1. The Case

Summary

Murder on Songbird Road: Episode 1 - The Case

Murder on Songbird Road, a gripping true-crime series produced by iHeartPodcasts, delves into the chilling case of the 11-year-old Jade Beasley's stabbing death in Southern Illinois. Hosted by veteran true-crime aficionado Lauren Bright Pacheco and seasoned criminal defense attorney Bob Motta, the series questions whether the case was genuinely resolved or if Julia Beverly, the father’s fiancée, was wrongfully convicted. Episode 1, titled "The Case," sets the stage by meticulously recounting the events surrounding the tragic incident, the subsequent investigation, and the ensuing controversies.

Introduction to the Case

The episode opens with a dramatic retelling of the fateful day in December 2020. On an unseasonably warm winter day in Marion, Illinois, Julia Beverly, age 29, made a desperate 911 call reporting a violent break-in at her home on Songbird Road. The call, filled with panic and confusion, details the discovery of her stepdaughter, Jade Beasley, who was later pronounced dead from multiple stab wounds.

Notable Quote:

“Jade's got multiple wounds all over her.” — Narrator [07:02]

The 911 Call and Initial Response

Listeners are transported to the harrowing 911 call placed by Julia Beverly at 12:24 PM. The transcript reveals her frantic attempts to explain the situation to the operator, mentioning a knife-wielding intruder and finding her daughter in the bathtub. The detailed account underscores the chaos and fear experienced during those crucial moments.

Notable Quote:

“I just ran out all the blood and I came in and took on Jade.” — Julia Beverly [07:45]

Investigation and Arrest

Within five days of the incident, Williamson County State's Attorney Brandon Zanotti held a press conference announcing Julia Beverly’s arrest on three counts of first-degree murder. Despite Julia’s initial claim of a break-in and witnessing an unidentified male fleeing the scene, discrepancies arose when surveillance footage contradicted her statement about visiting Walmart.

Notable Quote:

“The investigation has proven this story to be false.” — Prosecutor Brandon Zanotti [12:02]

Media Coverage and Public Reaction

Local news reporter Danny Valle recounts the initial coverage, highlighting the limited information released to the public and the subsequent media frenzy. The episode explores how the lack of early details fueled speculation and fear within the rural Marion community.

Notable Quote:

“There's so much police, there's so much activity going on. It was insane.” — Danny Valle, WSIL News 3 [15:06]

Community and Racial Tensions

The podcast delves into the complex dynamics of Marion, Illinois—a predominantly white, heavily religious community. Julia Beverly’s mixed-race background and recent participation in a Black Lives Matter rally added layers of racial tension to the case. Supporters argue that racial biases influenced both the investigation and public perception, suggesting that Beverly faced prejudgment due to her activism and race.

Notable Quote:

“It's a predominantly white community, very heavily religious. It is not a very inclusive community.” — Prosecutor [30:14]

Julia Beverly’s Supporters and Claims of Wrongful Conviction

Key voices, including Whitney Nicole, Julia’s supporter, highlight inconsistencies in the investigation. They question the rapid arrest, lack of physical evidence, and absence of a clear motive. The supporters emphasize that Julia was a stepmother and a mother to other children, complicating the narrative of her guilt.

Notable Quote:

“They arrested her so fast, you know, and so I'm like, she must have been drenched in blood and had all this evidence. But come to find out there was no bloody clothing of hers found.” — Whitney Nicole [25:05]

The Trial and Verdict

Two years following the murder, Julia Beverly’s trial concluded with a jury swiftly finding her guilty in just over an hour. The prosecution and the victim’s family felt justice was served, while supporters remained unconvinced, citing unresolved questions and potential racial biases.

Notable Quote:

“She was found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Jade Beasley.” — Prosecutor [27:07]

The Aftermath and Continuing Controversies

Post-verdict, the podcast examines the ripple effects of Jade's murder on the community and Julia’s family. Issues such as the wrongful conviction possibility, the impact on Julia’s children, and the strained relationships within the community are explored. The episode also touches upon the role of race and media influence in shaping the case’s outcome.

Notable Quote:

“If Julia Beverly is not the person who took Jade Beasley's life, there has been no justice for Jade.” — Nikki, Julia’s Cousin [41:16]

Connection to Bob Motta and the Podcast’s Investigation

Lauren Bright Pacheco narrates the podcast’s involvement, detailing how both she and Bob Motta were drawn to the case through similar channels. Their combined expertise in true-crime and criminal defense law sets the foundation for a thorough investigation into potential miscarriages of justice.

Notable Quote:

“I realized, oh no, it's Illinois again, and that this is a stepmother who has been arrested and ultimately convicted of the murder of a stepdaughter.” — Lauren Bright Pacheco [38:27]

Conclusion and What’s Next

The episode concludes by setting the stage for future installments, promising an in-depth exploration of the case’s complexities, including the fractured relationships resulting from the tragedy and further questioning of the investigation’s integrity.

Notable Quote:

“We aim to reexamine this case with integrity and sensitivity while exploring whether Julia Beverly was justly charged, tried, and convicted.” — Narrator [41:31]

Production Credits

Murder on Songbird Road features meticulous research, writing, and hosting by Lauren Bright Pacheco, with investigative reporting by Bob Motta and Lauren Bright Pacheco. The episode is expertly edited, with sound design and original music by Evan Tyre and Taylor Chicoin, and additional music by Asher Kurtz. Archival elements are courtesy of WSIL News 3.

Final Thoughts

Episode 1 of Murder on Songbird Road effectively sets up a compelling narrative that not only recounts the tragic events surrounding Jade Beasley’s murder but also raises critical questions about justice, media influence, and racial biases. Through engaging storytelling and in-depth analysis, Lauren and Bob invite listeners to ponder whether the true perpetrator was ever caught or if Julia Beverly remains an innocent woman wrongfully convicted.

Please subscribe to Murder on Songbird Road and follow Lauren Bright Pacheco on all platforms for more updates and investigative insights as the series continues to unravel the mysteries of this disturbing case.

Transcript

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Murder on Songbird Road is a production of I Heart Podcasts. What follows is a 911 call placed by a woman named Julia Beverly in December of 2020. Its content may be disturbing to some listeners.

[911 Operator]

Okay, okay, okay, listen, calm down. What is. Listen, listen to me. Calm. Calm down. What's your address?

[Narrator]

Songbird Rottery in Illinois. Okay, okay, okay.

[911 Operator]

Listen. You said 1304 songbird 11304. Okay.

[Narrator]

Sometimes you find a story, Sometimes the story finds you. The message requests started coming in through Facebook February 16th of 2023. The first one was a link to an article with the headline Jury finds Julia Beverly guilty in the stabbing death of Jade Beasley. It was immediately followed up with a message notification which was immediately unsent and then this text, please prayer hand emoji if you can help. Considering the prosecution's ending argument was even though we have no physical evidence yet, guilty. And so began a steady stream of missed video calls and links pertaining to this case.

[News Reporter]

A jury trial for a Williamson county woman accused of murdering a young girl starts tomorrow. Julia Beverly is set to be in county court tomorrow morning at 9. She's accused of murdering 11 year old Jay Beasley. In December of 2020, Beasley died from multiple stab wounds. According to investigators, Beverly pleaded not guilty. In the wake of Beasley's death.

[Narrator]

In Marion, Illinois, an 11 year old girl brutally stabbed to death. Her father's longtime live in girlfriend maintaining innocence but charged with her murder.

[Supporter]

I ain't gonna lie. You know by the news articles I thought she was guilty at first just by reading what the news said.

[Narrator]

That's Whitney Nicole, the woman behind my myriad of Facebook messages.

[Supporter]

I'm just a resident of this town and I can't be quiet and just love an innocent woman that I believe truly is innocent to just sit and waste more of her time behind bars.

[Narrator]

Whitney speaks the way she communicated on Facebook, a bit in bursts.

[Supporter]

Miriam has always been a sweet stuff under the rug type of deal around here. They don't solve murders, they cover them up. And these journalists around here, or news reporters are ridiculous. They ruin lives. And it's not innocent of proven guilty. Around here, you're guilty.

[Narrator]

Her outreach seemed sincerely motivated by her concern for Julia Beverly, a woman she says she barely knows.

[Supporter]

I've only met her probably a couple of times, but I just seen all the wrongs. I just. This girl just needs help. I'm so sorry for her. Like she does not deserve this.

[Narrator]

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, and this is Murder on songbird. The 911 call came in Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 12:24pm it was an unseasonably warm winter day in Illinois. Sunny with a high of 54 degrees.

[911 Operator]

You said someone had broken into your house.

[Narrator]

I know. She said they were running out as.

[Supporter]

I was coming home for my stepdaughter.

[911 Operator]

Okay, listen. Listen to me. You're going to have to take a breath. I can't understand what you're saying. Okay.

[Narrator]

It originated from a somewhat rural section of Marion, Illinois. A flat area of former farmland peppered with modest, mostly ranch style homes.

[911 Operator]

You said someone came running out of your house.

[Narrator]

Yeah, the kid.

[Supporter]

Running out whenever I got one until my door was open.

[911 Operator]

Okay.

[Narrator]

The stretch of Songbird Road where the murder occurred is dotted with little league baseball fields, some still playable, most overgrown by weeds and sectioned off by rusting chain link fences, exuding an eerie air of time suspended and innocence lost.

[911 Operator]

Which way did they go?

[Supporter]

I just ran out all the blood and I came in and took on Jade.

[Narrator]

The call lasts for nearly 12 minutes as a sobbing Julia Beverly struggles to speak.

[911 Operator]

Julie, who else is in the residence?

[Supporter]

It's just me right now, but Jade look at his daddies. In the bathtub.

[Narrator]

Jade's got multiple winds all over her.

[911 Operator]

Okay, who is this in the bathtub?

[Supporter]

It's my stepdaughter.

[911 Operator]

Okay, how old is she? Okay, is she awake?

[Supporter]

No, I don't think so.

[Narrator]

She's not moving.

[911 Operator]

Okay, hold on. When that person left, did they leave in a vehicle or on foot?

[Narrator]

They were on point. They just took off running.

[911 Operator]

Okay, could you tell if it was a male or a female?

[Narrator]

It was male.

[911 Operator]

Could you tell what color shirt he was wearing?

[Narrator]

He was in all black. Okay, police arrived on the scene at 12:35.

[911 Operator]

Okay, there's an officer. You're pulling in.

[Narrator]

No.

[911 Operator]

Okay, Joy, I'm gonna let you talk to them.

[Narrator]

Okay.

[Supporter]

Hold it.

[Narrator]

Right.

[911 Operator]

Thank you.

[Narrator]

They would find a still hysterical Julia Elaine Beverly, age 29, inside the house in a bathtub with cold running water. They would discover 11 year old Jade Marie Beasley. Jade would be pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was loss of blood from multiple stab wounds. Through existing media coverage, I could quickly piece together that Julia Beverly and Jade's father, Mike Beasley, had been a couple for nearly eight years. They both had a child from previous relationships who were about the same age. Jade was 11, and Julia's son Jayden was 10 years old at the time of the murder. In addition, the couple shared two young daughters together. One was three at the time, the other was just one and a half years old. That Saturday morning, Julia Beverly and Jade Beasley were the only people in their one floor modular home. Mike was at work as a cook at the local Cracker Barrel. Julia's son Jaden was visiting his birth father, and the couple's two young girls were spending the weekend with their grandmother Sheila. Mike's mom, Julia Beverly was working the morning shift from home as a remote customer service representative for Hyatt. Beverly initially told police she had left Jade alone to do holiday shopping at the local Walmart, but upon getting there, realized she'd left her wallet at home when she switched from her diaper bag to a smaller purse. So she returned back home to the house. That's when, according to Beverly, she encountered a knife wielding masked man dressed in black who tussled with her at the front door before fleeing on foot. She then discovered blood throughout the house and Jade in the bathtub before calling 911. Just five days later, the now former Williamson County State's Attorney, Brandon Zanotti held a press conference.

[Medical Provider]

A few hours ago, I charged Julia Beverly, age 29, of 11304 Songbird Road, Marion, with three counts of first degree murder the murder of Jade Marie Beasley, an 11 year old girl. An arrest warrant was issued and Julia Beverly was arrested within the past hour and is being processed and held at the Williamson County Jail. She's being held on a $2 million bond.

[Narrator]

Zanatti would then hold up a photo of the victim, Jade Beasley. It shows an adorable young girl with bob strawberry blonde hair accented with pink streaks and a pink bow. She's smiling broadly from behind pink rimmed glasses dressed in even more bright pink. The cropped photo and the larger full body original of the small pink clad girl would be utilized by the media throughout the duration of the investigation and trial.

[Medical Provider]

I recently was given a copy of the booking photo and I have those here for anyone that may want them.

[Narrator]

In stark contrast, Julia Beverly appears haggard and drained in her booking photo, her dark clothing and dark hair disheveled, the grainy shot drab enough to almost appear black and white.

[Medical Provider]

These first degree murder charges carry with them possible penalties of 20 to 60 years in the Department of Corrections and if determined, extended term eligible up to 120 years.

[Narrator]

Jade Beasley's murder and Julia Beverly's arrest were both announced during that same press conference, but while no motive was given, Zanotti added this when the incident occurred.

[Medical Provider]

The suspect gave law enforcement an initial report that unidentified male ran from the residence upon her arriving home. She said that she left the residence with Jade alone in the home for a short time and returned home to find an unidentified male fleeing. The investigation has proven this story to be false.

[Narrator]

Murder on Songbird Road will continue after.

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[Narrator]

Now back to Murder on Songbird Road.

[News Reporter]

What they had told us at the press conference was that they had arrested Julie Beverly. They charged her with murder and had said that she had told them a story about a suspect that left the home and that that was later proven to be false. That was the first official word of that case. But they never explained how that happened. I should have asked. You know, looking back at it now.

[Narrator]

In hindsight, that's Danny Valle, who was a reporter and anchor at local news station WSIL News 3 when the Beverly story broke.

[News Reporter]

Every town has its crime. Marion's no different than any other town. Marion gets a lot of theft calls, burglaries. Very few times that we've covered shootings in Marion. But there have been. Not to say that there haven't been, but to have a murderer as gruesome as J. Beasley's doesn't happen very often down here. Not at all. It's very rare.

[Narrator]

And by down here, Valle means south Marion is.

[News Reporter]

So if you know Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, it's about 30 minutes east of Carbondale on Route 13. If you're more familiar with highways, it cuts right by Interstate 57. It cuts through Marion.

[Narrator]

And if you don't know any of the above, know that Marion, Illinois, is in extremely southern Illinois, closer to Missouri than Chicago. Valle's recollection of Jade Beasley's murder remains extremely clear.

[News Reporter]

Three years later, on December 5, 2020. It was a Saturday. I was still the morning anchor. My shift was over by around 10, 11:00am So I went home and I'm hearing rumblings that there's something happening in Marion. Joe Rohano was actually the first one to go over there. He was our FOTOG reporter. He actually shot the initial footage of the police response there. And he was just telling us, you know, that there's a big presence. He went to go eventually hear Back on the scanner that they were calling a medevac helicopter to the home. But then later on, we find out that the call was rescinded, that the aerovac was canceled immediately. We were thinking someone died, but we just don't know who. We just know that there's a lot of police. There's so much activity going on. Like, this is a huge response. I mean, it was insane. The number of cars were there. I think there were five, but it seemed like there were more. Even in the days after. When we followed up, they were still there. But, yeah, we first heard about it on Saturday. We didn't get much information officially, and we were slowly hearing little details on what may have happened. We were hearing that it may have been a little girl. We were hearing that it was the girl's mother. Then we're hearing it wasn't the mother, it was the stepmother.

[Narrator]

The lack of information, especially during the isolation of the pandemic, led to immediate speculation and concern.

[News Reporter]

People were calling us for five days asking what was going on. People were wondering if the person was still out there. There were so many questions. People were wondering if there was a serial killer out there because there was no hint of, we need to find a suspect. All we heard was that they were looking for surveillance video of the area, and that was it. They never gave out a suspect description. They never said whether the suspect was in custody or not. They never said if there was a person of interest until the days leading up to the press conference. We didn't hear official word until Wednesday. So literally five days later, after the fact, when something's happening, the press conference, that was the first official word of that case, and I was actually the one filming that.

[Narrator]

Valle would go on to cover the case and the trial reporting that would put him and the media in general at odds with Renee Hightower, Beverly's mother. Since the day of the murder, her belief in her daughter's innocence has not wavered. The daughter who close friends and family called Julie.

[Witness]

That morning I was at work.

[Narrator]

Renee was working at one of the gas stations she manages.

[Witness]

I remember the ambulances going by my work because I was in my Marion store. Nothing clicked. Nothing was like, oh, my God, something's happened to one of my children, you know, or one of my grandchildren. Nothing clicked. I was just watching because they were going like, an extra speed to my coworker. I was like, oh, my God, something really bad must have happened. Probably about 4:30pm My niece called me, who lives in Salem, Massachusetts, and said she's seen something on social media.

[Narrator]

Nikki is the daughter of Renee's sister and lived in Marion with her family before they moved to Massachusetts after she graduated high school.

[Prosecutor]

I was just kind of doing my normal thing, chasing the kids around, and I had a few moments to pop on Facebook and I still follow the local news station. Even though I've not lived there for a while, I still like to see what goes on in the community. And I saw a news story about murder in a rural area in Marion, and I was like, oh, my God, that's so crazy, because nothing really like that happened, at least whenever I was growing up there. I clicked on the article and the picture just. It looks so familiar. And I didn't want it to look familiar, but it did. And when I clicked on the article, it said Songbird Road. My heart sank because I knew that that's the road that Julie lived on. It was the tree in the front yard that did it because it's a very odd looking tree. I called my Aunt Julie's mom and I said, hey, we talked to Julie. And she was like, no. And I was like, there's. There's been murder on her road. And I think it is her house.

[Witness]

She sent me a picture and sure enough, I recognized it to be Julie's house.

[Narrator]

You found out through a niece who lives halfway across the country who saw it on social media?

[Witness]

Yes. Four hours later. So I raced out there. I was like 12, 15 miles away, and I think I got there in three minutes. It felt like. And sure enough, there's police vehicles everywhere and it's taped off, and I'm in a panic and there's an officer at the curb and I get out of my car and I'm asking, are the kids okay? Ma'am, you'll have to go to the police station. I said, is this is my daughter's house? Is she okay? He would not answer. You have to go to police station. In the meantime, I'm calling Julie. No answer. I'm calling Mike. No answer. I'm calling Sheila, Jaden. Nobody's answering the phone. So my panic level is rising with every time I try to call somebody.

[Narrator]

Because at that point, anybody could have been dead.

[Witness]

Yes, yes. And I finally get through to Sheila, Mike's mother, and I asked, what's going on? And is everybody okay? You know, and I had a million questions. And her response to me, if you hold on, I'll tell you. So I took a breath and she said to me, well, Jade's with our heavenly father now. And I just lost it. Lost it. I was screaming no. And I quickly have to gather myself together again and ask what happened. And she said, do you want to talk to Mike? I said yes. So Mike tells me that she committed suicide. And I'm like, what makes an 11 year old girl do what was going on? Was she depressed? No, not that I know of. But mom and Kim said she might have been feeling a little bit depressed.

[Narrator]

That initial confusion about the cause of death within the immediate family and the fact that police only informed one side of the family were just two of the issues that would define the investigation of Jade's murder and the case against Julia Beverly. As would what Renee recalls as a notable disconnect between Mike and his fiance.

[Witness]

I'm like, where's Julie? I don't know. Have you talked to her? No, he hasn't talked to her.

[Narrator]

He hasn't spoken to the woman he lives with who is the mother of two of his children?

[Witness]

Yes. Yeah.

[Narrator]

Why? How did he explain that?

[Witness]

He didn't. He just said he hadn't talked to her. Now I'm sure by this time they had taken Julie's phone so she couldn't call or talk to anyone. But if you were down to police station like her, I mean, did you ask about her? No, nothing. I don't know. But he didn't even know where she was. Didn't know where she was. So I figured, well, this officer was telling me go down to the police station. So I go down to the, to.

[Narrator]

The sheriff's office, which is indeed where Julia was, having agreed to be questioned initially waiving her right to an attorney.

[Witness]

I was asking if my daughter was there and he asked who I was and he said we'll be down in a minute. And a police officer, Carl Gustantine, came down and talked to me.

[Narrator]

Remember that name? Carl Gustantine will play a pivotal role in Renee's issues with the investigation and Julia's arrest at this point. What time is it?

[Witness]

Probably around 5:30pm going on 6. He come down and he said we've got a lot of questions that we're talking to her. It's going to be a while. And I said, well, I'm not going anywhere as he's going back upstairs. I said what would make an 11 year old commit suicide? And he looked at me strange and he said who told you that? And I said her boyfriend Mike. And he just said oh. And he went on and finished questioning my daughter. It was crazy. It was crazy. So I'm talking to my oldest son Michael and he said why do they still have her in there? It's been hours. And I was like, I don't know. I guess I got a lot of things to talk, you know, trying to figure this out. And he's like, where's Mike? I said, I think he's at home. He's like, mom. They're looking at her as a suspect.

[Narrator]

Julie willingly submitted for questioning.

[Supporter]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Without representation. Because it didn't occur to her that she was a suspect.

[Witness]

Correct. Now Julia had told me later on that she could feel a change in the wind within 10, 15 minutes being there. But then she's trying to brush it off. They're doing their job. They have to exclude family members before they find, you know, so this is how she's playing it in her mind. This is her job. They have to do this. I'm reading too much into it. But she did say she could feel a change within 10 minutes of them.

[Narrator]

Being there, of the police being at her home, at the crime scene.

[Witness]

Yes. Yes.

[Narrator]

Much of this case seems to hinge on the fact Beverly initially told police she had made it to Walmart before realizing she'd left her wallet at home. But surveillance footage established she had not completed that journey. Here again is Whitney Nicole.

[Supporter]

They arrested her so fast, you know, and so I'm like, she must have been drenched in blood and had all this evidence. But come to find out there was no bloody clothing of hers found. There was no blood found in her bedroom or in her bathroom or even in the drain. So if she even took a shower, where did that blood go? Where did her bloody clothes go? Where does the weapon go? No like witnesses, no nothing. And it's supposed to be beyond a reasonable doubt, you know, and there is nothing to even prove she should have even been arrested.

[Narrator]

Whitney Nicole also brings up something that makes those photos from the press conference with the Williamson County State's attorney more interesting.

[Supporter]

Oh, Jolie's eyes. Jolie was shorter than Jade and she weighed less. Like Jade was 130 pounds and 5 foot 3. Julia was 4, 8 and 115 pounds.

[Narrator]

A quick clarification. Beverly is actually 4 foot 11.

[Supporter]

Julia had never even been in a fight before. And it was actually said by the bio mother of Jade that she had taught Jade self defense. So in that case, like you know, Julia never being in a fight, why wasn't there more like defensive wounds on her, you know what I mean?

[Narrator]

The photo then Williamson County State's attorney Brandon Zanotti released to the public of 11 year old Jade Beasley was Actually several years old, giving the false impression that Jade was smaller than Julia Beverly at the time of her death.

[News Reporter]

We begin tonight with breaking news.

[Caller]

A Williamson county jury has reached a verdict in the Julia Beverly trial.

[Narrator]

Two years later, it would take a jury just a little over one and a half hours of deliberation to deliver a verdict.

[Prosecutor]

She was found guilty of murdering 11 year old Jade Beasley.

[Narrator]

But many, including the prosecution and the victim's family, believe justice was served. After the verdict, the special prosecutor, Jennifer Mudge, spoke to local news.

[Supporter]

Any child murder case means a lot.

[Narrator]

And there's a lot at stake and.

[Witness]

A lot of emotion involved. So you have to, in a sense.

[Prosecutor]

Take it a little bit personally.

[Narrator]

But we did our jobs, as did Jade Beasley's mother, Jessica Bradley. Being able to be here for justice to be served to her was a good ending. The concepts of justice and injustice are intertwined with crime and punishment, but in the case of this murder, they played heavily into the divisive aftermath that quickly seemed to split the city of Marion and its social media activity. According to Beverly's cousin Nikki, so did race.

[Supporter]

Absolutely.

[Prosecutor]

I remember within hours of her being arrested, there were just people that had taken pictures from her Facebook profile because she had attended a Black Lives Matter rally with Mike a few weeks earlier, and it was in the Marion town square, and they had a picture of her holding up a sign that said, no justice, no peace. And they were using that picture to like, mock her. And then everybody was bashing the whole Black Lives Matter movement. But they, they did proceed to cut Mike out of the picture because he was standing directly behind her. But here's the pictures and her race and her social stances against her. I do feel that maybe that could have also impacted the, the police from the get go because that stuff was in her house as well. I think she still had her, her sign from that.

[Narrator]

So when responding officers came to the house, they would have seen Black Lives Matter signage, right?

[Witness]

Yes.

[Prosecutor]

I think the poster board that she had at the rally, I'm pretty sure it was in her living room.

[Narrator]

No justice, no peace. Her booking photo wasn't the only thing that appeared black and white. Julia Beverly is mixed race for context. According to the most recent census, Marion, Illinois is 86% white. While Renee Hightower, Julia's mother, is white, Julia and her three brothers are all mixed race. Julia's cousin Nikki is the daughter of Renee's sister, and when she lived in Marion, part of that white 86%.

[Prosecutor]

That's one of the reasons why we, we Relocated. I don't want to badmouth where I'm from and where we grew up, but it is very much a predominantly white community, very heavily religious. Some of the things that I have witnessed growing up are a bit ridiculous. I remember an incident in our high school. There was during Hurricane Katrina. There was a family that had been relocated, and there was a black boy who had been relocated to our school. And within a day, somebody had picked a fight with him. They got into a physical altercation, and his family left. It is not a very inclusive community. I would say.

[Narrator]

Whitney Nicole is also part of that white 86%, but her children are not. Do you think race played a role in this?

[Supporter]

Oh, yes. And sex.

[Narrator]

Why?

[Supporter]

Because I witnessed it firsthand. I witnessed the racism. I witnessed the sexism. Say, okay, if me being a white female and if it was a dispute against a black individual, they'd probably take my side. But say if it was between me and another white male individual, they're gonna take his side, which I have witnessed and I have experienced.

[Narrator]

Whitney attended every day of Julia Beverly's trial, which unfolded in Marion. Do you think that Julie was judged by a jury of her peers?

[Supporter]

Oh, no. I think it was set up just the way they wanted it to be set up. Like it was all white. All white individuals. There was nobody of color.

[Narrator]

Renee Hightower is extremely aware of racial issues in Marion, having raised four mixed children into adulthood there. It's also interesting to note that two of Renee's three sons are active military. In addition, the man Julia considered her stepfather, Renee Hightower's ex husband, Angelo Hightower, was a sergeant and longtime officer of the Marion Police Department when he alleged discrimination due to his race when passed over for promotion in 2014. That's the same police department that assisted the Williamson County Sheriff's Office in the investigation of Jade's murder.

[Witness]

Another thing that I thought of before I forget is when you're talking about the shitty investigation here. When I was trying to get Julie's things out of the house that were left after the investigation was over, I called Carl Guzentin, and I was talking to him. They did not even know that Julie owned that house. That's how deep that investigation went. Because he told me, you're gonna have to talk to the owner. And I said, I did. She's sitting in jail right now. And I've got the longest pause from him. And then he said, well, they both own it. And I was like, no, Julie owns it. And he's. He's just sitting there. I'm not going to help you then I'm not going to help you. That's a civil matter. You're going to have to talk to him and he hung up on me.

[Narrator]

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[Narrator]

Now back to Murder on Songbird Road. Could Julia Beverly have been wrong, wrongfully convicted? While there does appear to be issues of possible injustice worthy of revisiting, there are also facts that remain problematic. Why did Beverly initially say she went to Walmart when her phone, location and surveillance camera footage apparently show she turned around well before completing that trip? Why was there a significant delay? According to the prosecution, 31 minutes between the time Beverly returned home and found Jade before she called 911. It turns out I wasn't the only person with questions or getting DMs about Julia Beverly. I just want to ask you how this case came on your radar.

[Caller]

Yeah, it's a funny story, really, because it was Renee, and Renee I think had run into. I don't necessarily know if she listened to my Gacy season or if she was listening to my Garcia season.

[Narrator]

That's Bob Mota, former criminal defense attorney turned prolific Podcaster best known for his work as the host of the podcast Defense Diaries, where along with his wife Allison, also a defense attorney, he discusses high profile criminal cases and the legal system from the perspective of his two decades practicing law.

[Caller]

I wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't done that, as miserable as I was at the end of my legal career. Because defense lawyering is a gut wrenching profession. You're fighting the power of the government like non stop, never ending, and you're constantly losing. It's disheartening in a really fundamental way because you go into that profession wanting to really protect the rights of all of us, which is really what defense attorneys do.

[Narrator]

Turns out Mata and I were drawn into the Beverly case in a fairly similar fashion.

[Caller]

Renee had reached out to me via email simultaneously to that Whitney Nicole was hitting me up in my DMs. They were both sending me the same things.

[Narrator]

Mata and I had initially connected in February of 23 because you and I.

[Caller]

Were talking about Christopher Vaughn. So you and I had this thing going on completely separate and apart.

[Narrator]

His active community of Defense Diary listeners wanted his take on my take of Christopher Vaughn, who was sentenced in 2012 to four consecutive life sentences for the 2007 shooting deaths of his wife and three children. The case was the focus of the Murder in Illinois podcast, which was released in 2021. You hit me up on Twitter and I thought, oh, good God, here comes somebody wanting to attack me again for my support of Vaughn. And then it very quickly became obvious that you were intrigued. And that's when I just sent you everything, the trial transcripts, and just said, come on, you know, let me know what you think.

[Caller]

That gave me the answ and like the parallels between Julie's case and Christopher's case in terms of, like, most people.

[Narrator]

That kill have a reason, a motive, something.

[Caller]

There's always a motive, and it doesn't exist here.

[Narrator]

You know, the outreach from Whitney Nicole, when she started blowing up my DMs, started over a year ago. I didn't know what to think. But there was a very real thread of wrongful conviction red flags, right? The tunnel vision, the trial by media, the confirmation bias, and in this case, racism.

[Caller]

Racism for sure.

[Narrator]

But while race didn't play a role in the Vaughn case, in addition to the tragic loss of young life, there are some other striking similarities with the case against Julia Beverly, Julie's case and Christopher's case.

[Caller]

The things that they said initially that were not truthful are always the hardest things to overcome in your own mind. Because then when you start looking at the facts, especially with Julie's case in particular, they just don't add up.

[Narrator]

Murder in Illinois remains the most polarizing case I've personally covered. Questioning the integrity of the investigation and conviction that landed Vaughn in prison prompted some people to wish death on my children. That wasn't lost on me. When I weighed looking into Julia Beverly's conviction, I was really wary of it because of my experience with taking on a family annihilator case in Illinois. So when I realized, oh, no, it's Illinois again, and that this is a stepmother who has been arrested and ultimately convicted of the murder of a stepdaughter, I said, you know who you should call? Bob.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

I didn't know that you were already on Renee's radar.

[Caller]

Renee hit me up, and she's like, oh, I'm talking to Lauren. I'm like, what? Her and I have been, like, working on Christopher Vaughn and me doing something on Vaughn for months, and I can't believe that this never came up. And I just thought things are meant to be a little bit.

[Narrator]

Bob and I share a sense of pragmatic skepticism, but also recognize the timeliness and responsibility of discovering issues with this conviction before Beverly was even sentenced.

[Caller]

You and I both know the stuff that we typically cover, especially you, with your wrongful conviction work. I mean, defendants that are in 15, 20 years trying to get somebody to take take a look at their case, knowing just how clogged the system is. You know, with this case, the more I learned about it, the more I'm scratching my head, and I'm like, man, something stinks about it. Something's just. Something's not right, you know?

[Narrator]

Then you add the extra layer of the fact that, yes, she's a stepmother, but she's also a mother.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Narrator]

To, at the time, three other children.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Two of them toddler age. Yes, she's been taken away from all of her children. And if she's innocent, I can't think of a more horrifying thing to experience.

[Caller]

Me either.

[Narrator]

As a father of four, Julia Beverly has not seen the two daughters she shares with Mike Beasley since Jade Beasley's murder nearly four years ago. And there's an additional layer. Within weeks of her arrest, Julia Beverly discovered she was pregnant with her third child by Beasley, a pregnancy that ended in unfathomable cruelty. Especially if the conviction of Julia Beverly proves to be a wrongful one. But there's another reason driving Beverly's supporters. If Julia Beverly is not the person who took Jade Beasley's life. There has been no justice for Jade. Here's Beverly's cousin Nikki.

[Prosecutor]

It's scary because the person who did it is still out there and nobody seems to care. Well, that's not true.

[Supporter]

We seem to care.

[Narrator]

What happened to Jade Beasley is unfathomable and indefensible. And it is not our intention to disparage anyone, living or dead, but rather to reexamine this case with integrity and sensitivity while exploring whether Julia Beverly was justly charged, tried and convicted, or whether pertinent facts and later developments that could have been utilized in her defense were intentionally overlooked or ignored. On the next Murder on Songbird Road, the ripple effect of Jade's murder rips apart relationships.

[Witness]

And I said, jade is no longer with us. You could see him kind of trying to swallow those tears.

[Narrator]

And siblings?

[Witness]

He went from living with his mom and his two younger sisters to, you.

[Narrator]

Know, he didn't get to see his siblings. But did the investigation end before it even began?

[Witness]

Within an hour and a half, they were knocking at our back door. They said they were there for Julie and and they had a warrant for her arrest.

[Narrator]

Murder on Songbird Road is a production of iHeart podcasts. Our executive producers are Taylor Chicoin and Lauren Bright Pacheco. Research, writing and hosting by Lauren Bright Pacheco Investigative reporting by Bob Motta and Lauren Bright Pacheco Editing, sound design and original music by Evan Tyre and Taylor Chicoin Additional music by Asher Kurtz Archival elements courtesy of WSIL News 3. Please like subscribe and leave us a review wherever you're listening. You can follow me on all platforms at LaurenBright Pacheco and email the show with thoughts, suggestions or tips at Investigating [e-mail] for more iheart podcasts, visit the iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. Thanks for listening. At Ameca Insurance, we know it's more than just a car. It's the two door coupe that was there for your first drive, the hatchback that took you cross country and back, and the minivan that tackles the weekly carpool for the cars you couldn't live without. Trust Ameca Auto Insurance Ameca Empathy is our best policy.

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