Denise Sparks

Denise Sparks is the villainess from "The Silver Briefcase," episode 7.05 of The Mentalist.

She was played by Jama Williamson.

Denise Sparks is a data analyst working for the Department of Defense at the Wynn Complex, and as revealed later on, she was the evil mistress of Colonel Aaron Raymond. When Raymond's wife, Cheryl, found out about the affair and planned to divorce him, Denise colluded with Raymond to kill Cheryl, which was done in the Raymond household. After the murder, the pair drove Cheryl's body to an inner city area, which led to a young man named Zach Jefferson being arrested and convicted in Cheryl's murder.

Eight months later (the episode's events), Jane learned about Raymond's wife and figured that he was involved in the murder, prompting himself and Lisbon to investigate. After learning about Raymond and Denise's dalliance, Jane and Lisbon set them up to meet at an abandoned warehouse, with the former holding a silver briefcase that he claimed had evidence of their role in Cheryl's murder. He gave them five minutes to confess, threatening to open the case if they didn't, and it was at that moment that they both gave in and confessed to the murder.

In each interrogation, however, each one pointed the finger at the other. Denise portrayed herself as a bystander, claiming that Raymond actually smiled as he killed Cheryl, while all she did was watch. In Raymond's version, Denise was portrayed as a deranged villainess, as according to Raymond's claim, the evil Denise lunged at Cheryl and killed her with a knife, while adding that Denise became a different person when she committed the murder. Though Jefferson is released, the episode ends without actual confirmation regarding which of the two physically killed Cheryl. Neverthless, both Denise and Raymond were arrested.