Sandra Bridewell biography

Moving Around the Country

Less than a year after Rehrig's death, Sandra left Dallas for good, relocating her family to the San Francisco area. She brought her charm to Marin County, where she cycled through a new round of wealthy men who were suckers for her personal story, which often included something about a trust fund that she would soon be cashing in, and her lack of sexual inhibition. One man loaned her $23,000. Another forked over more than $70,000,

which he'd pulled out of his pension. Neither of them saw a penny of it repaid, even though both men brought her to court. Soon, the stories that started to circulate in Dallas began making their way around San Francisco.

By the early 1990s, Sandra had changed her name to Camille Bridewell, and had left California. A boyfriend put her up in a ritzy apartment in Boston. There were other places she called home, too, like Connecticut and Hawaii. But new addresses did not mean a change to her old ways. Using the Social Security numbers of other people, she took out credit cards and rang up big purchases, with no intent to pay anything back. The list of victims also included her three children, whose credit she managed to destroy.

As the 21st century rolled around, the now middle-aged Sandra had turned from sexuality to religion to draw her victims close. The crux of her story centered on the idea that she was a missionary who traveled the world to work with orphans. As always, Sandra had a way of getting people to do what she wanted. In Alabama, she befriended a couple who owned and managed a local motel. Despite not being able to pay for her room, Sandra received food and money from the husband and wife.

Discovery and Conviction

Sandra (who went by "Camille" at this time) then moved to Atlanta and began using a slightly different last name—Bridwell instead of Bridewell. There, she convinced a woman she'd met at a church to split the cost of an expensive condo rental. Sandra's new housemate soon found herself paying for everything, and waiting to get a chunk of money from a trust fund that didn't exist.

In 2006, Sandra surfaced in North Carolina, and began using the name Camille Bowers. In September 2006, she moved in with Sue Moseley, a 77-year-old woman who lived in a million-dollar home on the Carolina coast. Sandra had struck a deal with Moseley's son, Jim—in return for taking care of Sue Moseley's housework, she would receive free room and board.

As she made a name for herself in the community (she spoke a few times at the local women's club), Sandra set to work on taking over Moseley's finances. She collected tax records, rerouted the elderly woman's Social Security payments to a new account, siphoned off the mortgage money, ran up credit charges, and used money from Moseley's bank account for spa treatments and nice shoes.

Jim Moseley grew suspicious of his mother's housemate, and in early 2007, he came across a lengthy newspaper story in the Dallas Observer that chronicled Sandra's life. Working with the police, Jim played the front man in a police sting.