Sandra Bridewell biography

Bridewell was outside in her yard when Rehrig, who was searching for a place to live, happened to drive by. He pulled his Ford Bronco over and asked if she knew of any possible apartments. She didn't, but she agreed to help him.

Within weeks, the two were inseparable. Rehrig grew close to Sandra's three kids, who, with their mother's prompting, would show up unannounced at his office for visits. Then, in the fall of 1984,

Sandra delivered some unexpected news: she was pregnant with twins. It was curious news for one important reason: seven years earlier, Sandra had undergone a hysterectomy. The pregnancy later proved to be a lie—one that Sandra was able to pull off after gaining some weight in her stomach. There were other lies, too, like the one about her age—she was not 36 when she met Rehrig, as she told him, but 41.

But Rehrig, still getting to know his new girlfriend, had no reason to doubt Sandra, especially when it came to the pregnancy. He may have felt that life was marching forward at a fast clip, as friends claimed, but he was also in love. Rehrig Bridewell married in December 1984.

Alan Rehrig's Death

Sandra knew full well that she could only take the pregnancy lie so far, so in February 1985, she called her husband and told him she'd just had a miscarriage. Rehrig, completely committed to his wife, believed every word. He was devastated.

Their marriage seemed to take a big hit soon after. Like her two husbands before him, Rehrig soon discovered that his wife had expensive tastes. Sandra pushed him to make more money, and to take out a big life insurance policy. Rehrig once complained to friends that Sandra spent $20,000 a month on clothes, food and travel.

In November 1985, the couple separated. Rehrig moved in with a friend, convinced that he needed to end his relationship with Sandra. The two didn't see each another for several weeks, and then, in early December 1985, Sandra called her husband and asked if he could meet her at a storage facility where the two had placed some of their stuff.

What happened over the next several hours was never fully determined. Rehrig was found slumped over in his Bronco in Oklahoma. He had been killed by gunshots to the head and chest. It was also apparent that Rehrig's body had been driven to Oklahoma. Sandra was a suspect, but she was coy with police during an initial interrogation—almost playful—and then became completely uncooperative, refusing to let anyone speak to her or her daughters. Around this time, she became known in Dallas as the "Black Widow."

If Sandra was grieving over her third husband's death, she hid it well. Instead, she scrimped on the funeral expenses, choosing the least expensive casket possible for Rehrig and then convincing friends to cover the burial bills. She was late for the service, too, arriving at the very last minute, dressed to the nines in a rich mink coat. She had undoubtedly had no trouble affording the expensive coat—Rehrig's death had dropped $220,000 of life insurance money into Sandra's bank account.