Women Behind Bars Tuesdays at 9|8c

Deana Fairchild & Leslie Demeniuk


The first of two stories in this episode features Leslie Demeniuk who was charged with murder in 2001. In 1996, Leslie married and gave birth to twin boys. Three years later, Leslie’s relationship began to crumble and she began to suffer from depression. In 2001, Leslie started taking anti-depressants and claims she experienced severe side effects including hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and started drinking heavily. According to court records, in the afternoon of March 17, 2001, Leslie was upset that her ex-husband could not baby-sit her four-year-old twins that evening. Leslie then shot and killed her twin sons. Although Leslie admitted killing her children, she claims that she was temporarily insane from her medication. She was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and is serving two consecutive life sentences. Deana Fairchild lived with her boyfriend Joe Martin, Jr. on his parents’ farm in Florida with her nine year old son, Matthew. On the evening of July 21, 1996, while Joe and his parents were sleeping in their home, Deana and Matthew were watching TV in the barn. Matthew remembers dozing off, then hearing a huge explosion and then running to the house, which was on fire. It burned to the ground, killing Joe and his parents. Police discovered blisters on Deana’s hands, and she was eventually charged with arson and three counts of murder. At her trial, Matthew testified against her. She was convicted and is serving three life sentences. She maintains her innocence.