Sandra Bridewell biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Sandra Camille Bridewell was born on April 4, 1944, and was adopted as an infant by Arthur and Camille Powers of Sedalia, Missouri. Over the course of more than three decades, Sandra Bridewell, also known as the "Black Widow," tricked lovers and friends out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. She is also suspected of having a hand in the deaths of at least one husband and a close friend.

It all began with a troubled childhood. According to reports, at the age of 3, Sandra's adoptive mother, Camille, was killed in an auto accident. Her father, Arthur, who managed and ran a Dr. Pepper bottling plant, eventually remarried and relocated his family to Oak Cliff, Texas, a Dallas suburb. There, he found new work as a cemetery plot salesman.

While Sandra adjusted to her new surroundings, learning to adjust to her stepmother Doris was another matter. The two fought regularly, and Sandra claimed that her stepmother regularly locked her in a closet, refused to send out birthday party invitations and enjoyed telling her that nobody wanted her.

After graduating from high school in 1962, Sandra, who rarely dated as a student, began frequently dating men. Many of them became smitten with Bridewell due to what one of Sandra's friends called her "ladylike, 'poor helpless me' routine."

After one year of junior college, Sandra dropped out of school. The events that followed seemed to indicate that she had set her sights on marrying into money.

First Marriage

The course that Sandra followed was one filled with half-truths. Lies became commonplace in her life. She told some friends that both of her adoptive parents had been killed. She told others that her mother and father were Irish aristocrats. Many heard stories about a "West Point boyfriend" who, Sandra claimed, had shot himself while he sat in the car with her. Additionally, throughout her life, Bridewell used a number of different aliases.

Still, there were plenty of believers—most of them men. "She had a way," recalled one friend of Sandra's. "Men just sort of ... were fascinated with her." That included David Stegall, an upshot dentist who had gone to school in Los Angeles and had Hollywood-caliber clients. He had a thing for Cadillacs, big houses and pretty women, and Bridewell had thing for Stegall. The couple wed in 1967. Within a few short years, they had three daughters—Britt, Kathryn, and Emily—and were raising their family in an upscale Dallas neighborhood.

Despite his salary and reputation, Stegall couldn't keep up with his wife's lavish tastes. Sandra had an even greater passion for fine things than her husband; she loved buying good art and expensive furniture, among other high-end possessions. By 1974, the couple's marriage was in turmoil and the family was in severe debt, and Stegall was forced to borrow a large sum of money from his father to pay some of their bills.