Andrea Crayton - The Sunday School Killer

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL KILLER

ANDREA CLAYTON

If the circumstances regarding Brenda Evers Andrews murder of her husband was made into a movie, it would strain the credulity of the viewing audience. Two Sunday school teachers hatch a plot to acquire an $800,000 life insurance policy.

All they had to do was murder Robert Andrew, Brendas ex-husband.

Brenda tired of being the good girl going to church every Sunday. She wanted the good life. Her lover, James Pavatt, was a man deep in debt. Together, they were the answer to each other's problems both physically and financially if only they could get rid of the one man standing in their way.

No Bible passages or other church teachings would stop them. If they were going to hell, they were going to do it in style.

BRENDA THE SWEET GIRL

Brenda was born on December 10, 1963, and was raised in a quiet town in Enid, Oklahoma. She grew up in a family of faithful Christians that often spent time together for family meals and holding prayer sessions. They were traditional, conservative and scandal-free.

Brenda excelled in school, earning high grades in all of her classes being oriented toward home economics and sewing. Her classmates would describe her as a shy and gentle young woman. She seemed to like going to church congregations and helping others with whatever problems they had. By junior high, she had became a bit more outgoing, earning a spot on the cheerleader squad with her skills as a baton twirler although her fellow cheerleaders described her competence as average, at best.

This activity extended into her high school years but her shy personality did not lend itself to becoming a popular girl at school. She kept to herself and did not party with the rest of the in-crowd, instead going straight home after school or football games.

Her shy and quiet nature was inherited from her family. They didnt talk much or share anything private about themselves. She had a younger brother who was disabled and the family shared little beyond that.

Brenda would meet Robert Andrew when she was a senior in high school and he was a student at Oklahoma State. Roberts younger brother was a friend of Brenda, stating that she kept inquiring about his older brother whenever she saw him. Tipped off that Brenda may be interested, he began a courtship of her that resulted in an exclusive dating relationship within a short time.

Brenda graduated from high school then moved to Winfield, Kansas in order to attend college. She stayed there for a year before transferring to Oklahoma State where she could be with Robert.

When Brenda turned twenty-one years old, Robert asked her to marry him and she accepted. They got married on June 2, 1984, moving to Texas a little while after as Robert graduated and accepted a new job.

But family members began suspecting something was wrong with the couple. Robert remained tight-lipped at first, telling his parents that he would solve whatever problems he had been having with his wife. Still, he revealed his misgivings to his father.

Right after the honeymoon, Roberts father, Lou Andrews said, he said that she wished they hadnt gotten married. That it wasnt the right thing to do.

Roberts best friend, Ronnie Stump, also offered his opinion on the marriage, saying that it was unbalanced. He went on to state that there was a clear distinction between the two about who loved who more, and Robert clearly loved his wife more than she did him.

Robert conceded to some in his inner circle that his wife didnt love him. She loved his money.

Robert was described by many of those who knew him as the salt of the earth type. He did all the right things. He was a devoted Christian man who worked hard and did anything for his family and friends. He also did missionary work for his church, helping the people of South America during his trips.

Career-wise, Robert would take an advertising position with Jordan Associates, ultimately making a good living to provide for Brenda.

During their first years living in the new state, Robert would constantly mention his yearning to return to Oklahoma to be closer to his family, but Brenda was satisfied with the life they had established in Texas. She found work at a bank and liked her job, building a few friendships. But Robert informed his wife that he had the adverting agency offered him a position back in Oklahoma and they would have to relocate back to their home state. This was when they started experiencing the strains of being two independent people in a marriage relationship.

After several arguments and tears, Robert decided that he would leave for Oklahoma and begin his new job there without his wife by his side. But Brenda liked Texas too much. She decided to stay but after a few months apart Brenda would join her husband back in Oklahoma.

The Andrews family had their first child, Tricity, on December 23, 1990. After giving birth, Brenda decided to become a full-time housewife, effectively ending her career and leaving her co-workers for good.

Their second child, Parker, was born four years later, but by then their marriage was already in distress. Rob started confiding to his closest friends and church pastor about his troubled relationship with Brenda. He thought the marriage would end very soon. His friends spoke of how their relationship was a one-sided affair; how Robert had loved his wife with all his heart but Brenda never truly reciprocated the same feelings, instead often verbally abusing him and telling him how their marriage was a huge mistake.

In one instance, a co-worker of Rob eavesdropped on one of their phone conversations. He asked Rob why he never told Brenda he loved her at the end of their phone conversations. Rob stated that he did it once and Brenda told him that it made her feel uncomfortable. So he stopped doing it. Furthermore, after their children were born, they no longer had intimate relations. Robert would come home, see all of this racy lingerie that Brenda would buy and get his hopes up until to have them crushed by bedtime.

By 1994, it seemed that Brenda had undergone a complete personality change. The once shy and conservative woman had entirely altered her wardrobe. She trashed her modest wardrobe and now wore tight jeans and tops would show her cleavage. Friends and family recalled not knowing what had caused the sudden change in her appearance and whether something in her had snapped.

"Whose the hussy?" one of Robert's co-workers asked Brenda showed up at a company function attired like a street walker.

Nearing forty years of age, Brenda began going through a mid-life crisis. This anxiety was fueled by her being in a relationship with a man she no longer loved. In 1997, Brenda and her husbands friend, Rick Nunley, had begun having an extramarital affair. They had known each other from their past job working for the same Oklahoma bank. Nunley told investigators that their relationship had ended in spring of 1998, but the two cheaters maintained contact through phone calls.

Her intimate relationships with people other than her husband didnt end with Nunley. In 1999, Brenda met James Higgins at a grocery store where he worked. He testified that Brenda would wear revealing tops and mini-skirts to his grocery store, and they would often spend time flirting with each other.

After this went on for several weeks, Brenda handed Higgins the key to a hotel room she was renting and told him to come after work. Their relationship lasted for roughly two years until in May 2001 she told him that she wasnt enjoying the thrill of their sneaking around anymore. Brenda and Higgins remained close friends after their relationship ended, and he was even hired by Robert and Brenda to do renovations on their home.

AND SHE GOES TO CHURCH?!

Members of their church began to suspect something was amiss. Brendas new appearance during her mid-life crisis drew stares and whispers during worship service.