'That was our one shot': Family tries moving on after Greg Malarik's 2001 murder acquittal
"Not guilty" were the last words many of Gregory Malarik's family expected to hear the night a jury acquitted him of murdering his wife Sherri Malarik in 2001, but now that the 22-year-old case concluded, many family members are just trying to move on.
Gregory Malarik was initially indicted in 2020 after investigators arrested him for shooting Sherri Malarik twice in the head before leaving her body in a van at Winn-Dixie in Cantonment. His first trial in June 2022 ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury, but a new jury acquitted him of the charge Friday after eight hours of deliberation.
Sherri's sister, Tina Leake, sat through each day of both trials, and she told the News Journal she was prepared for either verdict but disagrees with the outcome.
"I know 100% he's guilty. I know it happened," Leake said. "I felt frustrated, angry that he literally got away with murder. How can you literally kill somebody and get away with it? It's very frustrating."
Despite the unexpected verdict, Leake says she's going to do her best to move on from this chapter in the family's life, trying to keep Sherri's death and multiple trials from consuming her life.
Jacob Malarik, Sherri's son and Gregory's adopted son, told the News Journal he's still trying to process the person he believed killed his mother leaving the courtroom a free man.
"As soon as they announced not guilty, I was very surprised. My very first thought was this is completely done and over with, and that was our one shot and it's gone," Jacob said. "I was definitely disappointed. I was definitely heartbroken."
To add to Jacob's grievances, he said he wished his mother's death investigation was "handled a bit differently" over the years now that he's trying to move on.
The handling of Sherri's case was a point of contention during both trials, and Gregory's attorney Chris Crawford pointed out the Naval Criminal Investigative Service conducted a "horrible investigation" as a result of their "parade of errors" over the 20-year-long investigation, including a mislabeling of one of the bullets that killed Sherri in 2001 that wasn't discovered until the first trial had already begun.
Gregory and Sherri's daughter Tera Malarik, who was roughly 2 years old the day of the homicide, says she's thankful for Crawford and the work he put in to her father's case, saying she wants law enforcement to continue pursuing the person responsible for her mother's death.
"My feeling when (the jury) read out the verdict was relieved, but I had mixed feelings," Tera told the News Journal. "On one hand, I'm glad the jury saw what I see, and I'm glad they were able to see that he's not guilty of this.
Not guilty: Jury acquits Gregory Malarik in 2001 Cantonment cold case murder of wife Sherri Malarik
"It would suck to lose the only parent I have left," she added. "On the other hand, it's upsetting that the investigators just did an awful job with what they were supposed to be doing that they didn't find out what actually happened to mom that night."
Since 2020, Gregory had been placed on house arrest pending his case's outcome, and now Tera said she's excited to have her dad come to her and her fiancé's home to have dinner, go to the movies and attend her wedding. The ultimate goal, she said, is to reach "a new normal" in their lives without a pending trial hanging over them.
"I didn't realize how much I was being weighed down," Tera said. "So, coming into a new normal would just be great, not having all of this over our heads."
Tera also said her father is excited to see the new development around Pensacola and Escambia County since he's been limited to his home or the court, and Gregory told the News Journal after the trial that he's happy the case is behind him.
"I'm grateful for Chris and his team, and I'm glad it's all over now," Gregory Malarik told the News Journal.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gregory Malarik family moves on after Sherri Malarik murder acquittal
