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Dateline is set to air a two-hour episode, The Sleepover, on October 6, 2025, on Oxygen. This episode explores the chilling murder of Sherri Malarik, a Navy petty officer and dedicated mother, found shot to death in her minivan.
The case remained unsolved for nearly two decades, until new memories and revelations reignited the investigation. The complex dynamics within her family are laid bare as they grapple with the lingering questions surrounding her death.
Sherri Malarik was a Navy air traffic controller and mother of five. She was known for her dedication to her family and her work. According to NBC News, published on February 3, 2024, Sherri disappeared after hosting a family sleepover on September 21, 2001.
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The next morning, her broken body was found in a parking lot. She had been shot twice in the chest. The Dateline show goes into more detail about how complicated the case is. The show looks at Sherri's family and friends, like her husband Greg Malarik and their kids.
The fact that they have different ideas about who killed her shows how deeply divided the family is. This moving episode shows the probe, the trials, and the years-long search for answers.
The real story behind Dateline season 9 episode 49, the Sherri Malarik’s murder
The tragic story of Sherri Malarik’s murder remains a haunting mystery that shook her family and the Florida community. On the night of September 21, 2001, Sherri hosted a sleepover at her home with her children and several of their cousins.
During the gathering, Sherri stepped outside to speak with her husband, Greg Malarik, who was working on their minivan in the backyard. She never returned. The next morning, Sherri’s lifeless body was discovered in the family’s van parked outside a nearby Winn-Dixie.
Sherri had been shot twice with a .25-caliber handgun, but no one knew who could have committed the crime. The investigation initially led nowhere, leaving family members and friends desperate for answers.
In 2020, 19 years after the events, when people were remembering the past, Greg Malarik was caught. Even though someone was arrested, the case was still unclear because there were suspicions, claims, and unanswered questions.
It was hard to blame one person for the crime because there wasn't enough clear proof. As Sherri's son Jacob talked about what happened the night she died, he became more and more suspicious of his father, Greg.
In the first trial, Jacob testified against Greg because he thought that the facts didn't add up and that his father killed his mother. But Greg's younger sister, Tera, stood by him wholeheartedly and was sure he was innocent. This disagreement within the family caused stress during the court case.
Read more: Rachel Buffet’s case - A detailed case overview ahead of Dateline
Greg Malarik’s affair and the investigation
One of the key aspects of the investigation was Greg’s affair with Jennifer Spohn, a Navy employee who sometimes babysat for the family. Jacob recalled a disturbing memory of finding Greg and Spohn in a compromising situation when Sherri was away on assignment.
The affair became a key part of the prosecution's case against Greg, but Jacob was too afraid to talk about it at the time. Spohn went to the Malarik house to return a lawnmower the night Sherri went missing. In later statements, she said she had nothing to do with Sherri's death, but police still did not believe her.
Even though she kept telling the same story, the police kept looking into her participation, especially after Greg was arrested in 2020. Spohn's ultimate confession to the police painted a shocking picture of her relationship with Greg.
She said that Greg had once said it would be faster to "just kill her" than get a divorce, which was a very scary statement that became the focus of the investigation.
Also read: The true story behind Bryan Capnerhurst's death ahead of Dateline
The murder trials and the family’s division
Greg Malarik was arrested in March 2020, nearly 19 years after Sherri’s death. The case went to trial, where Greg’s defense team argued that Jennifer Spohn was the real culprit.
They suggested that Spohn may have killed Sherri to take over Greg’s life. But the prosecution relied a lot on Sherri's children's statements and the events that happened the night she was killed. The jurors couldn't decide what to do in the first trial, and Greg was found not guilty in the second trial.
The family of Malarik was hurt by this long court case. Jacob was very upset about the result because he thought Greg was guilty. Tera had always been there for her father.
The trials revealed the deep rift between siblings, as each side clung to their version of the truth. The verdict, though a legal win for Greg, did little to heal the emotional wounds within the family.
Also read: 10 chilling Dateline cases you need to revisit
The aftermath and Greg Malarik’s life post-trials
Following his acquittal, Greg Malarik attempted to rebuild his life after spending over three years under house arrest. He declined an interview with Dateline, but his daughter, Tera, continued to support him publicly. She said on a Facebook post,
“Thank God, justice prevailed and dad is innocent.”
She expressed her belief that justice had been served, despite the toll the trials had taken on their family. However, Jacob’s relationship with Tera became strained, as they continued to disagree about the true perpetrator of Sherri’s death.
Dateline season 9 episode 49 will be airing on Oxygen.
