The Meaning of Malice: on the Trail of the Black Widow of Highland Park
by John Leake
October 2, 2023
I went to hear this author speak at a book event put on by Highland Park United Methodist Church. The talk was one in a great book series sponsored by the Rejebian family and they have been inviting authors to come speak at their church for decades. John Leake, the author, grew up in Highland Park. This town is in the middle of Dallas and is one of the richest cities in and around Dallas. It is located to the north of downtown Dallas. The extremely wealthy make their homes here, including Jerry Jones, Harlan Crow, and vast numbers of other Richie Riches. Leake begins his book by noting that he had been in Sandra Bridewell’s, the lady known as the Black Widow, house when he was a teen and she was the mother of another teen, a daughter, that he was friends with at the time.
He remembers her vividly because she was beautiful, intelligent, and he liked conversing with her.
The magazine, Texas Monthly, and a local paper, the Dallas Observer, have done many stories on Sandra Bridewell through the years, so I was familiar with the story, but I had forgotten the details. I read this book in a few days while I was traveling. I began the book on the plane, and I looked forward to reading every night after the day’s events while in Spain.
Sandra Bridewell is suspected in at least three murders in Dallas. One was of her first ex-husband, the second was of one of her “friends,” and the third was her younger third husband. Through all of these events in Dallas through the years, the police here and from Oklahoma City (where one of the bodies was transported), have not been able to conclusively prove that Bridewell is the perpetrator.
One detective in another southeastern state fingered Bridewell on identity theft and she actually had to serve 2 years in prison. Other than that, she has been free and on the move in the US. She is now near 80 years old and is probably still conning victims. She has not been located lately. She had three children who have little to do with her. One of her children’s identity was stolen by Bridewell a while back.
It’s a sad story and just one of the many sad murder mysteries that remain unsolved in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. I think Leake does an admirable job of research that has taken him years to collect, document, and publish. The church’s auditorium was full and Leake captured our attention the whole time. He took questions from the audience as well. If you like true crime stories, you might enjoy this book.