Patrick Leach lives a private life with his partner and two children. The state of his relationship with Sheryl remains unclear.
The Peacock series shows that Patrick came to detest Barney because the character took Sheryl away from the family for over a decade. In Patrick’s eyes, Barney was an unwanted sibling who denied him time with Sheryl.
Steven White, who worked as a head writer on Barney & Friends, said on the Peacock series:
“Barney was like another entity in the family competing for attention, I can imagine that Patrick wouldn’t be crazy about that comparison. But can you imagine having a sibling rivalry with a large purple dinosaur?”
After a decade on the show, Sheryl rededicated herself to her family. By then, however, she couldn’t salvage her marriage to Jim Leach. A few years after their divorce, Jim committed suicide.
Meanwhile, Patrick lived a normal life, though he struggled with anger issues and developed a marijuana dependency. In January 2013, he shot his neighbor in the chest following an argument over trespassing.
Leach fled but was apprehended by authorities shortly after. According to the Associated Press, Patrick was wearing body armor and was armed with weapons.
Patrick pleaded no contest and was sentenced to fifteen years. He served a portion of the sentence before securing early release.
The neighbor, Erick Shanks, survived and sued Sheryl for the shooting. The suit claimed Sheryl bore some responsibility for the Shanks’ injuries as she allowed Patrick to possess weapons despite his violent tendencies.
