Kriti Mehrotra
It was back on September 22, 2001, when the entire world for Sherri Lynn Panzer Malarik’s family turned upside down as she was found heinously slain in her parked van three miles from home. This much has actually even been evidenced in NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Sleepover,’ especially as it delves into the way her husband Gregory “Greg” Malarik was recently acquitted of her murder. So, of course, we should mention the names of Sheri’s loving sister Tina and her devoted brother-in-law Jeff Leake, the two individuals to have arguably fought the hardest to attain her justice.
Who are Tina and Jeff Leake?
Although Sherri and Tina were leading drastically different, independent lives by the time 2001 rolled around, they were as close as ever because of a clear sense of understanding between them. It thus came as a complete shock to her when Gregory called on the late evening of September 21 to report his wife hadn’t returned home upon leaving hours earlier to run a casual errand nearby. She knew for a fact her sister would’ve informed her if she was planning something or leaving and hence grew extremely worried, yet she still could’ve never imagined she’d soon be found dead.
It was actually Tina’s husband, Jeff Leake, who discovered Sherri lying dead on the passenger side of her Dodge Caravan at the Winn Dixie store with two gunshot wounds to the head at 8 am. “[The car] was unlocked, I opened it, and I was screaming ‘Sherri,'” he has since testified in court before later adding, “I touched her and kind of shook her arm a little bit. She didn’t move.” That’s when he frantically dialed 911, only for first responders to confirm his worst fears upon arrival — she’d been killed hours earlier and there was no way she could’ve even been revived.
Thus began the murder investigation, shortly following which the family even offered a reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest as well as conviction of Sherri’s perpetrator. They knew leads were dwindling down, yet neither Tina nor Jeff nor any other loved one was ready to back down; in fact, the former used to contact detectives weekly for any possible updates. But alas, it wasn’t until March 2020 when a breakthrough finally came in when Malarik babysitter Jennifer Spohn confessed to her and Greg’s involvement, yet it didn’t pan out in court despite two trials.
Where Are Tina and Jeff Leake Now?
“I know 100% [Greg is] guilty. I know it happened,” Tina publicly said once all court proceedings were said and done in October 2023. “I felt frustrated [after the jury verdict was announced], angry that he literally got away with murder. How can you literally kill somebody and get away with it? It’s very frustrating.” Nevertheless, she’s now determined to focus on the positives and keep her late sister’s memories alive in her heart while also doing her best to move on alongside her devoted husband plus kids. After all, this Florida native, who prefers to keep her experiences well away from the limelight these days (like her long-time love Jeff), knows Sherri wouldn’t have wanted this entire ordeal to consume her from the inside out.
Read More: Where is Greg Malarik Now?
