rise to the occasion.

In early July, an official application was filed to remove Sandra as administrator and replace her with Robert.

In early July, an official application was filed to remove Sandra as administrator and replace her with Robert.

Robert stood in Sandra's way, plain and simple. So she might have had a motive to kill. And yet, it's unclear if Robert's death was ever investigated as a homicide. His death quickly deemed a suicide. By now, you're probably thinking, how on earth does this keep happening? That question was nagging me too. It seemed to me whether a death gets deemed a suicide or not was awfully subjective.

Robert stood in Sandra's way, plain and simple. So she might have had a motive to kill. And yet, it's unclear if Robert's death was ever investigated as a homicide. His death quickly deemed a suicide. By now, you're probably thinking, how on earth does this keep happening? That question was nagging me too. It seemed to me whether a death gets deemed a suicide or not was awfully subjective.

Turns out it wasn't until 1988 that the forensic scientists and medical community started laying out the criteria for what makes suicide a suicide. And that was two years after the last suicide in Sandra's orbit. But get this, in America, there's no universal standard for coroners or medical examiners to follow to this very day.

Turns out it wasn't until 1988 that the forensic scientists and medical community started laying out the criteria for what makes suicide a suicide. And that was two years after the last suicide in Sandra's orbit. But get this, in America, there's no universal standard for coroners or medical examiners to follow to this very day.

The sparkling SUV made its way down Lorain Avenue, cruising slowly in hopes of spotting a for rent sign. Instead, someone caught Alan's eye that June morning. Sandra was standing out in the yard talking to her yard man. She looked like a pinup living inside a Norman Rockwell painting. Might she have a lead?

The sparkling SUV made its way down Lorain Avenue, cruising slowly in hopes of spotting a for rent sign. Instead, someone caught Alan's eye that June morning. Sandra was standing out in the yard talking to her yard man. She looked like a pinup living inside a Norman Rockwell painting. Might she have a lead?

That means a determination that a death is a suicide, not a murder, is a judgment call. Coroners and medical examiners commonly rely on what first responders say or witnesses who say the deceased seems suicidal or was depressed. I was shocked when I found this out. Because shouldn't it take more than a witness's word to have a death be ruled a suicide? For murder to be off the table?

That means a determination that a death is a suicide, not a murder, is a judgment call. Coroners and medical examiners commonly rely on what first responders say or witnesses who say the deceased seems suicidal or was depressed. I was shocked when I found this out. Because shouldn't it take more than a witness's word to have a death be ruled a suicide? For murder to be off the table?

Especially if, like in Sandra Bridewell's case, they stood to gain financially. Detectives were still digging for that burden of proof the judge required. Until early that September, David Wise got some good news.

Especially if, like in Sandra Bridewell's case, they stood to gain financially. Detectives were still digging for that burden of proof the judge required. Until early that September, David Wise got some good news.

For Allen's murder, it was circumstantial evidence, but a lot of it. How she stood to get the life insurance payout, how Sandra lied about Allen having shady connections or a drug habit, her odd behavior after his death, not cooperating, her alibi wasn't rock solid either. The detectives hoped, altogether, it would be enough for a grand jury to indict Sandra.

For Allen's murder, it was circumstantial evidence, but a lot of it. How she stood to get the life insurance payout, how Sandra lied about Allen having shady connections or a drug habit, her odd behavior after his death, not cooperating, her alibi wasn't rock solid either. The detectives hoped, altogether, it would be enough for a grand jury to indict Sandra.

David notified the court and Detectives Pacheco and Mitchell.

David notified the court and Detectives Pacheco and Mitchell.

It would be presented to the grand jury in Oklahoma City that November, a different court than where the probate battle was playing out. Then in a bizarre turn of events, Sandra made a shocking move in the battle for Allen's cash.

It would be presented to the grand jury in Oklahoma City that November, a different court than where the probate battle was playing out. Then in a bizarre turn of events, Sandra made a shocking move in the battle for Allen's cash.

But the damage had already been done. $102,000 of the $220,000 had already gone. Paid towards debts, legal fees, and expenses that Allen had no idea she'd accrued.

But the damage had already been done. $102,000 of the $220,000 had already gone. Paid towards debts, legal fees, and expenses that Allen had no idea she'd accrued.

This is Carrie Huskinson. She's a private investigator who went to unbelievable lengths to trace Sandra's web of deception. By 1986, Huskinson told me she didn't have any allies. Not anymore.

This is Carrie Huskinson. She's a private investigator who went to unbelievable lengths to trace Sandra's web of deception. By 1986, Huskinson told me she didn't have any allies. Not anymore.

Between being named a prime suspect in a murder and duking it out in probate court with her former mother-in-law?

Between being named a prime suspect in a murder and duking it out in probate court with her former mother-in-law?

Back then, in the 80s, pre-internet, it was easier to start over, to head somewhere new and wipe your slate clean. If there's no Reddit, anonymous haters can't keep resurfacing the allegations against you. So Sandra truly could leave for California, put her blinkers on, and try a new scheme. One that didn't require walking down the aisle.

Back then, in the 80s, pre-internet, it was easier to start over, to head somewhere new and wipe your slate clean. If there's no Reddit, anonymous haters can't keep resurfacing the allegations against you. So Sandra truly could leave for California, put her blinkers on, and try a new scheme. One that didn't require walking down the aisle.

Sandra made a soft landing in another wealthy enclave, Belvedere, in Marin County. Here's veteran reporter Glenna Whitley again.

Sandra made a soft landing in another wealthy enclave, Belvedere, in Marin County. Here's veteran reporter Glenna Whitley again.

It's a place where privilege meets paradise. Tucked just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Warren County feels like a world of its own, where rolling hills meet the Pacific, redwoods stretch toward the sky, and affluence is woven into the fabric of daily life.

It's a place where privilege meets paradise. Tucked just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Warren County feels like a world of its own, where rolling hills meet the Pacific, redwoods stretch toward the sky, and affluence is woven into the fabric of daily life.

The Bridewells, yeah, Sandra dropped Rarig when she got there, moved into a luxury apartment near the San Francisco Yacht Club. Ever since I heard she'd moved to California, I wondered about the timing. If you're facing an indictment, why put down roots when there's a possibility of jail time? Huskinson reminded me who we're dealing with here.

The Bridewells, yeah, Sandra dropped Rarig when she got there, moved into a luxury apartment near the San Francisco Yacht Club. Ever since I heard she'd moved to California, I wondered about the timing. If you're facing an indictment, why put down roots when there's a possibility of jail time? Huskinson reminded me who we're dealing with here.

Well, about that indictment.

Well, about that indictment.

Alan's mother is at her wits end.

Alan's mother is at her wits end.

Turns out they were making other plans.

Turns out they were making other plans.

This was the first Gloria had heard anything about that. Naturally, she was curious whether the FBI could make any bona fide progress on her son's murder case. Gloria told me their response was underwhelming. They didn't know anything more than what the Oklahoma City police had said. That's all the contact she ever had with them.

This was the first Gloria had heard anything about that. Naturally, she was curious whether the FBI could make any bona fide progress on her son's murder case. Gloria told me their response was underwhelming. They didn't know anything more than what the Oklahoma City police had said. That's all the contact she ever had with them.

The guy's been in Dallas for one stinking day, and he's already got a total bombshell eager to lend him a hand.

The guy's been in Dallas for one stinking day, and he's already got a total bombshell eager to lend him a hand.

I reached out to the FBI to ask about Alan's murder. I asked them if they ever called in his widow Sandra for an interview. I asked whether they ever nailed down her whereabouts from the day Alan went missing to four days later when he was found. I asked what evidence they were able to unearth that Oklahoma police hadn't. There was a lot of back and forth after I first reached out.

I reached out to the FBI to ask about Alan's murder. I asked them if they ever called in his widow Sandra for an interview. I asked whether they ever nailed down her whereabouts from the day Alan went missing to four days later when he was found. I asked what evidence they were able to unearth that Oklahoma police hadn't. There was a lot of back and forth after I first reached out.

Would I be able to get to the bottom of this mystery? Then, public affairs passed along final comment. The FBI's field office in Oklahoma were unable to help me, just like they were unable to help then. For her part, Gloria lost her nerve after Sandra went on the offensive. She hired a lawyer who made it clear that she should watch what she says about Sandra publicly. And that was it for Gloria.

Would I be able to get to the bottom of this mystery? Then, public affairs passed along final comment. The FBI's field office in Oklahoma were unable to help me, just like they were unable to help then. For her part, Gloria lost her nerve after Sandra went on the offensive. She hired a lawyer who made it clear that she should watch what she says about Sandra publicly. And that was it for Gloria.

The last of Alan's life insurance, the $118,000, went to Sandra. It was devastating. It really was. This wasn't about the money. The end of the probate battle signaled an end to the investigation into Alan altogether.

The last of Alan's life insurance, the $118,000, went to Sandra. It was devastating. It really was. This wasn't about the money. The end of the probate battle signaled an end to the investigation into Alan altogether.

When Alan was murdered in 1985, she didn't just lose him. She lost the future she had dreamed for him. And worst of all, she believed the person responsible walked away free. Sandra had the motive, the lies, and the payout, but no charges were ever filed.

When Alan was murdered in 1985, she didn't just lose him. She lost the future she had dreamed for him. And worst of all, she believed the person responsible walked away free. Sandra had the motive, the lies, and the payout, but no charges were ever filed.

Here, David Wise is talking about all law enforcement. I reached out to the Dallas Police Department to see what a spokesperson had to say about his allegations that they should have been more involved. David Wise alleged they had dropped the ball. The spokesperson from the Dallas PD had no comment. Sandra was officially free to start over without criminal charges. It seemed no one could stop her.

Here, David Wise is talking about all law enforcement. I reached out to the Dallas Police Department to see what a spokesperson had to say about his allegations that they should have been more involved. David Wise alleged they had dropped the ball. The spokesperson from the Dallas PD had no comment. Sandra was officially free to start over without criminal charges. It seemed no one could stop her.

They struck out that day. But in no time, Sandra pulled Alan into her world. He was 29, a tall, dashing redhead.

They struck out that day. But in no time, Sandra pulled Alan into her world. He was 29, a tall, dashing redhead.

That's the reporter, Glenna Whitley. She told me Sandra set quite the elaborate trap in Marin County.

That's the reporter, Glenna Whitley. She told me Sandra set quite the elaborate trap in Marin County.

Sandra acted like she didn't need their money, but that's exactly what she was after.

Sandra acted like she didn't need their money, but that's exactly what she was after.

an attorney who was recently separated from his wife, instantly captivated by Sandra. In August of 88, the two met at a dinner party in Sonoma County, wine country. She was beautiful but not flashy, sophisticated but not intimidating, just mysterious enough to make a man lean in, just tragic enough to make him want to help.

an attorney who was recently separated from his wife, instantly captivated by Sandra. In August of 88, the two met at a dinner party in Sonoma County, wine country. She was beautiful but not flashy, sophisticated but not intimidating, just mysterious enough to make a man lean in, just tragic enough to make him want to help.

As their relationship deepened, she confided in Dennis about temporary financial setbacks, delayed trust fund disbursements, and postponed real estate deals. Their affair was getting intense, and Dennis was moved by her plight, and he just wanted to help her. So he offered her a loan. Would $5,000 work? He actually takes out money on a credit card and gives it to her. She promised to pay him back.

As their relationship deepened, she confided in Dennis about temporary financial setbacks, delayed trust fund disbursements, and postponed real estate deals. Their affair was getting intense, and Dennis was moved by her plight, and he just wanted to help her. So he offered her a loan. Would $5,000 work? He actually takes out money on a credit card and gives it to her. She promised to pay him back.

His mistake was believing her.

His mistake was believing her.

Sandra spun stories like silk. There was always something subtle, desperate, always justified. Her son's college tuition, rent, airfare, hotel rooms, car repairs.

Sandra spun stories like silk. There was always something subtle, desperate, always justified. Her son's college tuition, rent, airfare, hotel rooms, car repairs.

The requests grew more frequent and substantial. Dennis even racked up credit card debt for her. She promised to pay him back. She just needed a little money just to help her get through a rough patch. But here's the thing.

The requests grew more frequent and substantial. Dennis even racked up credit card debt for her. She promised to pay him back. She just needed a little money just to help her get through a rough patch. But here's the thing.

In about three months, Dennis had loaned Sandra nearly $24,000. That's over $63,000 today. He starts to realize, wait a minute, what's going on here? Before Dennis could get an answer, or a promissory note signed for that matter, Sandra's explanations became vague. The woman who had once been warm, affectionate, and grateful now seemed distant.

In about three months, Dennis had loaned Sandra nearly $24,000. That's over $63,000 today. He starts to realize, wait a minute, what's going on here? Before Dennis could get an answer, or a promissory note signed for that matter, Sandra's explanations became vague. The woman who had once been warm, affectionate, and grateful now seemed distant.

Dennis' date might have ditched him and the bill, but he wasn't alone.

Dennis' date might have ditched him and the bill, but he wasn't alone.

One mark had officially met the other.

One mark had officially met the other.

Here's Tom Finney on San Francisco's News Center 4.

Here's Tom Finney on San Francisco's News Center 4.

When the 45-year-old insurance executive learned he'd been duped by the Dallas damsel in distress, he took it to the press. Dennis Kuba, he wasn't as media friendly.

When the 45-year-old insurance executive learned he'd been duped by the Dallas damsel in distress, he took it to the press. Dennis Kuba, he wasn't as media friendly.

He never responded to my calls or letters either. In the news segment, Tom Finney appears with his wife, also named Sandra. Today, both of the Finneys have passed away. But here's what his wife said at the time about Sandra.

He never responded to my calls or letters either. In the news segment, Tom Finney appears with his wife, also named Sandra. Today, both of the Finneys have passed away. But here's what his wife said at the time about Sandra.

Allen certainly wasn't in Oklahoma anymore. He was not used to anything like that kind of society. Usually, she relied on her potential suitors to wine and dine her. With Alan, she was something of a mama warbucks. Floor seats to Springsteen concerts, tickets to Mavericks games, a trip to Hawaii.

Allen certainly wasn't in Oklahoma anymore. He was not used to anything like that kind of society. Usually, she relied on her potential suitors to wine and dine her. With Alan, she was something of a mama warbucks. Floor seats to Springsteen concerts, tickets to Mavericks games, a trip to Hawaii.

The couple had met Sandra at a dinner party. Unbeknownst to his wife, Sandra had called Mr. Finney asking for help. There was something she wanted to run by him. You guessed it. She needed money. Here's what Tom Finney said about it.

The couple had met Sandra at a dinner party. Unbeknownst to his wife, Sandra had called Mr. Finney asking for help. There was something she wanted to run by him. You guessed it. She needed money. Here's what Tom Finney said about it.

$10,000 to be exact.

$10,000 to be exact.

I asked Whitley, who interviewed him in 1989, what Tom told her was his rationale for loaning money to this virtual stranger.

I asked Whitley, who interviewed him in 1989, what Tom told her was his rationale for loaning money to this virtual stranger.

Sandra had an uncanny ability to make men do what she wanted them to. She weaponized sorrow with the precision of a seasoned predator.

Sandra had an uncanny ability to make men do what she wanted them to. She weaponized sorrow with the precision of a seasoned predator.

That amount didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

That amount didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

Tom had to come clean.

Tom had to come clean.

He assured her that the two never had an affair. But she was livid he'd given away their money. Can you blame her? Mrs. Finney had Tom call Sandra up to recover the fund's stat. Here's Whitley recounting what Sandra had to say about that.

He assured her that the two never had an affair. But she was livid he'd given away their money. Can you blame her? Mrs. Finney had Tom call Sandra up to recover the fund's stat. Here's Whitley recounting what Sandra had to say about that.

And it turned out, of course, that Sandra didn't just ruin the lives of these men. Whitley found out she'd stolen from a stable of men, men who'd been left broken, and in some cases, their lives hollowed out like gutted fish. The ones who fought back found themselves ensnared in something even darker, an undeniable sense that Sandra wasn't just taking their money.

And it turned out, of course, that Sandra didn't just ruin the lives of these men. Whitley found out she'd stolen from a stable of men, men who'd been left broken, and in some cases, their lives hollowed out like gutted fish. The ones who fought back found themselves ensnared in something even darker, an undeniable sense that Sandra wasn't just taking their money.

She was taking their dignity, piece by piece.

She was taking their dignity, piece by piece.

But Tom, he was willing to take Sandra to task. This is just speculation, but I've got a feeling his wife lit a fire under his ass.

But Tom, he was willing to take Sandra to task. This is just speculation, but I've got a feeling his wife lit a fire under his ass.

Tom Finney never saw a cent.

Tom Finney never saw a cent.

Sandra didn't work and had three children. Yet her lifestyle didn't falter. She afforded her life by destroying other people's. Had this been Sandra's game all along? Did she manipulate men, then blackmail them? She certainly had a type. She'd target wealthy men, respected men, church-going types, men with something to lose.

Sandra didn't work and had three children. Yet her lifestyle didn't falter. She afforded her life by destroying other people's. Had this been Sandra's game all along? Did she manipulate men, then blackmail them? She certainly had a type. She'd target wealthy men, respected men, church-going types, men with something to lose.

That's private investigator Carrie Huskinson again. She was hired by the wife of one of Sandra's later victims.

That's private investigator Carrie Huskinson again. She was hired by the wife of one of Sandra's later victims.

After about five months of dating, he moved in with Sandra, got close to her children, integrated into her upscale life, as much as an unrefined jock from small-town Oklahoma could. And by December, they got married.

After about five months of dating, he moved in with Sandra, got close to her children, integrated into her upscale life, as much as an unrefined jock from small-town Oklahoma could. And by December, they got married.

In California, Sandra would pursue men, take up with them, and threaten to expose their dalliance. Men were Sandra's currency, their silence, her insurance. Between Dennis Kuba and Tom Finney, Sandra raked in over $90,000, and she didn't even have to marry either of them. Her past unknown to them until it wasn't.

In California, Sandra would pursue men, take up with them, and threaten to expose their dalliance. Men were Sandra's currency, their silence, her insurance. Between Dennis Kuba and Tom Finney, Sandra raked in over $90,000, and she didn't even have to marry either of them. Her past unknown to them until it wasn't.

Allen's murder hadn't made a headline beyond local news. But now, the cat was creeping out of the bag. On the next episode of Fatal Beauty, a Christian wife hires a tenacious private investigator.

Allen's murder hadn't made a headline beyond local news. But now, the cat was creeping out of the bag. On the next episode of Fatal Beauty, a Christian wife hires a tenacious private investigator.

It turns out her husband had taken up with a mysterious brunette.

It turns out her husband had taken up with a mysterious brunette.

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Search for The Binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on Apple? Head to getthebinge.com to access wherever you listen.

Search for The Binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on Apple? Head to getthebinge.com to access wherever you listen.

Their marriage didn't even last a year. By the 11th month, they'd separated, and Alan had fallen from his wife's good graces. He was found dead a month later, half-frozen, half-decomposed in his Bronco. We think she planned exactly what she did. As far as his mother's concerned, Sandra had blood on her hands.

Their marriage didn't even last a year. By the 11th month, they'd separated, and Alan had fallen from his wife's good graces. He was found dead a month later, half-frozen, half-decomposed in his Bronco. We think she planned exactly what she did. As far as his mother's concerned, Sandra had blood on her hands.

So as the murder investigation gained momentum, frustration built because Sandra proved elusive. Cops tried to pin her down as their main suspect in Allen's murder, but after the funeral, she'd slipped through their grasp like smoke. The deeper the Oklahoma City police dug, the more they realized Sandra was always one step ahead of them. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty.

So as the murder investigation gained momentum, frustration built because Sandra proved elusive. Cops tried to pin her down as their main suspect in Allen's murder, but after the funeral, she'd slipped through their grasp like smoke. The deeper the Oklahoma City police dug, the more they realized Sandra was always one step ahead of them. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. The Binge. Before we get started, I just want to let you know we do discuss suicide in this episode. So please, listen with care.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. The Binge. Before we get started, I just want to let you know we do discuss suicide in this episode. So please, listen with care.

I'm Cooper Moll. Episode 3, Dead End. Turns out almost as soon as the coroner zipped up the body bag in Oklahoma City, Sandra didn't just hire her own PI.

I'm Cooper Moll. Episode 3, Dead End. Turns out almost as soon as the coroner zipped up the body bag in Oklahoma City, Sandra didn't just hire her own PI.

That's the person a court officially puts in charge when someone passes away. They gather assets, pay off debts, and make sure whatever's left of the deceased goes to the right people, all according to state law. In Allen's case, a $220,000 life insurance policy was on the line. Here's John Leake, author of The Meaning of Malice again.

That's the person a court officially puts in charge when someone passes away. They gather assets, pay off debts, and make sure whatever's left of the deceased goes to the right people, all according to state law. In Allen's case, a $220,000 life insurance policy was on the line. Here's John Leake, author of The Meaning of Malice again.

Oklahoma police detectives Pacheco and Mitchell decided it was time to pay the widow a visit in Dallas.

Oklahoma police detectives Pacheco and Mitchell decided it was time to pay the widow a visit in Dallas.

The detectives figured she might give them more time if she was on her own turf. But when they arrived at Sandra's front door, she barely gave them the time of day. In fact, she shut them down. Detective Pacheco tried to appeal to her better instincts. Help us help you. Help us find whoever murdered your beloved Allen. But Sandra, she didn't budge.

The detectives figured she might give them more time if she was on her own turf. But when they arrived at Sandra's front door, she barely gave them the time of day. In fact, she shut them down. Detective Pacheco tried to appeal to her better instincts. Help us help you. Help us find whoever murdered your beloved Allen. But Sandra, she didn't budge.

From the moment Oklahoma City police detectives touched down in Big D, the investigation was looking like an uphill battle. They still had no physical evidence tying Sandra to Alan's death, just their suspicion and a trail of coincidences that seemed too eerie to ignore. Alan wasn't just going out to meet any estranged wife.

From the moment Oklahoma City police detectives touched down in Big D, the investigation was looking like an uphill battle. They still had no physical evidence tying Sandra to Alan's death, just their suspicion and a trail of coincidences that seemed too eerie to ignore. Alan wasn't just going out to meet any estranged wife.

He was meeting a woman who in 1982 was the last known contact of another person found shot in the head. And seven years before, Sandra was the last person to see her first husband, also found shot in the head.

He was meeting a woman who in 1982 was the last known contact of another person found shot in the head. And seven years before, Sandra was the last person to see her first husband, also found shot in the head.

I tried to get the detectives who pursued this case to talk to me. Detective Pacheco, well, let's just say his wife hung up on me more than once. Ron Mitchell never shied away from talking to the press about Alan's murder, but he passed away before I got the chance. Leak's been generous sharing what Detective Mitchell told him in interviews, so he filled us in on this part of the investigation.

I tried to get the detectives who pursued this case to talk to me. Detective Pacheco, well, let's just say his wife hung up on me more than once. Ron Mitchell never shied away from talking to the press about Alan's murder, but he passed away before I got the chance. Leak's been generous sharing what Detective Mitchell told him in interviews, so he filled us in on this part of the investigation.

Detectives decided to see if any of what Sandra had told them about Alan in that awkward interview before his funeral was true. The drugs, the gambling, the shady company.

Detectives decided to see if any of what Sandra had told them about Alan in that awkward interview before his funeral was true. The drugs, the gambling, the shady company.

What they learned only strengthened their belief that Allen's death was no random tragedy.

What they learned only strengthened their belief that Allen's death was no random tragedy.

Sandra's so-called tips were not checking out. Next, investigators tried to nail down Sandra's movements the night Alan disappeared. Her alibi was simple. She showed up at the storage unit in Garland at 5.15 p.m., waited around for Alan for an hour, but he didn't show. So she decided to get on with her evening.

Sandra's so-called tips were not checking out. Next, investigators tried to nail down Sandra's movements the night Alan disappeared. Her alibi was simple. She showed up at the storage unit in Garland at 5.15 p.m., waited around for Alan for an hour, but he didn't show. So she decided to get on with her evening.

Friends corroborated they'd seen her for dinner and a movie, that she wasn't in for the night till late, around 1.45 a.m., That didn't mean she was innocent, though. Because the detectives' running theory was, if Sandra did kill Alan, it was before she would have met the Franks.

Friends corroborated they'd seen her for dinner and a movie, that she wasn't in for the night till late, around 1.45 a.m., That didn't mean she was innocent, though. Because the detectives' running theory was, if Sandra did kill Alan, it was before she would have met the Franks.

Here's what I wonder. I've shoot over this case with a few reporters now. Some folks who have been in this thing for almost as long as I've been alive. They've all shared some viable theories of what could have gone down during the time Sandra was unaccounted for. Maybe she killed him, left him at the storage unit or even her own garage, went to dinner, then came back for his body.

Here's what I wonder. I've shoot over this case with a few reporters now. Some folks who have been in this thing for almost as long as I've been alive. They've all shared some viable theories of what could have gone down during the time Sandra was unaccounted for. Maybe she killed him, left him at the storage unit or even her own garage, went to dinner, then came back for his body.

Alan was found near an airport. When she got home that night, she could have driven him to Oklahoma City late at night, then hopped on a short flight back to Dallas. Or she might have had Alan stored somewhere in Dallas for a few days. She could have driven to Oklahoma City that Sunday or Monday even. After all, Alan's body was found four days after he disappeared.

Alan was found near an airport. When she got home that night, she could have driven him to Oklahoma City late at night, then hopped on a short flight back to Dallas. Or she might have had Alan stored somewhere in Dallas for a few days. She could have driven to Oklahoma City that Sunday or Monday even. After all, Alan's body was found four days after he disappeared.

So let's talk about Alan and Sandra. I've already told you how their story ends, but let me tell you how their romance started. Dallas in the early summer was alive, buzzing with energy. On the street, people moved through the heat like slow currents in a vast sunlit tide. Alan Rarig was new to town. His athleticism, once his greatest asset, hadn't gotten him a professional contract.

So let's talk about Alan and Sandra. I've already told you how their story ends, but let me tell you how their romance started. Dallas in the early summer was alive, buzzing with energy. On the street, people moved through the heat like slow currents in a vast sunlit tide. Alan Rarig was new to town. His athleticism, once his greatest asset, hadn't gotten him a professional contract.

Nailing Sandra down on the timing thing would have been a lot easier if she had just cooperated. Instead, she got her PI, Bill Deere, on the case. Remember Sandra had asked him to find out who had really done this before Alan's body had been found? Her private investigator is trying to clear her name, so he made a request he thought would help.

Nailing Sandra down on the timing thing would have been a lot easier if she had just cooperated. Instead, she got her PI, Bill Deere, on the case. Remember Sandra had asked him to find out who had really done this before Alan's body had been found? Her private investigator is trying to clear her name, so he made a request he thought would help.

That's Whitley again. On December 23rd, Sandra and Bill Deer paid a visit to the polygraph examiner's office. Sandra brought her friend Susan for moral support. She hung back in the parking lot. She comes out and she's crying and she says, I failed it. Polygraphs aren't always accurate. So a week later, they tried again.

That's Whitley again. On December 23rd, Sandra and Bill Deer paid a visit to the polygraph examiner's office. Sandra brought her friend Susan for moral support. She hung back in the parking lot. She comes out and she's crying and she says, I failed it. Polygraphs aren't always accurate. So a week later, they tried again.

A polygraph translates every spike in your pulse into suspicion, inked onto a cold, unfeeling graph. Feeling a polygraph is like watching a trap you didn't know you were in suddenly snap shut. And it had pinned down Sandra again. Two questions in particular vexed her. Do you know who was responsible for the murder of Alan Rarig? Did you kill Alan Rarig?

A polygraph translates every spike in your pulse into suspicion, inked onto a cold, unfeeling graph. Feeling a polygraph is like watching a trap you didn't know you were in suddenly snap shut. And it had pinned down Sandra again. Two questions in particular vexed her. Do you know who was responsible for the murder of Alan Rarig? Did you kill Alan Rarig?

Look, these days, a polygraph is considered by many a pseudoscience. You'd be hard-pressed to find a judge willing to vouch they're legit. But back in the 80s, Bill Deere, Sandra's PI, gave them credence.

Look, these days, a polygraph is considered by many a pseudoscience. You'd be hard-pressed to find a judge willing to vouch they're legit. But back in the 80s, Bill Deere, Sandra's PI, gave them credence.

The second failure landed with the weight of a gavel. He dropped Sandra as a client.

The second failure landed with the weight of a gavel. He dropped Sandra as a client.

1986 arrived, and still no breaks in Alan's murder case. But every so often, his mother Gloria would find out something unsettling. Around this time, a friend of Alan's, a guy named Bill Dodd, forwarded her a letter. Alan had sent it to him not long after he and Sandra tied the knot.

1986 arrived, and still no breaks in Alan's murder case. But every so often, his mother Gloria would find out something unsettling. Around this time, a friend of Alan's, a guy named Bill Dodd, forwarded her a letter. Alan had sent it to him not long after he and Sandra tied the knot.

This was all new to Gloria. Why wouldn't he have told her she was going to be a grandma? And what happened to her grandchild? Gloria called up Phil, Alan's friend in Dallas, to see what he knew. Here's what she said he told her. Just a year earlier, before the newlyweds could pick a baby name or the color they'd paint the nursery, Sandra made a frantic call to Alan.

This was all new to Gloria. Why wouldn't he have told her she was going to be a grandma? And what happened to her grandchild? Gloria called up Phil, Alan's friend in Dallas, to see what he knew. Here's what she said he told her. Just a year earlier, before the newlyweds could pick a baby name or the color they'd paint the nursery, Sandra made a frantic call to Alan.

Phil and Alan happened to be together that night, actually. The two had just returned from a basketball game.

Phil and Alan happened to be together that night, actually. The two had just returned from a basketball game.

But he hoped to finally hit his stride here in Dallas, beneath a sky so blue it looks painted. He'd landed a job, thanks to an old buddy. But the place to live still needed securing.

But he hoped to finally hit his stride here in Dallas, beneath a sky so blue it looks painted. He'd landed a job, thanks to an old buddy. But the place to live still needed securing.

She had been pregnant with twins. Two babies gone. Gingers, just like their dad. Devastation hit Alan. In the short time he'd known he was going to become a father, he'd let himself dream of tucking his kid into bed, teaching him to read. And now he'd lost two babies? And he grieved over that. In the days following the miscarriage, Allen was met with armloads of support.

She had been pregnant with twins. Two babies gone. Gingers, just like their dad. Devastation hit Alan. In the short time he'd known he was going to become a father, he'd let himself dream of tucking his kid into bed, teaching him to read. And now he'd lost two babies? And he grieved over that. In the days following the miscarriage, Allen was met with armloads of support.

When Gloria recounted this tragedy to me, I had some questions. At the risk of sounding insensitive so early in her pregnancy, how would the twins have red hair? You can't see hair on an ultrasound until the end of the second trimester. Gloria loves Alan and remembers him fondly. But let's just say, when I asked her about this discrepancy, she didn't mince words.

When Gloria recounted this tragedy to me, I had some questions. At the risk of sounding insensitive so early in her pregnancy, how would the twins have red hair? You can't see hair on an ultrasound until the end of the second trimester. Gloria loves Alan and remembers him fondly. But let's just say, when I asked her about this discrepancy, she didn't mince words.

Alan took the miscarriage for what it was, a tragedy. But Gloria was skeptical. It was summer by the time Gloria found out the truth about Sandra's miscarriage.

Alan took the miscarriage for what it was, a tragedy. But Gloria was skeptical. It was summer by the time Gloria found out the truth about Sandra's miscarriage.

If she didn't have a uterus... She couldn't have been pregnant. Gloria was speechless. Her son, who'd hoped to be a father one day, had married a woman who couldn't have any more kids and never told him. A woman who'd lied about being pregnant with twins, lied about having miscarried. It's just unbelievable.

If she didn't have a uterus... She couldn't have been pregnant. Gloria was speechless. Her son, who'd hoped to be a father one day, had married a woman who couldn't have any more kids and never told him. A woman who'd lied about being pregnant with twins, lied about having miscarried. It's just unbelievable.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. In an age before the internet could track every move and every deception, Sandra Bridewell moved like a ghost.

To call Huskinson creative would be an understatement.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering where Camille and her suitor were when this little break-in went down.

His wife was at her wit's end. So Huskinson called around to hotels and verified Camille was in fact with him. The dude was still lying.

Those were Bobby's documents, Sandra's second husband. And all those papers led back to Dallas. Then another clue and another name.

They shared a last name. Could he be sleeping with sisters? Huskinson thought this man now had not one, but two mistresses. How the hell was she going to break this to her friend? Sometime after that, Huskinson caught wind that Camille and her three-timing husband were back in California, at the same vacation condo where her friend had found the long black hairs on the pillow.

At this point, they brought in some backup.

They used this guy to let the wife know when they'd left the apartment. She wanted to do some sleuthing of her own.

The wife had grown a backbone. It was time for some answers. She wanted to see her husband's mistress, see this woman for herself, once and for all.

Needless to say, they weren't expecting a visitor. Both of them looking shocked. The wife locked eyes with the other woman.

I can only imagine her heart was pounding. But now Camille was backed into a corner.

Did Camille know about the other other woman?

For the rest of her life, as she moved from city to city, the article became a warning to people she tried to lure in. Like a woman in the Bay Area who struck up a fast and close friendship with Sandra after meeting at a black tie event. Who knows how that might have ended had someone not faxed a copy of the article to her. Here's a broadcast from San Francisco's News Center 4 with the scoop.

And that's when the penny dropped for Huskinson and her client.

For the wife at that moment, this mistress's real name wasn't the most pressing issue. She wanted her out of their lives.

When we spoke, Huskinson couldn't remember the precise financials. This was 1994 after all. But during this, what I can only imagine as a painfully awkward meeting, the couple agreed to pay Camille to leave them alone. She'd get to stay in the Boston apartment for a few months while she got on her feet. But the affair would end today.

This husband and wife may have come to some sort of reconciliation, but Huskinson was still stuck on who Sandra might be. There was more to this woman. She was sure of it.

Huskinson might have been up all night, but now she was wide awake. She stayed up a bit longer until the Dallas Morning News opened and got a hold of a woman in their archives who confirmed that Sandra and Camille were the same woman. Just when she thought her friend had dodged a bullet, Camille resurfaced months later with some news.

When Sandra told Alan she was pregnant, she was still at an age where this was believable. Now, though, she was about 50 years old. The odds of this were vanishingly slim. Camille had proof, though. She had provided him with a sonogram. Then she claimed she delivered their child.

In the apartment, he noticed more signs of childbirth.

but no baby. There was an explanation for that too. She told the guy while he was in California.

It just doesn't happen like that. He had no choice to inform his wife he'd been patching things up with. Huskinson caught wind of this perplexing development and remembered something the daughter found in the apartment search. A current bottle of Premarin. Premarin is basically estrogen. People who take it typically are in menopause or have had a hysterectomy, not pregnant people.

Huskinson's mind was officially on fire. She decided to take a trip to Dallas.

How she'd played the same game with Alan.

This same friend claimed to have driven Sandra to the very appointment. Knowing what I know now about Huskinson's impressive skill set, I had to ask. Were you ever able to find any record of her hysterectomy? Um, no comment. But she did share what other intel she got on the pregnancy. She went the whole 10 yards on that one.

But around this time, Sandra showed her true colors. She started demanding money. Or else she'd tell anyone who'd listen he'd had an affair with her. That they'd had a bastard child. Here's the thing.

Meaning?

Sandra had done it again.

Lying about being pregnant isn't illegal, but using that lie for financial gain? You bet it is.

Investigative reporter Glenna Whitley recounted what happened when the feds reached out.

And the next time she popped up, Camille was a Christian missionary, a woman of God, who's gone here, there, and everywhere spreading the good word. She played the part flawlessly, the soft voice, the comforting presence, the unwavering devotion to Christ. She wasn't just a believer. She's a shepherd, guiding the lost towards salvation. Or at least she said she was.

Jay Benson, a then 46-year-old entrepreneur, was attending a conference at New Birth Ministries Baptist Church when she first noticed a new face in the congregation.

None of this was out of the ordinary. New Birth Ministries is a megachurch in Stonecrest, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, with thousands of devotees. It's a Baptist institution with deep roots in the Black community.

She stood out not only because she was the only white woman in a crowd of Black parishioners, but because of the way she moved. Exuberant. Expressive. Almost theatrical.

That glow captured Jay's friend she attended the conference with. The magnetic pole extended at the parking lot, where he offered her a ride home with him and Jay. She introduced herself as Camille Bridwell. That's Bridwell, not Bridewell.

After their initial meeting, their paths continued to cross in their faith-based circle. At a lunch hosted by the same friend who'd given both women a ride, Camille and Jay got to talking more.

Camille spoke of being forced to sleep in near squalor, of church members who had turned a blind eye to her misfortunes. This was no way for a woman pushing 60 to be living. Jay, moved by a sense of Christian duty, extended an offer.

Jay was new to Atlanta and newly divorced. She had room to spare.

But what seemed like an act of goodwill soon turned into something far stranger.

As weeks passed, Camille proved to be peculiar. When Jay would attempt to get to know her new roommate, Camille kept personal details close to her chest.

Jay did learn Camille was widowed, that her husband Bobby had died of cancer, and that there was even a foundation in his name. Camille had also told her she was a mother of three, but she wasn't exactly eager to talk about her children. By then, her kids were grownups, in their late 20s and mid-30s.

Her demeanor would shift like a shadow against the light. It was odd, but Jay just figured it was none of her business. Speaking of business, Camille was eager to jump into it with Jay.

Keyman insurance is a type of life insurance policy. A business buys it to protect against financial loss if a key employee dies or becomes disabled. Jay hardly knew this woman. Take out a life insurance policy? No way. Plus, Camille's financial situation wasn't exactly rock solid.

This woman is terrified. Incredibly, she did manage to break free. Who knows why she was able to step away and survive while Betsy Bagwell died. We may never know. But here's what's truly scary about Sandra. She's the kind of predator who could stay under the radar. She could get people to underestimate her, to not worry even when they had heard multiple allegations against her.

She told Jay she was waiting on money from a trust fund. She was always short on cash.

An uneasiness set in. She began to lock onto Camille's habits that were just weird. She operated under a different clock, awake at all hours of the night, stepping out onto the veranda to murmur under the moon.

Small, unshakable doubts formed into something sharper. After about two months of living together, she had a nagging suspicion there was something dishonest about Camille.

Camille had just stepped out to go window shop at the mall, so Jay snuck into Camille's bedroom.

She carefully turned over the air mattress.

It was an absolute rat's nest. Jay's gut began to churn. Just as she was trying to process how the hell Camille could live like this, something else caught her eye. A passport.

Sandra Camille Bridewell. Jay freaked out.

Curiosity turned into urgency. She turned to the early days of search engines, scrolling through Google and Yahoo, typing in the name from the passport. A charity name surfaced, the Bridewell Foundation, something Camille had mentioned in passing. A fax number was listed, and in a moment of reckless need, Jay sent a message asking for any information. The next day, she received a cryptic response.

She dialed immediately. A woman who worked for the foundation picked up the other end of the line.

Boy, did Jay have no idea what she was in for.

Jay's blood ran cold. The woman living under her roof, the woman that she had fed, housed, trusted, was a fraud. She had been accused of killing.

She certainly didn't. By the sound of it, Sandra was a predator, one who changed her means to an end as easily as shedding skin. Neither Whitley nor Huskinson was the one to warn her, but she'd been warned. She still had a chance to save herself. Jay hung up the phone.

Jay had to act quickly. She wanted Sandra out of her home.

Next, she called for backup.

Some people in her affluent circle in California were simply unfazed that she'd been called the Black Widow in print.

With help on the way, Jay decided it was time to approach Sandra herself. She knocked on the bedroom door, her heart racing. When Sandra emerged wrapped in a towel, she greeted Jay with her usual syrupy warmth.

For a fraction of a second, Sandra's face twisted into something else, something chilling. Her mask had slipped.

Then she stepped toward Jay.

Sandra stopped right there.

She got dressed under watchful eyes.

Jay led Sandra to the living room and ordered her to sit on the couch while the police were en route. Her demeanor? Chilling.

As if she knew from experience the police couldn't touch her. When officers arrived, they ran Sandra's name. She didn't have any outstanding warrants. No immediate cause for arrest. What is it about this woman that keeps her walking away scot-free?

But Jay didn't need the law to do what had to be done.

Sandra left that night. She took her suitcase, her lies, and her carefully curated persona with her. By the time Jay went outside to check the parking lot, she was already gone. She had no money, no immediate means of escape.

Later, after Jay had some time to sit with everything that happened, someone pointed out how close she'd come.

Next time on Fatal Beauty.

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In those days, people gave other people like them the benefit of the doubt. There was an unspoken trust. And Sandra capitalized on it. Law enforcement hadn't been able to rein her in. With no one to stop her, she continued to hatch her next plot. Sandra was now on the move. It was going to take an army of self-appointed vigilantes to expose her misdeeds.

From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty. I'm Cooper Mall. Episode four, There's Something About Camille. Tracing the path of Sandra Bridewell is not a task for the faint of heart. I know from experience, it is painstakingly complicated and at times, frustrating. But there's nobody who knows this woman like Lena Whitley.

For Eric Miller and his co-author Skip Hollinsworth, their 1987 D Magazine article may have been the end of investigating Sandra. But for Whitley, it was only the beginning.

No social media to expose her lies. Former friends and acquaintances who suspected her of wrongdoing weren't sharing their concern online. So Sandra could just find new people to charm, who were none the wiser about her past. But in May 1987, that veil of protection wore paper thin.

In 1989, Whitley wrote an explosive story called Whatever Happened at the Black Widow. After that, she became the person strangers called when their paths crossed with this intriguing beauty. They didn't call the cops. They called Whitley.

She didn't ditch meetings for a phone call, but the receptionist practically twisted her arm. She was very insistent. Whitley went to see who was on the phone.

He had come across a story about the California chapter of Sandra Bridewell, a beautiful, mysterious woman known in Highland Park as the Black Widow.

Glenna assured him that the piece had been meticulously researched, vetted, and fact-checked.

Whitley knew where this could be headed.

Whitley couldn't stop thinking about who Sandra might be targeting next. She felt compelled to expose her, to warn others.

law enforcement had seemingly given up on stopping Sandra. If not Glenna, then who?

And then they'd call Whitley with a slew of questions. Sandra had started tweaking her name ever so slightly. Sandra Camille Powers was her name as a child.

On legal documents, leases, IDs. She played musical chairs with her name. I think to try to outrun her reputation as a Black widow. Back in the 90s, Whitley had become a hotline.

She'd go on to write for the Dallas Observer.

Each name change made tracking her harder. So did her frequent moves. Whitley found Sandra's web of deception stretched across the country. She had addresses in Connecticut, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. And she would use PO boxes to keep her address a mystery.

And if you're wondering, yes, it's illegal to use someone else's social security number. She was opening herself up to serious criminal charges, but it was nearly impossible to pin her down anywhere for long. For a moment there in the early 90s, the phone calls came to a halt. Whitley thought she may have lost her for good. She kind of vanishes. The trail had become sparse.

Sandra wasn't popping up in public records and databases.

That's Eric Miller. He co-wrote a nearly 12,000-word story titled, Sandra Bridewell is the Black Widow. It didn't mince words. The article laid out how the good people of Dallas had long gossiped that she was guilty of at least one murder. It appeared in D Magazine, which has long been a voice of how Dallas sees itself.

It seemed all bets were off getting law enforcement to do a thing about Sandra. But Whitley wasn't the only one keeping tabs on her. Other people had taken up the hunt, too. It was only a matter of time before they'd band together.

This is when Carrie Huskinson, P.I., reached out to Whitley. Here she is. This is where my career actually began.

And you guessed it. The husband had taken up with a certain smoldering seductress with long brown hair and a tight waistline. And the friend wasn't one to rock the boat.

This is all going down in Northern California. At first, the friend wrestled with the thought that she may just be paranoid, that her husband, a successful businessman, might not be cheating.

Huskinson wasn't buying it, but her friends still didn't want to face it. Only solid evidence of her husband's infidelity would convince her. Not long after, Huskinson heard from the wife again, while she and her husband were away at their vacation condo for the weekend.

It's unclear if the housewife approached him that aggressively, but whatever she did, she managed to get him to confess.

I remember sitting on her couch and asking her, is this real?

Huskinson told me these were devout Christians. Divorce was out of the question. But the wife wanted to know more about this Camille lady. She mentioned hiring a private investigator. But the guy she'd hired couldn't cut the mustard.

And Sandra's face landed on the cover with a headline that read, Death and Gossip in Highland Park. Picture donning a bright smile that stretched ear to ear and looked a touch like Katharine Hepburn.

Finding something on the other woman was the whole point. Huskinson wasn't impressed.

In an instant, Huskinson's career crystallized.

If you can't already tell, she doesn't mess around. Huskinson wanted to do this by the book. She took a course in private investigation, learned all the rules and policies, then dove in headfirst into finding out everything there was to know about Camille. The mission to track the mistress down was going to be complicated, but the husband was smarter than that.

Operators weren't budging. It was a private listing. They couldn't just give out the address. So Huskinson tried a more unorthodox approach as a means to an end.

The operator didn't give her a name, but this was something.

In her two-day stakeout, she didn't observe any comings and goings.

Bridewell. Now she had something to go off of, a last name.

Huskinson thought if she could just get into the apartment, she'd be able to get a much better picture of who this Bridewell woman really was. Then an opportunity presented itself when no one would be home and someone else would be in town.

To this day, it's one of the publication's most popular pieces. Back in 1987, when it hit newsstands in Highland Park, locals devoured every word. By then, Sandra was long gone. She'd left for Marin County, as we told you last episode. But that Black Widow article would complicate things for Sandra.

This daughter was clued into her father's misdeeds and wasn't happy about how dirty he'd been doing her mom. Huskinson thought perhaps she could use that resentment and angst to the advantage of the investigation.

And if Sandra was capable of lying about this, where did she draw the line? From the start, she'd played him. He was never going to be a father. This was it. Gloria felt she had to stop Sandra from profiting off her son's death. His money should stay within the family. Not go to the woman she suspected of taking his life.

Nearly six months after Alan was shot to death, Gloria still hadn't heard any new developments from detectives on arresting Sandra. But she did hear from the life insurance company that sold Alan his policy. And the news wasn't good. Since Sandra hadn't been arrested, she was going to get the payout in 24 hours.

Gloria knew if she had any chance of stopping Sandra from getting that $220,000, she needed to get a lawyer ASAP.

David Wise was a probate attorney in Dallas. He wasn't a cop, but he was exactly the kind of professional Gloria needed. Someone who could fight Sandra in court, stalled out life insurance payout, and if possible, strip Sandra of her power over Allen's estate.

Over the phone, he took Gloria's case.

This was a neighborhood where first impressions were everything. Alan apparently understood the assignment.

The letter claimed Sandra, the beneficiary, was the prime suspect in Allen's murder, so the payout should be delayed, at least until that suspicion could be ruled out or proven. David didn't stop there. We're talking murder here. This wasn't merely a probate case. So he set up a hearing before Nikki DeShazo, judge of Dallas County's probate court.

He subpoenaed detectives Mitchell and Pacheco to come along with him.

Criminal defense attorneys in probate court. More fodder for the claim David was there to make.

If David wanted to approach it that way, Judge DeShazo was prepared to play by those rules. Here he is recounting what she said.

Let's just say David was frustrated.

They left it at that, and the hearing would be continued at a later date. If Sandra couldn't be the administrator of Allen's estate, they had to put someone else up for the job. David suggested Allen's cousin, Robert Smith. He was local to the area and willing to rise to the occasion.

In early July, an official application was filed to remove Sandra as administrator and replace her with Robert.

Robert stood in Sandra's way, plain and simple. So she might have had a motive to kill. And yet, it's unclear if Robert's death was ever investigated as a homicide. His death quickly deemed a suicide. By now, you're probably thinking, how on earth does this keep happening? That question was nagging me too. It seemed to me whether a death gets deemed a suicide or not was awfully subjective.

Turns out it wasn't until 1988 that the forensic scientists and medical community started laying out the criteria for what makes suicide a suicide. And that was two years after the last suicide in Sandra's orbit. But get this, in America, there's no universal standard for coroners or medical examiners to follow to this very day.

The sparkling SUV made its way down Lorain Avenue, cruising slowly in hopes of spotting a for rent sign. Instead, someone caught Alan's eye that June morning. Sandra was standing out in the yard talking to her yard man. She looked like a pinup living inside a Norman Rockwell painting. Might she have a lead?

That means a determination that a death is a suicide, not a murder, is a judgment call. Coroners and medical examiners commonly rely on what first responders say or witnesses who say the deceased seems suicidal or was depressed. I was shocked when I found this out. Because shouldn't it take more than a witness's word to have a death be ruled a suicide? For murder to be off the table?

Especially if, like in Sandra Bridewell's case, they stood to gain financially. Detectives were still digging for that burden of proof the judge required. Until early that September, David Wise got some good news.

For Allen's murder, it was circumstantial evidence, but a lot of it. How she stood to get the life insurance payout, how Sandra lied about Allen having shady connections or a drug habit, her odd behavior after his death, not cooperating, her alibi wasn't rock solid either. The detectives hoped, altogether, it would be enough for a grand jury to indict Sandra.

David notified the court and Detectives Pacheco and Mitchell.

It would be presented to the grand jury in Oklahoma City that November, a different court than where the probate battle was playing out. Then in a bizarre turn of events, Sandra made a shocking move in the battle for Allen's cash.

But the damage had already been done. $102,000 of the $220,000 had already gone. Paid towards debts, legal fees, and expenses that Allen had no idea she'd accrued.

This is Carrie Huskinson. She's a private investigator who went to unbelievable lengths to trace Sandra's web of deception. By 1986, Huskinson told me she didn't have any allies. Not anymore.

Between being named a prime suspect in a murder and duking it out in probate court with her former mother-in-law?

Back then, in the 80s, pre-internet, it was easier to start over, to head somewhere new and wipe your slate clean. If there's no Reddit, anonymous haters can't keep resurfacing the allegations against you. So Sandra truly could leave for California, put her blinkers on, and try a new scheme. One that didn't require walking down the aisle.

Sandra made a soft landing in another wealthy enclave, Belvedere, in Marin County. Here's veteran reporter Glenna Whitley again.

It's a place where privilege meets paradise. Tucked just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Warren County feels like a world of its own, where rolling hills meet the Pacific, redwoods stretch toward the sky, and affluence is woven into the fabric of daily life.

The Bridewells, yeah, Sandra dropped Rarig when she got there, moved into a luxury apartment near the San Francisco Yacht Club. Ever since I heard she'd moved to California, I wondered about the timing. If you're facing an indictment, why put down roots when there's a possibility of jail time? Huskinson reminded me who we're dealing with here.

Well, about that indictment.

Alan's mother is at her wits end.

Turns out they were making other plans.

This was the first Gloria had heard anything about that. Naturally, she was curious whether the FBI could make any bona fide progress on her son's murder case. Gloria told me their response was underwhelming. They didn't know anything more than what the Oklahoma City police had said. That's all the contact she ever had with them.

The guy's been in Dallas for one stinking day, and he's already got a total bombshell eager to lend him a hand.

I reached out to the FBI to ask about Alan's murder. I asked them if they ever called in his widow Sandra for an interview. I asked whether they ever nailed down her whereabouts from the day Alan went missing to four days later when he was found. I asked what evidence they were able to unearth that Oklahoma police hadn't. There was a lot of back and forth after I first reached out.

Would I be able to get to the bottom of this mystery? Then, public affairs passed along final comment. The FBI's field office in Oklahoma were unable to help me, just like they were unable to help then. For her part, Gloria lost her nerve after Sandra went on the offensive. She hired a lawyer who made it clear that she should watch what she says about Sandra publicly. And that was it for Gloria.

The last of Alan's life insurance, the $118,000, went to Sandra. It was devastating. It really was. This wasn't about the money. The end of the probate battle signaled an end to the investigation into Alan altogether.

When Alan was murdered in 1985, she didn't just lose him. She lost the future she had dreamed for him. And worst of all, she believed the person responsible walked away free. Sandra had the motive, the lies, and the payout, but no charges were ever filed.

Here, David Wise is talking about all law enforcement. I reached out to the Dallas Police Department to see what a spokesperson had to say about his allegations that they should have been more involved. David Wise alleged they had dropped the ball. The spokesperson from the Dallas PD had no comment. Sandra was officially free to start over without criminal charges. It seemed no one could stop her.

They struck out that day. But in no time, Sandra pulled Alan into her world. He was 29, a tall, dashing redhead.

That's the reporter, Glenna Whitley. She told me Sandra set quite the elaborate trap in Marin County.

Sandra acted like she didn't need their money, but that's exactly what she was after.

an attorney who was recently separated from his wife, instantly captivated by Sandra. In August of 88, the two met at a dinner party in Sonoma County, wine country. She was beautiful but not flashy, sophisticated but not intimidating, just mysterious enough to make a man lean in, just tragic enough to make him want to help.

As their relationship deepened, she confided in Dennis about temporary financial setbacks, delayed trust fund disbursements, and postponed real estate deals. Their affair was getting intense, and Dennis was moved by her plight, and he just wanted to help her. So he offered her a loan. Would $5,000 work? He actually takes out money on a credit card and gives it to her. She promised to pay him back.

His mistake was believing her.

Sandra spun stories like silk. There was always something subtle, desperate, always justified. Her son's college tuition, rent, airfare, hotel rooms, car repairs.

The requests grew more frequent and substantial. Dennis even racked up credit card debt for her. She promised to pay him back. She just needed a little money just to help her get through a rough patch. But here's the thing.

In about three months, Dennis had loaned Sandra nearly $24,000. That's over $63,000 today. He starts to realize, wait a minute, what's going on here? Before Dennis could get an answer, or a promissory note signed for that matter, Sandra's explanations became vague. The woman who had once been warm, affectionate, and grateful now seemed distant.

Dennis' date might have ditched him and the bill, but he wasn't alone.

One mark had officially met the other.

Here's Tom Finney on San Francisco's News Center 4.

When the 45-year-old insurance executive learned he'd been duped by the Dallas damsel in distress, he took it to the press. Dennis Kuba, he wasn't as media friendly.

He never responded to my calls or letters either. In the news segment, Tom Finney appears with his wife, also named Sandra. Today, both of the Finneys have passed away. But here's what his wife said at the time about Sandra.

Allen certainly wasn't in Oklahoma anymore. He was not used to anything like that kind of society. Usually, she relied on her potential suitors to wine and dine her. With Alan, she was something of a mama warbucks. Floor seats to Springsteen concerts, tickets to Mavericks games, a trip to Hawaii.

The couple had met Sandra at a dinner party. Unbeknownst to his wife, Sandra had called Mr. Finney asking for help. There was something she wanted to run by him. You guessed it. She needed money. Here's what Tom Finney said about it.

$10,000 to be exact.

I asked Whitley, who interviewed him in 1989, what Tom told her was his rationale for loaning money to this virtual stranger.

Sandra had an uncanny ability to make men do what she wanted them to. She weaponized sorrow with the precision of a seasoned predator.

That amount didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

Tom had to come clean.

He assured her that the two never had an affair. But she was livid he'd given away their money. Can you blame her? Mrs. Finney had Tom call Sandra up to recover the fund's stat. Here's Whitley recounting what Sandra had to say about that.

And it turned out, of course, that Sandra didn't just ruin the lives of these men. Whitley found out she'd stolen from a stable of men, men who'd been left broken, and in some cases, their lives hollowed out like gutted fish. The ones who fought back found themselves ensnared in something even darker, an undeniable sense that Sandra wasn't just taking their money.

She was taking their dignity, piece by piece.

But Tom, he was willing to take Sandra to task. This is just speculation, but I've got a feeling his wife lit a fire under his ass.

Tom Finney never saw a cent.

Sandra didn't work and had three children. Yet her lifestyle didn't falter. She afforded her life by destroying other people's. Had this been Sandra's game all along? Did she manipulate men, then blackmail them? She certainly had a type. She'd target wealthy men, respected men, church-going types, men with something to lose.

That's private investigator Carrie Huskinson again. She was hired by the wife of one of Sandra's later victims.

After about five months of dating, he moved in with Sandra, got close to her children, integrated into her upscale life, as much as an unrefined jock from small-town Oklahoma could. And by December, they got married.

In California, Sandra would pursue men, take up with them, and threaten to expose their dalliance. Men were Sandra's currency, their silence, her insurance. Between Dennis Kuba and Tom Finney, Sandra raked in over $90,000, and she didn't even have to marry either of them. Her past unknown to them until it wasn't.

Allen's murder hadn't made a headline beyond local news. But now, the cat was creeping out of the bag. On the next episode of Fatal Beauty, a Christian wife hires a tenacious private investigator.

It turns out her husband had taken up with a mysterious brunette.

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Their marriage didn't even last a year. By the 11th month, they'd separated, and Alan had fallen from his wife's good graces. He was found dead a month later, half-frozen, half-decomposed in his Bronco. We think she planned exactly what she did. As far as his mother's concerned, Sandra had blood on her hands.

So as the murder investigation gained momentum, frustration built because Sandra proved elusive. Cops tried to pin her down as their main suspect in Allen's murder, but after the funeral, she'd slipped through their grasp like smoke. The deeper the Oklahoma City police dug, the more they realized Sandra was always one step ahead of them. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Fatal Beauty.

Listen to all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Feed your true crime obsession. The Binge. Before we get started, I just want to let you know we do discuss suicide in this episode. So please, listen with care.

I'm Cooper Moll. Episode 3, Dead End. Turns out almost as soon as the coroner zipped up the body bag in Oklahoma City, Sandra didn't just hire her own PI.

That's the person a court officially puts in charge when someone passes away. They gather assets, pay off debts, and make sure whatever's left of the deceased goes to the right people, all according to state law. In Allen's case, a $220,000 life insurance policy was on the line. Here's John Leake, author of The Meaning of Malice again.

Oklahoma police detectives Pacheco and Mitchell decided it was time to pay the widow a visit in Dallas.

The detectives figured she might give them more time if she was on her own turf. But when they arrived at Sandra's front door, she barely gave them the time of day. In fact, she shut them down. Detective Pacheco tried to appeal to her better instincts. Help us help you. Help us find whoever murdered your beloved Allen. But Sandra, she didn't budge.

From the moment Oklahoma City police detectives touched down in Big D, the investigation was looking like an uphill battle. They still had no physical evidence tying Sandra to Alan's death, just their suspicion and a trail of coincidences that seemed too eerie to ignore. Alan wasn't just going out to meet any estranged wife.

He was meeting a woman who in 1982 was the last known contact of another person found shot in the head. And seven years before, Sandra was the last person to see her first husband, also found shot in the head.

I tried to get the detectives who pursued this case to talk to me. Detective Pacheco, well, let's just say his wife hung up on me more than once. Ron Mitchell never shied away from talking to the press about Alan's murder, but he passed away before I got the chance. Leak's been generous sharing what Detective Mitchell told him in interviews, so he filled us in on this part of the investigation.

Detectives decided to see if any of what Sandra had told them about Alan in that awkward interview before his funeral was true. The drugs, the gambling, the shady company.

What they learned only strengthened their belief that Allen's death was no random tragedy.

Sandra's so-called tips were not checking out. Next, investigators tried to nail down Sandra's movements the night Alan disappeared. Her alibi was simple. She showed up at the storage unit in Garland at 5.15 p.m., waited around for Alan for an hour, but he didn't show. So she decided to get on with her evening.

Friends corroborated they'd seen her for dinner and a movie, that she wasn't in for the night till late, around 1.45 a.m., That didn't mean she was innocent, though. Because the detectives' running theory was, if Sandra did kill Alan, it was before she would have met the Franks.

Here's what I wonder. I've shoot over this case with a few reporters now. Some folks who have been in this thing for almost as long as I've been alive. They've all shared some viable theories of what could have gone down during the time Sandra was unaccounted for. Maybe she killed him, left him at the storage unit or even her own garage, went to dinner, then came back for his body.

Alan was found near an airport. When she got home that night, she could have driven him to Oklahoma City late at night, then hopped on a short flight back to Dallas. Or she might have had Alan stored somewhere in Dallas for a few days. She could have driven to Oklahoma City that Sunday or Monday even. After all, Alan's body was found four days after he disappeared.

So let's talk about Alan and Sandra. I've already told you how their story ends, but let me tell you how their romance started. Dallas in the early summer was alive, buzzing with energy. On the street, people moved through the heat like slow currents in a vast sunlit tide. Alan Rarig was new to town. His athleticism, once his greatest asset, hadn't gotten him a professional contract.

Nailing Sandra down on the timing thing would have been a lot easier if she had just cooperated. Instead, she got her PI, Bill Deere, on the case. Remember Sandra had asked him to find out who had really done this before Alan's body had been found? Her private investigator is trying to clear her name, so he made a request he thought would help.

That's Whitley again. On December 23rd, Sandra and Bill Deer paid a visit to the polygraph examiner's office. Sandra brought her friend Susan for moral support. She hung back in the parking lot. She comes out and she's crying and she says, I failed it. Polygraphs aren't always accurate. So a week later, they tried again.

A polygraph translates every spike in your pulse into suspicion, inked onto a cold, unfeeling graph. Feeling a polygraph is like watching a trap you didn't know you were in suddenly snap shut. And it had pinned down Sandra again. Two questions in particular vexed her. Do you know who was responsible for the murder of Alan Rarig? Did you kill Alan Rarig?

Look, these days, a polygraph is considered by many a pseudoscience. You'd be hard-pressed to find a judge willing to vouch they're legit. But back in the 80s, Bill Deere, Sandra's PI, gave them credence.

The second failure landed with the weight of a gavel. He dropped Sandra as a client.

1986 arrived, and still no breaks in Alan's murder case. But every so often, his mother Gloria would find out something unsettling. Around this time, a friend of Alan's, a guy named Bill Dodd, forwarded her a letter. Alan had sent it to him not long after he and Sandra tied the knot.

This was all new to Gloria. Why wouldn't he have told her she was going to be a grandma? And what happened to her grandchild? Gloria called up Phil, Alan's friend in Dallas, to see what he knew. Here's what she said he told her. Just a year earlier, before the newlyweds could pick a baby name or the color they'd paint the nursery, Sandra made a frantic call to Alan.

Phil and Alan happened to be together that night, actually. The two had just returned from a basketball game.