Viswa Vanapalli
CBS News’ ‘48 Hours: A Question of Murder’ chronicles the investigation into 40-year-old Sandra Maloney’s murder. The mother of three’s burned remains were found at her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in February 1998. The authorities believed that Sandra’s estranged husband, John Maloney, was the killer. But evidence at the scene also pointed to a possible suicide attempt. The couple’s three sons, Matt, Sean, and Aaron, believed that their father was innocent and, on the show, talked about their mother’s troubles. So, if you’re curious to find out more, here’s what we know.
Who Are Sandra and John Maloney’s Kids?
Sandra and John Maloney married in 1978 and eventually had three sons. While Matt was the oldest, Sean was two years younger, and Aaron was born a year after Sean. Matt recalled how cracks began to appear within the family when Sandra developed a prescription pill addiction because of her neck pain. In 2005, he said, “If she couldn’t get the pills from her doctors, her friends would provide them for her. They were no help to her.” As per reports, it got to a point where the local pharmacist would ask the boys to take their prescription medication in front of him so Sandra wouldn’t get her hands on them.
But even that was futile, with Matt saying, “She’d tell me to slip it under my tongue and just keep it under there until we left the place. And then I’d spit it out, and she’d take it when we left. I know I shouldn’t have been doing it, but I was so young. Now that I think about it, I can’t believe someone would do that, especially your own mom.” Over time, Sandra dealt with depression and alcoholism, leading to many arguments with John. As per the prosecution, she had once told her psychiatrist about John’s physical abuse and showed him bruises. However, John denied these claims, and Sean agreed.
Matt said, “If anyone was fighting, it was my mom hitting my dad. People can say he was abusing her or whatever, but in all reality, we’re the ones that were there and saw the stuff. And if anyone swung at anyone, it would be my mom hitting my dad.” John moved out of the house in 1997 and took the kids with him. Then, in February 1998, Sandra was found dead by her mother, with the authorities believing John killed her and then set her body on fire. While there seemed to be evidence that Sandra was thinking of killing herself, the jury never saw it and ultimately found John guilty of murder. As a result, he was sent away for life, leaving the kids without their parents.
Where Are Sandra and John Maloney’s Kids Today?
The kids always believed in their father’s innocence, with Sean reading a family statement, “The Maloney family is not giving up on my dad. We love him, and we know the truth. I believe in my dad. And I will fight until he is by my side.” Matt added something similar, saying, “If there’s any way I thought my dad killed my mom, I would have nothing to do with this case right now. I would not see my dad. I wouldn’t talk to him at all. It’s our mom that died. Why would we cover up for that?”
After the ordeal, John’s sister, Gin Maloney, cared for the kids and regularly took them to visit their father in prison. However, the Maloney family had to deal with yet another tragedy since Gin passed away in 2018. It seems that Matt, Sean, and Aaron have since kept a low profile, and understandably so. From what we can tell, Matt and Aaron still live in Green Bay, while Sean resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It appears that Sean loves spending time with his family, especially his niece, but not much else is known about the brothers.
Read More: Sandra Maloney Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
