Fatal Beauty | 3. Dead End

Summary

The Binge Cases: Fatal Beauty | Episode 3: Dead End

Host: Sony Music Entertainment
Release Date: April 15, 2025

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Introduction

In the chilling episode titled "Dead End" from The Binge Cases: Fatal Beauty, Sony Music Entertainment delves into the enigmatic and sinister life of Sandra Bridewell, a woman whose Southern charm concealed a dark, murderous intent. Known ominously as the Black Widow, Sandra's journey from a seemingly innocent femme fatale to a suspect elusive enough to avoid murder charges forms the crux of this gripping true crime narrative.

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The Beginnings: Alan Rarig Meets Sandra Bridewell

The story commences in the summer heat of early Dallas, where Alan Rarig, a tall, athletic redhead from Oklahoma, arrives with aspirations of breaking into professional sports. Lacking a professional contract, Alan hopes Dallas will be his breakthrough. With the help of an old friend, he secures a job but struggles to find suitable housing.

Cooper Maul (Narrator):
“His sister-in-law encouraged him to go to an area, Highland Park, and see if anybody would have a garage apartment that he could rent.” [01:41]

Alan's search leads him to Lorraine Avenue, where his attention is captured by Sandra Bridewell, standing out beautifully in her yard.

Cooper Maul:
“Sandra was standing out in the yard talking to her yard man.” [02:20]

Sandra’s immediate willingness to help Alan, coupled with her striking appearance, sets the stage for their whirlwind romance.

---

A Swift Romance and Sudden Marriage

Alan and Sandra swiftly become inseparable. Sandra introduces Alan to affluent social circles, showering him with luxuries and integrating him into her upscale lifestyle.

Cooper Maul:
“She gave the impression that she had money and was very wealthy.” [03:51]

Within five months of dating, Alan moves in with Sandra, befriends her children, and fully immerses himself in her world. Their marriage materializes in December, marking the beginning of what appears to be a fairy-tale union.

---

The Collapse: Separation and Alan’s Mysterious Death

Despite the glamorous facade, the marriage deteriorates swiftly. By the eleventh month, Alan and Sandra separate. Tragedy strikes a month later when Alan is found dead, half-frozen and decomposed in his Bronco in Oklahoma City.

Cooper Maul:
“He had no idea what he was getting into. No idea.” [04:11]

Alan's mother, Gloria Rarig, immediately suspects foul play, pointing fingers at Sandra as the prime suspect. However, Sandra's evasiveness and ability to stay ahead of the authorities complicate the investigation.

John Leake:
“She was anxious for the payout as soon as possible.” [05:58]

Sandra swiftly maneuvers through legal channels, securing herself as the administrator of Alan's estate, which includes a substantial life insurance policy of $220,000.

---

The Investigation: Gloria’s Pursuit of Justice

Gloria, determined to uncover the truth behind her son's death, faces significant hurdles. The Oklahoma City police lack concrete evidence, relying mostly on circumstantial evidence and Sandra's suspicious behavior.

Cooper Maul:
“They think she planned exactly what she did.” [04:35]

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Gloria engages lawyer David Wise to contest Sandra's control over the estate and delay the life insurance payout.

---

Legal Battles and Further Murders

David Wise's legal intervention leads to a court hearing where he attempts to prove Sandra's culpability. However, the judge insists on a higher standard of proof, complicating Gloria’s efforts.

David Wise:
“Well, you know, we think it is a criminal matter if…” [20:12]
Judge DeShazo:
“Alleged murder. So the murder proof in our hearing today is going to be beyond a reasonable doubt instead of by preponderance of evidence.” [21:11]

As the legal battle intensifies, tragedy strikes again. Robert Smith, Alan’s cousin and the proposed new administrator, is found dead in his vehicle, officially ruled a suicide—a questionable conclusion given the pattern of murders surrounding Sandra.

John Leake:
“Robert was then found shot to death in his vehicle parked in his home garage. Again, very cursory investigation. And then it was ruled suicide.” [22:21]

These events only deepen the mystery and raise suspicions about the true extent of Sandra's manipulative and lethal intentions.

---

Sandra’s Flight and Web of Deception

Evading prosecution, Sandra relocates to Belvedere in Marin County, California. Here, she crafts an image of prosperity and continues her deceitful maneuvers.

Glenna Whitley:
“She enrolled the two girls in Branson School, which is a well-known private school. Very hoity-toity.” [29:04]

In California, Sandra systematically targets wealthy, respected men, exploiting their sympathy and trust to extract substantial sums of money under false pretenses. Two notable victims emerge:

1. Dennis Kubo: An attorney enamored by Sandra’s facade and persuaded to loan her nearly $24,000 after months of financial manipulation.

   Glenna Whitley:
   “He thought, well, she's got to be good for it.” [35:09]

2. Tom Finney: An insurance executive who, after falling for Sandra's act, loans her over $70,000. His subsequent divorce and lawsuit reveal Sandra’s manipulative prowess.

   Tom Finney:
   “I gave it to her because I felt sorry for her.” [38:47]

These cases exemplify Sandra’s modus operandi: using beauty and sorrow as weapons to defraud and dismantle the lives of affluent men.

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The Case Goes Cold: Absence of Indictment

Despite mounting circumstantial evidence, Sandra remains uncharged. Law enforcement struggles with jurisdictional conflicts between Dallas and Oklahoma City, leading to inadequate prosecution efforts.

David Wise:
“I have no idea why it didn't happen.” [29:47]

As the legal avenues collapse, Sandra successfully secures the remaining life insurance payout of $118,000, effectively silencing the investigation and enabling her to vanish once more.

Cooper Maul:
“It seemed like it was totally a cold case.” [32:11]

---

Sandra’s Continued Deception and Future Threats

Post-indictment, Sandra perpetuates her deceptive lifestyle in Marin County, continuing to exploit and defraud unsuspecting men. Her ability to blend into affluent communities allows her to evade detection and maintain her façade of respectability.

Glenna Whitley:
“She set quite the elaborate trap in Marin County.” [33:27]

As Sandra's trail of deception widens, the episode hints at future investigations, including the potential involvement of the FBI and further private investigator efforts to unearth her continuing crimes.

---

Conclusion

"Dead End" masterfully chronicles the rise and fall of Sandra Bridewell, highlighting her manipulative charm and the systemic failures that allowed her to escape justice. Through detailed accounts, interviews, and expert insights, the episode paints a comprehensive picture of a woman who turned charm into a lethal weapon, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.

Cooper Maul:
“When Allen 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.” [32:11]

As the story unfolds, listeners are left pondering the complexities of justice, the vulnerabilities of the victims, and the elusive nature of manipulative predators like Sandra Bridewell.

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Notable Quotes:

• Cooper Maul:
  “She weaponized sorrow with the precision of a seasoned predator.” [35:27]

• Glenna Whitley:
  “Every man she ever encountered, she knew exactly how to play them.” [42:04]

• John Leake:
  “They had a jurisdictional battle going on between the Dallas Police Department and the Oklahoma City Police Department.” [32:35]

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Fatal Beauty continues to unravel the layers of Sandra Bridewell's deceit, promising further exploration into her schemes and the enduring quest for justice by those left in her wake.

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Transcript

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[Narrator]

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 so let's talk about Allan 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, 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.

[Cooper Maul]

His sister in law encouraged him to go to an area, Highland park, and see if anybody would have a garage apartment that he could rent.

[Narrator]

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

[Cooper Maul]

He was dressed in a blazer and a tie and his Bronco was black and it was shining.

[Narrator]

The sparkling SUV made its way down Lorraine Avenue, cruising slowly in hopes of spotting a For Rent sign. Instead, someone caught Alan's eye that June morning.

[Cooper Maul]

Sandra was standing out in the yard talking to her yard man.

[Narrator]

She looked like a pinup living inside a Norman Rockwell painting. Might she have a lead?

[Cooper Maul]

He got out and walked up and introduced himself and told her what he was looking for and she said, well, she didn't know anybody but if he would come back in about 30 minutes, she would go with him and they could look for something.

[Narrator]

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

[Cooper Maul]

When he came back, they drove around and they went to grocery stores where they had little bulletin boards for notices and notes.

[Narrator]

They struck out that day, but in no time Sandra Pulled Allen into her world. He was 29, a tall, dashing redhead.

[Cooper Maul]

She invited him immediately to some kind of a big party. And he was to wear a tux, and she had a formal on, and she showed up at his apartment to pick him up with a limousine.

[Narrator]

Allen certainly wasn't in Oklahoma anymore.

[Cooper Maul]

He was not used to anything like that kind of society.

[Narrator]

Usually she relied on her potential suitors to wine and dine her with Alan. She was something of a mom of Warbucks. Floor seats to Springsteen concerts, tickets to Mavericks games, a trip to Hawaii.

[Cooper Maul]

She gave the impression that she had money and was very wealthy.

[Narrator]

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.

[Cooper Maul]

He had no idea what he was getting into. No idea.

[Narrator]

Their marriage didn't even last a year. By the 11th month, they'd separated, and Allen had fallen from his wife's good graces. He was found dead a month later, half frozen, half decomposed in his Bronco.

[Cooper Maul]

We think she planned exactly what she did.

[Narrator]

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. I'm Cooper Maul. Dead end. Turns out almost as soon as the coroner zipped up the body bag in Oklahoma City, Sandra didn't just hire her.

[John Leake]

Own PI she quickly went down to the Dallas county probate court and had herself appointed administrator of his estate.

[Narrator]

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's 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.

[John Leake]

She was anxious for the payout as soon as possible.

[Narrator]

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

[John Leake]

She had the motive.

[Narrator]

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.

[John Leake]

The Oklahoma City police kind of marveled at the fact that instead of simply cooperating to help them track down Allen's killer, she retained counsel and refused to talk to the police.

[Narrator]

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 Allen's death. Just their suspicion and a trail of coincidences that seemed too eerie to ignore. Allen 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.

[John Leake]

At a certain point one has to start lending some credence to this just can't all be a coincidence.

[Narrator]

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 Allen'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 Allen in that awkward interview before his funeral was true. The drugs, the gambling, the shady company.

[John Leake]

Who was the victim hanging around with? What was going on in the victim's life.

[Narrator]

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

[John Leake]

They just couldn't find any evidence that he was hanging around with dangerous people. Pretty quickly the Oklahoma City police detectives realized this is just pure assertion from the widow.

[Narrator]

Sandra's so called tips were not checking out. Next, investigators tried to nail down Sandra's movements the night Allan disappeared. Her alibi was simple. She showed up at the storage unit in Garland at 5:15pm waited around Fran 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 1:45am that didn't mean she was innocent though because the detectives running theory was if Sandra did kill Allen, it was before she would have met the Franks.

[John Leake]

She would have had time to have committed this crime during the two hours before she actually met these people.

[Narrator]

Here's what I wonder. I've chewed 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. Allen 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 Allen stored somewhere in Dallas for a few days. She could have driven to Oklahoma City that Sunday or Monday even. After all, Allen's body was found four days after he disappeared. Nailing Sandra down on the timing thing would have been a lot easier if she had just cooperated. Instead, she got her PI Bill Dear, on the case. Remember, Sandra had asked him to find out who had really done this before Allen's body had been found. Her private investigator is trying to clear her name, so he made a request he thought would help.

[Glenna Whitley]

Bill asks her to take a polygraph test.

[Narrator]

If she passed, then you're going to.

[Glenna Whitley]

Be able to show the police, look, I had nothing to do with this.

[Narrator]

That's Whitley again. On December 23rd, Sandra and Bill Dear paid a visit to the polygraph examiner's office. Sandra brought her friend Susan for moral support. She hung back in the parking lot.

[Glenna Whitley]

She comes out and she's crying and she says, I failed it.

[Narrator]

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 Dear, Sandra's PI gave them credence.

[Glenna Whitley]

He looks at the evidence that he's been dealing with and the fact that she's failed this polygraph and ultimately comes to the conclusion that she is responsible or knows something more about Alan's death.

[Narrator]

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

[Carrie Huskinson]

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[Narrator]

1986 arrived, and still no breaks in Allen'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. Allen had sent it to him. Not long after he and Sandra tied.

[Cooper Maul]

The knot, she told Al that she was pregnant.

[Narrator]

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.

[Cooper Maul]

She had stopped at a 711 or someplace and called him and told him that she had had a miscarriage and that it was twin boys and they were red headed.

[Narrator]

She had been pregnant with twins. Two babies gone gingers, just like their dad. Devastation hit Allen. In the short time he'd known he was going to become a father. He let himself dream of tucking his kid into bed, teaching him to read. And now he'd lost two babies and.

[Cooper Maul]

He grieved over that.

[Narrator]

In the days following the miscarriage, Allen was met with armloads of support.

[Cooper Maul]

The people at his office were just grieving with him and they took dinner to the house like you do when somebody passes away.

[Narrator]

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 Allan and remembers him fondly. But let's just say when I asked her about this discrepancy, she didn't mince words.

[Cooper Maul]

He was too dumb to know that she couldn't have had twins that had red hair.

[Narrator]

Allan 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.

[Cooper Maul]

I got in touch with somebody that knew that she had had a hysterectomy.

[Narrator]

If she didn't have a uterus, she.

[Cooper Maul]

Couldn'T even get pregnant.

[Narrator]

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.

[Cooper Maul]

It's just unbelievable. Unbelievable. That's what was so infuriating to me. Because Al would have been such a wonderful father. She had taken all that away and had lied to him about that.

[Narrator]

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 Allen 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 Allan 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.

[Cooper Maul]

A friend had given me a name, David Wise, of an attorney in Dallas. And I contacted him and asked if he would help me with the death of my seven.

[Narrator]

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]

I get a call from one of the lawyers in the law firm in Oklahoma City saying, look, we have a client whose son, we think was murdered. His wife's about to get the insurance proceeds. All we need you to do is draft a letter and take it basically down the street to the insurance company. But it needs to be there tonight.

[Narrator]

Or first thing in the morning over the phone. He took Gloria's case.

[David Wise]

We filed to have Sandra removed and prevent the payment out of the estate and prevent the insurance company from doing anything.

[Narrator]

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.

[David Wise]

So we get before the court. I got there early, hit him, went in chambers with the judge and these.

[Narrator]

Two other Lawyers for Sandra, criminal defense attorneys in probate court. More fodder for the claim David was there to make.

[David Wise]

I said, well, you know, we think it is a criminal matter if David.

[Narrator]

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

[David Wise]

Mr. Wisey. Alleged murder. So the murder proof in our hearing today is going to be beyond a reasonable doubt instead of by preponderance of evidence.

[Narrator]

Let's just say David was frustrated.

[David Wise]

Some bs. I said, judge, this is not a criminal court. You cannot hold my client to that high standard of proof. She said, well, it's my court. I'm gonna do what I want to do, and I'm gonna hold it to that.

[Narrator]

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.

[John Leake]

Robert was married and had three children.

[Narrator]

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

[John Leake]

Robert was then found shot to death in his vehicle parked in his home garage. Again, very cursory investigation. And then it was ruled suicide.

[Narrator]

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. 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 seemed 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 to 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.

[David Wise]

Pacheco and Mitchell told me that they were getting close in Oklahoma. They thought they would have enough evidence.

[Narrator]

To indict her 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.

[John Leake]

They made this assurance to Gloria Rehrig that an indictment was imminent.

[Narrator]

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.

[David Wise]

She resigned. So there was no need for a hearing.

[Narrator]

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.

[David Wise]

They paid out half because she had presented certain expenses on behalf of the estate.

[Narrator]

The remaining $118,000, if she wasn't indicted, it was all hers and she was going to need it.

[Tom Finney]

These families trying to help her out because she's just a poor widowed woman.

[Narrator]

Whatever.

[Tom Finney]

She had used up all those people and so those resources were gone.

[Narrator]

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.

[Tom Finney]

She had become a pariah in Highland Park.

[Narrator]

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

[Tom Finney]

Law, nobody wanted anything to do with her, so she needed fresh hunting grounds.

[Narrator]

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.

[Tom Finney]

And it's a much bigger pond and they don't know who she is.

[Carrie Huskinson]

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[Narrator]

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

[Glenna Whitley]

She very much could talk the talk and walk the walk in those circles.

[Narrator]

It's a place where privilege meets paradise. Tucked just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Marin 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.

[Glenna Whitley]

She enrolled the two girls in Branson School, which is a well known private school. Very hoity toity.

[Narrator]

The Bridewells. Yeah, Sandra dropped Rarerig once 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.

[Tom Finney]

It was a good tactical move. And not only that, with the indictment, they'd have to extradite her, which she could fight. So it was a smart move, calculating. That's Sandra.

[Narrator]

Well, about that indictment.

[John Leake]

A couple of months goes by, and there's nothing about a grand jury being empaneled.

[David Wise]

And it just didn't happen. I have no idea why it didn't happen.

[Narrator]

Allen's mother is at her wit's end.

[John Leake]

Gloria then calls the prosecutor's office and is like, well, what's the deal? I thought that you guys were gonna indict her.

[Narrator]

Turns out they were making other plans.

[John Leake]

The DA says the FBI is taking over the case. They have more resources and more jurisdictions.

[Narrator]

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.

[Cooper Maul]

They didn't know anything more than what the Oklahoma City police had said.

[Narrator]

That's all the contact she ever had with them.

[Glenna Whitley]

The FBI never seems to get any traction in this case. Nothing ever comes of it. That is one of the big mysteries.

[Narrator]

I reached out to the FBI to ask about Allen'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 Allen went missing to four days later when he was found. I asked what evidence they were able to unearth, but 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.

[John Leake]

She dropped her claim to block the remainder of the death benefit.

[Narrator]

The last of Allen's life insurance, the 118,000, went to Sandra.

[Cooper Maul]

It was devastating. It really was.

[Narrator]

This wasn't about the money. The end of the probate battle signaled an end of the investigation into Alan altogether.

[Cooper Maul]

It seemed like it was totally a cold case.

[Narrator]

When Allen 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.

[David Wise]

They had a jurisdictional battle going on between the Dallas Police Department and the Oklahoma City Police Department because they found the body in Oklahoma City, and the Dallas police didn't seem to want to be involved in it because the body was found in Oklahoma, and they should have been more involved. You know, it's a situation where the FBI should have been involved early on and let the rabbit out of the trap with her here.

[Narrator]

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.

[Glenna Whitley]

I think she began scamming men almost as soon as she moved to California, and that is based on me talking to men who she came on to, who she borrowed money from.

[Narrator]

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

[Glenna Whitley]

She moves to California with a house full of expensive antiques, china, you know, all the trappings that make her look like she comes from old money.

[Narrator]

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

[Glenna Whitley]

She is able to get their confidence very quickly and plays upon their masculine sympathy to protect this beautiful woman who seems to find them so irresistible. And one of them was a guy named Dennis Kubo, an attorney who was.

[Narrator]

Recently separated from his wife, instantly captivated by Sandra. In August of 88, the two met at a dinner party in San 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.

[Glenna Whitley]

She kind of evoked a sense of protectiveness in him.

[Narrator]

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?

[Glenna Whitley]

He actually takes out money on a credit card and gives it to her.

[Narrator]

She promised to pay him back. His mistake was believing her.

[Glenna Whitley]

He thought, well, she's got to be good for it. He sees all of her art and her antiques and the way she dressed, the way she carried herself.

[Narrator]

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

[Glenna Whitley]

But it kept going and going.

[Narrator]

The request 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, it's not getting paid back. In about three months, Dennis had loaned Sandra nearly $24,000. That's over 63,000.

[Glenna Whitley]

Today he starts to realize, wait a minute, what's going on here?

[Narrator]

Before Dennis could get an answer or a promissory note sign for that matter, Sandra's explanations became vague. The woman who had once been warm, affectionate and grateful now seemed distant.

[Glenna Whitley]

She stops returning his phone calls and standing him up for dates.

[Narrator]

Sandra ghosted him. Dennis date might have ditched him and the bill. But he wasn't alone. In January 89, he gets a call.

[Glenna Whitley]

From another guy named Tom Finney.

[Narrator]

One mark had officially met the other.

[Glenna Whitley]

When they compared notes, you know, there's all similarities between the situations.

[Narrator]

Here's Tom Finney on San Francisco's NewsCenter 4. She has very dark eyes that really I believe penetrates a person's mind. 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. Cuba declined an interview with NewsCenter 4. Friends say he's too embarrassed. 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.

[Cooper Maul]

She has very hypnotic eyes. If I ever met her again, I.

[Glenna Whitley]

Certainly wouldn't want to look in her eyes.

[Cooper Maul]

I would truly be frightened too.

[Narrator]

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 FDIC happened to be investigating this bank and that her trust was frozen and that she could not get any money. And as a result of this, she was unable to pay her rent. She was unable to pay tuition for the her kids at the school. And if she could have a very short term loan, $10,000 to be exact.

[Glenna Whitley]

Tom Finney actually takes money out of his retirement account.

[Narrator]

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

[Glenna Whitley]

I gave it to her because I felt sorry for her. I gave it to her because I felt sorry for.

[Narrator]

Sandra had an uncanny ability to make men do what she wanted them to. She weaponized sorrow with the precision of a seasoned predator. Tom Finney said yes, and over the next several weeks, says he loaned Bridewell more than $70,000 and has the canceled checks and wire transfers to prove it. That amount didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

[Glenna Whitley]

Of course, you're married. It's your retirement account, too, you know.

[Narrator]

Tom had to come clean, he tells.

[Glenna Whitley]

His wife, and she was just aghast.

[Narrator]

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 fun stat. Here's Whitley recounting what Sandra had to say about that.

[Glenna Whitley]

She said, well, I think you gave me that money. If you want to divorce your wife and come live with me, you can enjoy your money. That was it.

[Narrator]

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 in ensnared in something even darker. An undeniable sense that Sandra wasn't just taking their money. She was taking their dignity, piece by piece.

[Glenna Whitley]

And most of these guys don't say much about it. They don't want to admit that they've been taken by a beautiful woman who's giving them sex and adoration. And then when she can't pay the money back, or has never intended to pay the money back, she dumps them and moves on.

[Narrator]

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. When the money was not repaid, Finney finally sued her. In March. Bridewell's lawyer filed papers claiming any money was a gift. Tom Finney never saw a scent.

[Glenna Whitley]

He couldn't afford to pursue it. It seemed like there was no chance of him getting any money back because there was nothing in writing. And she's going to say, oh, we were having an affair, and he gave me that money.

[Narrator]

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 target wealthy men, respected men, churchgoing types. Men with something to lose.

[Tom Finney]

I knew about Thomas Finney. I had also heard rumblings when I was in Dallas over in Highland park that she had done this to other people. And so it's just part of her M.O.

[Narrator]

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

[Tom Finney]

Every man she ever encountered, she knew exactly how to play them.

[Narrator]

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. They checked into Bridewell's past in Dallas and soon learned of a cover story on her in a Dallas publication called D Magazine. A report titled the Black Widow 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.

[Tom Finney]

I got a call at about 3:30 in the morning. She was crying and then she said she had found long black hairs on her pillow.

[Narrator]

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

[Tom Finney]

And that's when she found out her name was Camille.

[Narrator]

Wait a second. Who don't want to wait for that next episode? You don't have to unlock all episodes of Fatal Beauty ad free right now by subscribing to the Binge Podcast channel. Search the binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on apple. Head to getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. As a subscriber, you'll get the binge access to news stories on the 1st of every month. Check out the Binge channel page on apple podcasts or getthebinge.com to learn more. If you run a business that requires a lot of mailing and shipping, use stamps.com you'll save time and money by printing postage, tracking packages and scheduling free pickups all in one easy to use dashboard. More than 4 million customers have relied on stamps.com to make their lives easier. Let stamps.com do what they do best so you can spend your time doing what you do better. Go to stamps.com audio to sign up for a special offer. No contract. Cancel Anytime. That's stamps.com audio.