Leah Tyman (The Perfect Wife)

Leah Tyman aka Liza Steward — The vengeful Leah Tyman (aka Liza Steward)

Leah Tyman, also known as Liza Steward (Shannon Sturges), is the main villainess of the 2001 Lifetime film The Perfect Wife (airdate May 21, 2001).

Backstory[]

Not much is revealed about Leah’s past, but as shown in numerous flashbacks, she grew very close to her younger brother Ruben. She also grew up with a stepfather who often threw emotional abuse at Ruben for his interest in art over sports. One flashback shows Leah threatening to kill her stepfather if he ever hurt Ruben.

When Ruben was hit and killed by a drunk driver, Leah was devastated and turned vengeful when she learned that the doctor who responded to the accident, Robert Steward, chose to save the driver over Ruben. Leah began her quest for revenge by attempting to kill the drunk driver, Felicia Laurel, by turning off her respirator after ranting about how she was “a piece of trash” that didn't deserve to live while her brother (who she viewed as “one of God’s chosen”) died. Her act of murder was foiled, however, when a nurse started to enter the room, forcing Leah to turn the machine back on. She moved on to Robert by approaching him at a social function under the false name Liza, eventually romancing him into a whirlwind marriage.

Events[]

At the beginning of the movie, it is later revealed that Leah had fully manipulated Robert into falling in love with her, but had earned the ire of his maid Greta and ex-wife Helen. She is also shown to keep a box full of rose petals and photographs of the deceased Ruben. She also expressed to Robert a desire to have children, despite secretly taking birth control. As part of her revenge scheme, Leah got a job at Robert’s office after murdering his original assistant Nora. When Leah realized that Greta had opened her secret box (having noticed a dropped rose petal on the floor by it), she framed her for trying to steal her jewelry and fired her.

Later on, she devised a plot to destroy Robert’s business and his reputation by drugging his brother and fellow doctor Brad (a recovering drug addict) right before an appointment with regular patient (and former science teacher to both Brad and Robert) Orville Gleason. She then delivered his medication to his home, having altered the label so he wouldn’t see that it contained digitol, a chemical that the man was allergic to. She then stayed and watched as Orville had an allergic reaction and died, telling him that she was doing it because in her mind, Robert was a “murderer,” and added that he would get to be with his deceased wife now. She took the sticker she had used to alter the medicine off and, having forged Brad’s signature on a faked prescription, set him up to look like he had started using again and had caused Orville’s death. Before the case could go to trial, though, Leah gave the bedridden Brad oatmeal poisoned with morphine, revealing her evil nature and vendetta against Robert as the poison took effect. When Helen arrived, having made plans with Brad earlier, Leah went to the door to stop her before Brad staggered into view. Before he could reveal anything about Leah, however, he fell down the stairs and broke his neck.

At Brad’s funeral, Leah was suddenly confronted by Felicia Laurel, who had tracked Leah down to blackmail her with the fact that she had attempted to kill her; she threatened to expose her secret to Robert if she didn’t pay her $100,000 in two days. Leah agreed, with Helen witnessing her argument with Felicia. The two women agreed to meet at a park for the money exchange, but Leah had other plans all alone, as she had broken into Felicia’s car and hid there until she returned, killing her with a lethal injection of potassium cyanide once she did so. Leah then started the final phase of her plan that night by having wine with Robert, drugging his glass. She then duct taped his hands to his car’s steering wheel, planning to murder him via carbon monoxide poisoning. The vengeful villainess ranted to Robert about how he had let her brother die, with the woozy Robert repeatedly saying he had done the right thing, before leaving him to perish. As Robert struggled to free himself, Helen (having uncovered Leah‘s villainous secrets) arrived at the house and confronted Leah, leading to a struggle between them. Robert freed himself by driving the car through the garage doors, distracting Leah so Helen could hit her with a lamp. Leah fled the scene and Helen tended to Robert.

Some time later, the reconciled Robert and Helen were at a cabin sharing wine when Leah suddenly appeared, brandishing a gun. Robert attempted to assuage the psychotic Leah by saying that there was nothing he could’ve done to save Ruben, but Leah refused to believe him and began firing at Robert, with a bullet grazing his side. Helen then tackled Leah and they struggled over the gun until it went off, causing the villainess to be accidentally shot. Robert tended to Leah’s wound and, when asked by Leah why he didn’t let her die, he replied, “Because I'm a doctor.” It can be assumed Leah was arrested offscreen for her villainy.