"The Meaning of Malice" examines the life and crimes of Sandra Bridewell—a beguiling socialite in the affluent Dallas suburb of Highland Park in the seventies and early eighties. True crime author John Leake presents new evidence to substantiate his belief that Bridewell (who is still alive and free) is an officially undetected serial killer.

In May 1987, Sandra Bridewell was the subject of a D Magazine feature titled "The Black Widow" that suggested she had murdered her third husband—as well as her first husband, and the wife of a prominent cancer doctor who had treated her second husband for what turned out to be terminal lymphoma.

Author John Leake grew up in Highland Park, down the street from Sandra Bridewell, and often visited her at her home to socialize with one of her children. With the assistance of former Los Angeles County criminalist Lynne Herold and former FBI forensic psychologist, Gregg McCrary, he analyzed the three gunshot deaths reported in the 1987 D Magazine feature.

Leake began his multi-year investigation in 2007, when Sandra Bridewell was arrested (and later pled guilty) for aggravated identity theft. Assuming the guise of a Christian missionary, she ingratiated herself with an elderly lady in Southport, North Carolina (near Cape Fear) to steal the unsuspecting victim’s identity and to plunder her financial assets. Leake visited Bridewell in pretrial detention and began documenting her life and wanderings.

Join author John Leake as he takes a closer look at the true story of Sandra Bridewell and follows a trail of seduction, blackmail, identity theft, and murder that has perplexed Dallas high society for forty years.