Loading summary
Transcript51 lines
- [00:07]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Diversion Audio.
- [00:12]
Susie Spencer
A Note this episode contains mature content and descriptions of violence that may be disturbing for some listeners. Please take care in listening. Let's open on a meet cute. It's 1998 in Austin, Texas. Our setting is romantic, if grim. Celeste Beard is in her early 30s. She's a tall, curvy blonde mother of two, the type of person who, when she turns her attention and charisma straight on you, makes you feel like you are the most important person to ever exist. The kind of person who draws your attention with her energy rather than her beauty. But Celeste also suffers from depression and in fact she has just been admitted to St David's Pavilion, a local psychiatric hospital in Austin, after attempting suicide. One of her twin teenage daughters, Christina, is visiting her there, helping her mother through her rehabilitation in that sterile, whitewashed environment. Christina, her daughter, notices another patient, Tracey Tarleton, with lobbed lank hair. Tracy is so dazed from sedatives that she can't put on her own shoes. She doesn't have the mesmerizing high beam gaze. Rather, Tracy just checked herself into St. David's after an explosive rage episode in front of the queer friendly bookstore she manages. Christina notices Tracy fumbling with her shoes. No laces. This is a psychiatric hospital. Just the shoes. When Christina notices, she says, oh mom, help her. And Celeste does. She befriends Tracy in the hospital and both their spirits lift. After all, one of the best ways to stop feeling helpless is to try and help someone else. Depending on whom you ask, Celeste and Tracy remained fast friends even after their respective discharges from the mental hospital. In fact, depending on whom you ask, their relationship was much more than friendly. They were in love. Normally this might be a really sweet story about finding love in a hopeless place, but because this is a true crime story, you know better. It wasn't long before Celeste asked Tracey to do something no one, not even a lover, should ask. Celeste asked Tracey to kill for her welcome to the greatest True crime stories ever told. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer. I'm a writer of true crime, which means I live inside the research wormhole. I'm constantly reading about crime, but I'm not necessarily interested in the headline grabbing elements, the blood and the gore, all of that. I'm more interested in the people behind these stories and what we can learn by looking at their experiences. If you want evidence of my obsession, you can read my book, America's First Female Serial Killer, Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster. You can also meet me here every week when I dig into crimes or where a woman is not just a victim. She might be the detective, the lawyer, the witness, the coroner, the criminal, or any combination of those roles. As you probably already know, women can do anything. We're calling this episode People Don't Sleep in Brasil. It's about the murder of Steve Beard and it's about Steve's wife's lover who shot him.
- [05:18]
Narrator
Have you made the switch to nyx? Millions of women have made the switch to the revolutionary period underwear from Nyx. That's KN I x Period panties from Nyx are like no other, making them the number one leak proof underwear brand in North America. They're comfy, stylish and absorbent, perfect for period protection from your lightest to your heaviest days. They look, feel and machine washed just like regular underwear, but feature incognito protection that has you covered. You can shop sizes from extra small to 4xL, choose from all kinds of colors, prints and different styles from bikinis to boy shorts, thongs to high rise. You've got to try nyx. See why millions are ditching disposable, wasteful period products and have switched to NYX. Go to knix.com and get 15% off with promo code. Try 15. That's nyx.com, promo code. Try 15 for 15% off life changing period underwear. That's kn I x.com with the best.
- [06:22]
Advertiser
All Inclusive Vacation Deals to Mexico and the Caribbean Booking your getaway with Cheap Caribbean Vacations means you have more freedom to do your deal. Whether you want to enjoy snorkeling, endless margaritas and more, or simply soak up the sun and sand in a tropical paradise, Cheap Caribbean Vacations has your deal for that. Plan and book the exact getaway you want at exactly the right price for you by using our exclusive budget Beach Finder. Or find a featured all inclusive package to Oasis Hotels and Resorts and do your deal@cheapcaribbean.com youm don't just live in.
- [06:53]
Your home, you live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like medium lot size and a noise score. Homes.com, we've done your homework.
- [07:34]
Susie Spencer
I had a roommate my freshman year in college and her favorite TV show was Jerry Springer Back then I didn't watch tv, but I already had a smart mouth. So one day while the live studio audience was chanting, jerry, I said, I don't get how you enjoy this. It's so fake. She looked at me like I was stupid and said, people will do crazy shit for people they love. I like to think I didn't know that yet because I was too young to have recognized the transactional nature of a lot of toxic relationships, let alone been on the business end of one or many. But that's where we are in our story today. On the business end of a transactional love affair. The relationship between Celeste Beard, Steve Beard and Tracy Tarlton is an obtuse angle. Basically, Steve and Tracy loved Celeste independently and Celeste required things of them in exchange for her love. Their story is about how withholding love is not actually love. When someone needs an outlandish act in exchange for what passes as normal ass interaction with a significant other, that's not love. It's not even a relationship. It's manipulation. And that is very dangerous, especially if you don't know how to recognize it. So let's talk about another important meet cute of this story. We're still in Austin, a city of many social classes, from the CD to the country club. But we're going back in time four years earlier to 1993. Celeste Johnson wasn't from Austin, but she was there looking for an opportunity. She waited tables at the elite Austin Country Club. Steve Beard, a 70something multimillionaire media mogul, was a member at the club. Steve pushed his wife Elise in her wheelchair to their table, number 99 in the dining room. According to one of the most comprehensive sources on the story, Susie Spencer's the Fortune Hunter. Other waitresses didn't want to wait their table. They thought Steve was, quote, gruff, rude and demanding and. Stay tuned for more from Susie Spencer at the end of the episode. I'm so happy that I got the chance to speak with the real expert on the case. She shares some really fascinating insights on the whole wild cast of characters. But first, back to the case. Celeste saw the media mogul differently than the other waitresses. She noticed how he cared for Elise, who suffered from cancer. He held her scotch to her lips to help her drink it. She thought this was a sweet, loyal man, one who cared for the woman he loved with everything he had. Celeste was right. She learned from her co workers and patrons that Elise had been married to Steve for decades and they had three adult children together. She'd helped him build his wealth, never Overspending. Although she sometimes overindulged in alcohol and golf and cigarettes, Steve begged her for years to quit smoking. She wouldn't. Then came the illness and the attentive care from Steve that Celeste clocked at the country club. For six months up to Elise's death, Steve sat by her hospital bed. He asked friends, what's going to happen to me after she dies? He still showed up at the country club for dinners, though. So Celeste observed this decline secondhand. Elise Beard died in October of 1993. For two weeks, Steve sat in his new loneliness. Then he came to the country club and sought some companionship. He asked Celeste to dinner. It could have been innocent enough. When I think about it, a new widower asking for a meal with a married server who knew his wife isn't all that untoward. Or at least it could be a situation of we both know each other is married, so it could be pretty innocuous. Plus, the club was the one place Steve frequented where he wasn't anyone's boss. We all hear of business leaders taking advantage of their power over hot employees, but that wasn't Steve. All Steve did was ask for company, and his kids didn't live in town anymore. The only thing I think that could be interpreted as a little icky is the proximity to his wife's death. And even then, I'm inclined to stick up for Steve even taking that into account, because who knows really, how long he'd been alone before Elise died. Plus, people grieved differently. What Steve didn't know was that Celeste had been planning to divorce her second husband, Jimmy Martinez. And Celeste saw that opportunity she was looking for in Steve. After Steve and Celeste had dinner at an Italian style villa, Steve drove her to his house on Lake Austin, where they spent the evening listening to music and drinking cocktails in his hot tub. Then she drove herself home in his Lexus. When Steve was back at work the next day, his office door forever open, he yelled out to his mentee, Ray McEachern, if you ever call the house at night looking for me or anything, I have a new house manager, Celeste. By New Year's Day 1994, Celeste moved in with Steve and quit her job at the Austin Country Club because Steve was embarrassed that his girlfriend worked there. Steve and Celeste got married a little over a year later, on February 18, 1995. Steve's adult daughter Becky said she was not happy about the relationship, but her dad was really happy. Though they never stated this outright at face value, Becky and her brothers had reason to be Concerned their dad was rich. He was marrying a waitress 30 years younger than he was. And it all happened pretty quickly. Plus, it started when Steve was vulnerable, just after his beloved wife finally died after a long illness. At best, it seemed seems like a crutch for Steve's pain. At worst, Celeste was taking advantage of Steve for his money. But Steve seemed happy, so his family was supportive. Because that's what you do for people you love, right? You support their decisions even when you don't agree with them. Up to a point, of course, Steve lavished Celeste with gifts, money, clothes, new homes to decorate in decadence. But his family's concerns were realized within just a couple months of their marriage. Steve never suspected a thing, nor saw any real concern with Celeste's spending habits. It was actually his banker who alerted him. And even then, it wasn't on grounds of a cash flow alarm. It was much worse, much more personal than just spending his money. Celeste had been removing jewelry from the safety deposit box he owned with his first wife, Elise. Basically, Celeste had been stealing his dead wife's jewelry, and then it disappeared. By that, I mean first she stole it and then she sold it just to draw out how serious of an offense this is. It's not really about the valuation of the jewelry, which was still huge. It's the fact that she stole it, the fact that she stole from her husband, the fact that she stole from his first wife, the fact that if we draw it out just a little bit more, Celeste stole heirloom jewelry from Steve's children. So Steve filed for a divorce. Then the couple reconciled almost immediately. He withdrew the petition. Four years, almost to the day of their wedding. I am not sure how Celeste managed to gain his forgiveness, but whatever she did, it tells us one thing. Celeste could be very convincing. A lot of people have talked about Celeste as a real charmer. She had a sweet voice, a sleep, slight lisp. And when she talked to someone, her attention felt sort of like a halo. It made people feel special to get that kind of attention. This all really comes into play at St. David's Pavilion, the psychiatric hospital where Celeste was admitted in 1998 after attempting suicide. The level of intense attention patients received at St David's can be especially appealing to people who aren't used to it, people who have never had that kind of attention. And sometimes that kind of attention can be mistaken for a special bond, especially if the person giving that kind of attention really knows how to wield it like a weapon. Tracy Tarleton was the kind of person who's always Looking for love. It's a very sympathetic desire. Anyone who struggled with mental illness knows that your support system is crucial, and Tracy didn't really have that. Celeste sniffed out that desire and turned her high beams on Tracy. It wasn't Tracey Tarleton's first time with psychological instability. She had a history of emotional disturbance dating back to her childhood. Tracy was a Longhorn camper, a summer camp that hosted the children of wealthy Texans like President George W. Bush and pop singer slash actress Hilary Duff. Tracy was known for her strong swimming skills, her tomboy nature and and helpful spirit. That disposition changed before her 12th summer. Not her helpful nature, though. That was always there. What did change is that she grew up. Her elder brothers bullied her during the school year, and she was expected to act like them, defending herself and tolerating a childhood home that had been classified all around as rough. By the time she became a counselor at Camp Longhorn, she was known for crude campfire jokes, profane language, and an explosive rage problem that flared up when she was challenged. Her initials were tnt, and she said, that just about sums me up. Tnt. Her early adulthood at the University of Texas was pretty fraught too. She surprised everyone by rushing and joining a sorority. She seemed to really crave the parties. Tracy didn't come out as a lesbian until much later, and by then she had already attempted suicide at least once, experimented with substances, and checked in and out of rehabilitation and psychiatric hospitals. She spent several years at the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service, then worked for Bat Conservation International, where she produced emergency protection for bat hibernation caves. By 1999, Tracy was in her dream job. She was the high profile general manager of Texas largest independent bookstore, the Queer Friendly Book People. And she had a girlfriend whom she loved. That girlfriend was also married to a man. This might be editorializing, it's definitely editorializing. But when people are desperate for love and the love is reciprocated, even just a little bit, they double down. They love hard. That's truly the person you want to fight in your corner. So when Tracy's girlfriend Zann came home to find her husband dead, Tracey was with Zann at the funeral. She stood by Zann when Zann broke the news of his suicide to her employees at her hair salon, too. Not long after that, though, Zann broke up with Traci. Soon after the breakup with Zan, Tracy blew up in a rage in front of her employees at Book People. That's when she checked herself into St. David's Pavilion. And that's where she met Celeste Beard nurses on the suicide watch confirmed Tracey's immediate closeness with Celeste. Every 15 minutes, they did rounds. Once they found Tracey massaging Celeste's back while Celeste was shirtless. The women claimed not to know the rule that they weren't allowed to touch. When the nurses changed shifts, though, they would not know again. Even after they were discharged from the hospital, Celeste and Tracey maintained contact. Celeste would visit the bookstore, sometimes bringing her daughters. She invited Tracy to parties, and there are several photos of the pair just hanging out. Unstructured Chill time is the foundation for many friendships, and that is not just me saying it. There's science to back that up. We'll link to this in the show notes in case you're curious, it's one reason why college friendships tend to last that time of doing nothing together. That's what it seems like Celeste and Tracy had. They bonded quick, but their relationship grew as a result of the time they spent together. And then there was the shooting.
- [24:22]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Have.
- [24:22]
Narrator
You made the switch to nyx? Millions of women have made the switch to the revolutionary period underwear from nyx. That's KN I x Period Panties from Nyx are like no other, making them the number one leak proof underwear brand in North America. They're comfy, stylish and absorbent. Perfect for period protection from your lightest to your heaviest days. They look feel and machine wash just like regular underwear but feature incognito protection that has you covered. You can shop sizes from extra small to 4 XL. Choose from all kinds of colors, prints and different styles from bikinis to boy shorts, thongs to high rise. You've got to try nyx. See why millions are ditching disposable, wasteful period products and have switched to NYX. Go to kn I x.com and get 15% off with promo code. Try 15 that's nyx.com promo code. Try 15 for 15% off life changing period underwear. That's kn I x.com with the best.
- [25:26]
Advertiser
All inclusive vacation deals to Mexico and the Caribbean. Booking your getaway with Cheap Caribbean Vacations means you have more freedom to do your deal. Whether you want to enjoy snorkeling, endless margaritas and more, or simply soak up the sun and sand in a tropical paradise. Cheap Caribbean Vacations has your deal for that plan and book the exact getaway you want at exactly the right price for you by using our exclusive Budget Beach Finder. Or find a featured all inclusive package to Oasis Hotels and Resorts and do your deal@cheapcaribbean.com what kind of programs does.
- [25:57]
This school have how are the test scores? How many kids do a classroom? Homes.com knows these are all things you ask when you're home shopping as a parent. That's why Each listing on Holmes.com includes extensive reports on local schools, including photos, parent reviews, test scores, student teacher ratio, school rankings and more. The information is from multiple trusted sources and curated by Holmes.com's dedicated in house research team. It's all so you can make the right decision for your family. Homes.com We've done your homework.
- [26:53]
Susie Spencer
In the early morning of October 2, 1999, Tracy Tarlton laced up her black sneakers, packed her Franchi 20 gauge shotgun and cranked her SUV. She drove from seedy South Austin to what residents referred to as Lexis Land, up the driveway to the mansion where Celeste lived with her family, her twin teenage daughters and her husband, Steve. The alarm system was off. The dogs were asleep in the kids room with Celeste and Christina, one of Celeste's daughters. Her other daughter, Jennifer, was away at their vacation house at a lake with her boyfriend. All of that was normal. The beards hardly ever set the alarms. Celeste rarely slept in the same bed as Steve because his sleep apnea machine kept her awake. And as Susie Spencer records in the Fortune Hunter, Celeste called her dogs, quote her babies, and they'd never once slept in the custom dog bed that she had commissioned to match the bed in the primary bedroom. Jennifer, meanwhile, often spent the weekends at the lake with her boyfriend. When Tracy pulled up, she seemed to know all of that. She didn't seem afraid of the alarm or of running into Celeste in Steve's bed. She just racked her shotgun and walked into the house. She knew where she was going. She moved toward the primary bedroom, nudged open the door, and while he was fully asleep, Tracy blasted a hole in Steve's abdomen. Then she walked back out of his room, out of the house, and she left. Steve later said it felt like his gut had exploded. He held in his intestines with one hand, and with the other he tried to trip the emergency alarm. It didn't go off. Still conscious, Steve picked up the phone and dialed 911. Steve always thought the crime was associated with an intruder, and at first he didn't even realize he'd been shot. When the first responders arrived, they had to break the sliding glass doors to get to Steve. One of them said he was holding in his intestines, that if he moved his hand they'd fall out. Celeste and Christina woke up in their room. Amid the chaos, Police sergeant Greg Truitt heard Celeste Say this is perfect timing. We were supposed to go to Europe tomorrow. That comment was odd. I am of the mind that people grieve differently for sure, and that we can't really know how we'll act in a situation like this. That doesn't make it not weird, though. And the police officers took note. There was another oddity that caught the professional's attention. Celeste and Christina went with Steve to the hospital. Christina's boyfriend met them there. At the hospital, Detective Holly Dillard told the Criminal Investigation Division to look into Celeste as a suspect because Celeste was wearing a bra. People don't sleep in bras. Sergeant Paul Knight questioned Celeste about what happened earlier, before the shooting. Celeste said Steve went to bed between 9:30 and 10, and then she left for about an hour to see Jennifer and her boyfriend at the lake house. He asked her all the normal questions. How long was the drive out and back? Who was she with? When was the last time she saw Steve? Celeste volunteered that she had stopped for gas and the time on her receipt would prove when. She also volunteered that she and Steve were about to go on a trip and that she had cashed a check for the kids to live on while they were gone. About $1,000 should be in Steve's wallet. If it wasn't there, she said, then it must have been a robbery. It was all just a bit fishy, like she was too prepared for the questions. There were other developments, though. In the waiting room, Celeste's daughter Jennifer and her boyfriend Christopher had arrived. Sergeant Knight asked the group if they could think of anyone who would have done this to Steve. They had no answer. Then Christopher said, how about that crazy Tracy? No one bit. Night pressed. Christopher said, she's in love with Celeste. The twins didn't say much, but their boyfriends reminded them of the time when Christina took Tracy's guns from her. Earlier in the year, Tracy had been suicidal. So Christina went to her house in South Austin, took her guns and turned them into the police so she couldn't cause herself harm. Knight went back to Celeste. He asked, who's Tracey? Celeste said, she's nobody. And then just a friend. But Knight wasn't convinced that this gun toting Tracy was nobody. While the family was at the hospital, police officers back at the Beard house had found a bright yellow Winchester Super X shotgun shell. If that shell could be matched to one of Tracy's firearms, well, that got them somewhere. The following morning, Sergeant Knight ran a police check on Tracy. He found only a few things, the most recent of which was a DWI and he found her most recent address. There was no time to waste. Knight and his detective Wines, visited Tracy at her house with no notice. She lived in the part of Austin that was, depending on whom you ask, either the only place to be or a place to avoid completely. They asked if they could talk to her, and she invited them inside. Do you know Steve Beard? Tracy said, we're friends. They asked if she had a shotgun. She said she did. They asked to see it. She hesitated and then brought out her freshly cleaned Franchi 20 gauge. The detectives asked Tracy if she would come into the station so they could talk more. They weren't arresting her, but they did seize her gun. Two days later, the ballistics report came back. The shell fired into Steve Beard was fired from Tracy Tarleton's shotgun. Police arrested Tracy for attempted murder on November 1st forth. Tracy maintained her innocence, but when she was asked about Celeste, she knew a lot about the relationship between Celeste and Steve. And she blamed Celeste's depression on Steve. Steve, meanwhile, told his friend that the doctors were optimistic. Without his huge belly, though, the shot would have obliterated him. He said, I told you being fat was an asset. Steve underwent six surgeries on his abdomen as a result of the shooting. Each went well. After around four months of hospital care, he he was released back home. If that was that, maybe this story would have ended here. Tracy behind bars for attempted murder. A few odd statements from Celeste buried somewhere in the dusty police files. But if the murder attempt on Steve was shocking, it was even more shocking when Steve suddenly died. The cause of death was a blood clot, a complication of the gunshot wound. In later interviews, Jennifer tearfully says she often recalls Steve before that clot. He was doing so well that he encouraged her to go to Houston, saying, go have fun. And she never thought it would be the last words he said to her. Weirdly, Steve's death blew the case wide open. It was no longer assault. Now Tracy would be tried for murder. Still, Tracy was tight lipped about why she had committed the crime and who might have helped her. That is, until six months later, when Celeste got remarried. Suddenly, Tracy had a very different story to tell. About what happened that October night and about the relationship between her and Celeste that led up to it. About the things Celeste said to make her do it. What's more is that in their devastation after Steve's death, Christina and Jennifer, Celeste's daughters, had a change of heart, too. After staying silent for months, they were ready to talk.
- [37:25]
Narrator
Have you made the switch to nyx? Millions of women have made the switch to the revolutionary period underwear from Nyx. That's K N I X Period panties from Nyx are like no other, making them the number one leak proof underwear brand in North America. They're comfy, stylish and absorbent, perfect for period protection from your lightest to your heaviest days. They look feel and machine wash just like regular underwear but feature incognito protection that has you covered. You can shop sizes from extra small to 4xL. Choose from all kinds of colors, prints and different styles from bikinis to boy shorts, thongs to high rise. You've got to try nyx. See why millions are ditching disposable, wasteful period products and have switched to NYX. Go to knix.com and get 15% off with promo code. Try 15 that's nyx.com promo code. Try 15 for 15% off life changing period underwear.
- [38:26]
Advertiser
That's k-n-.com this week we discuss and celebrate savings. I know it's usually a master detective or a super sleuth who loves true crime as much as we do, but today it's better. It's cheap Caribbean's 25th anniversary sale. That means 25 good reasons to put up your away Message now until February 3rd. You can unlock up to $250 off all inclusive vacation packages site wide. You're definitely going to need a portable charger for all these vacation picks. Visit CheapCaribbean.com for up to $250 off. Offer ends February 3rd.
- [38:59]
You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like medium lot size and a noise score. Homes.com we've done your homework.
- [39:43]
Susie Spencer
Any true crime follower knows that beyond the victim themselves, there are a lot of other casualties when there's a murder, particularly family members and especially children. Celeste had her twin daughters, Jennifer and Christina, with her first husband, Craig Butcher. By the time Steve came into the picture, Jennifer and Christina were teenagers. As a former teenager with divorced parents, I can't help but sympathize with Jennifer and Christina on that level alone. First of all, anytime something tragic happens to a young woman, what's the first thing we want to do? We dye our hair and Then we rebel with our clothes. That's pretty much a universal truth. And Jennifer at least exhibited both those things. I don't want to speak for them, but when parents split up, you kind of feel like you have to choose a side, even if no one is asking you to, even if people are telling you not to. But no one was telling them not to choose a side. When Celeste married Steve, Jennifer was living with her father, Craig, in Washington state. Christina was living with her stepfather, Jimmy Martinez, Celeste's second husband, in case it's hard to keep up with her husband. Here's a quick review. At this point, Celeste was married three times. First to Craig, with whom she had Jennifer and Christina, then to Jimmy, and then to Steve. The twins were getting ready to go to Disney World with Craig in 1996 when they got some tragic news. Craig had taken his own life with a shotgun. Jennifer called her mother to tell her the news. Celeste flew out to get the girls. She had been trying to get custody of them for years. Anyway, when Celeste came back to Austin with her daughters right after their father killed himself, that was the first time Jennifer ever met Steve. Steve took care of the girls immediately, setting them up with clothes, a home, school in the most supportive but the least invasive way as possible. In 1998, when the twins were 17, Steve adopted them both. He also changed his will to include them and ensured they'd be taken care of for the future. He even added a provision which. I didn't know you could do, that. Anyone contesting the will at its reading would be revoked from the will themselves. Real quick, I want to remind y'all, adopting stepchildren is a big deal. I don't want to put too much of a capitalist spin on it, but Steve had adult children from his first marriage to Elise as well. For him to have adopted Jennifer and Christina would ostensibly divide his children's inheritance among them all evenly. I don't have the will in front of me or anything, but that would be the standard. Plus, remember, Steve was a media mogul. He rubbed elbows with guys like Rupert Murdoch. That's a lot of money. Most of the time we think of people that rich as, well, kind of selfish assholes. But Steve adopted more children, Jennifer and Christina in his 70s. On that accident alone, he is a pretty good dude. Not to mention, when he redrafted his will, he willed more to Celeste, too. It turned out that just like Celeste had intuited from the moment she saw him help his sick first wife drink her whiskey, Steve was a really good man. But that's not what Celeste told Tracey. When Celeste got remarried after Steve's death, while Tracey rotted in jail for killing Steve, the whole illusion under which Tracey had committed her crime fell apart. In exchange for a plea bargain of 20 years in prison, Tracey was ready to tell the full story, which started back at the psychiatric hospital where she and Celeste were roommates. That's where the two women's relationship first became sexual. After the staff learned about it, Tracey was moved to a separate room. But at least according to the appellate court, Celeste told Tracey that Steve was responsible for this separation. From their first meeting, Celeste maintained to Tracy that her marriage was abusive. She said she had married Steve to gain custody of her children from their father, since the marriage gave her more stability, and now she was trapped. After they became outpatients, Tracey and Celeste met in motel rooms where their relationship became, quote, more intense. Celeste even spent the night at Tracy's house several times a week. She told Tracy, he's an old man. He's going to die soon, but not soon enough, and I'm just going to help him along wherever I can. Later, in court, Tracy talked about how Celeste put sleeping pills in Steve's food and replaced his Virginia vodka with Everclear, sometimes hoping that Steve would pass out and Celeste could be free for the night. On another occasion, Celeste tried to poison Steve with botulin, a deadly nerve toxin. Once, in 1999, Tracy visited at Celeste's request, and when she got to the house, Steve was unconscious at the dining room table. She helped Celeste drag him to the floor and put a trash bag over his head in an attempt to asphyxiate him. I don't know how they came back from that. Evidently, they failed. After hearing Tracy's testimony, prosecutor Bill Mange did not need to ask any follow up questions. He realized Celeste had put, quote, meticulous thought into the multiple ways she tried to kill Steve. He also realized that Tracy was acting out of love. Tracey said she, quote, believed everything Celeste told me about what was going on. And I just felt real bad for her. And from what I knew, Steve was a terrible man and he wouldn't let her up. Celeste also told Tracey about the trip she and Steve were taking to Europe for three weeks. She said she was scared of the trip, that Steve's emotional abuse would force her to kill herself. Then, just a few days before they were scheduled to leave, Celeste suddenly remembered that Tracy was a hunter and that she owned a shotgun. That's when Celeste asked Tracy to kill Steve. At first, Tracey refused. Then Celeste threatened to Kill herself. That's when Tracy caved and said she'd do it. Tracey also said she asked Celeste to take care of three things if she got arrested. One, find homes for her pets, Two, pay her legal fees, and three, support her in jail. Celeste agreed. She also suggested that Tracy should shoot Steve in the stomach so that it would be, quote, less messy if he didn't die immediately. Celeste said she'd wait for Steve to bleed out and then call the police. Tracey told Celeste that her shotgun would auto eject the spent shell later from her prison cell. Tracey Tarleton said, that fucking bitch was supposed to pick up the shotgun shell. Celeste was charged. She faced a life sentence. But still, the prosecutors needed more to make their case. In the testimony at Celeste's trial, Tracey said to the jury that she and Celeste were in a romantic relationship. She said, I felt like I loved her and I believed that she loved me. She spent a lot of time letting me know that she did. When asked, Celeste maintained that they were, quote, just friends. But Christina remembered something different. She remembered once at the lake house. Tracy told her, your mom and I are dating. We're a couple, we're in love, and we hope you're okay with that. Jennifer remembered not really being okay with it. She said in a later interview, I just remember being uncomfortable about it because I did like Steve. But I'm a kid. What do I do? What they did truly was save the day. Steve's love for them was not manipulative. Theirs was a real family love. And they realized what they had with Steve was not what they had with their mother. According to a recent interview with Celeste. In 2022, she said over the inmate telephone system, the last time she spoke to her daughters was was Aug. 4, 2000, when her daughters testified against Celeste in court, she cut them off completely. She said they were after Steve's money. With her out of the picture, they'd stand to inherit more of it. Now she says, I love them. I've always loved them. Everything I've done has been with their best interest. In reality, Jennifer and Christina had long feared Celeste, and they said so in the trial. There's a long list of terrifying shit that happened between Celeste and her children. A few notable items I can mention are asking the twins and their boyfriends to kill themselves with her. Threatening a salon worker with a kitchen knife that Christina had to take from her. And not without cutting both Celeste and Kristina in the process. Putting sleeping pills in Steve's food while the twins watched, telling Jennifer she could physically kill her sister. Christina Jennifer even recalled on the stand that Celeste drugged her as a child so that she became severely ill. She was diagnosed with grand mal seizures when she went to live with Craig, though they, quote, mysteriously disappeared. The girls were so scared of Celeste that they even jumped the gun on trying to convict her. When they presented evidence in court to support that Celeste was a homicidal manipulator, they did it during a hearing meant to settle payment of attorney fees. The defense tried to object to her playing a tape. On those grounds, the twins lawyer asked, why do you want the judge to hear this? Christina answered. Before the judge could rule on the objection, Christina said, I am afraid of her and what she might do to me. Christina had started recording abusive phone calls from her mother. In one of them, the one she played while she was on the stand, Celeste told Christina, I hired someone to kill Tracy. Everyone listening in the courtroom was stunned as a result of what they heard on this tape. Part of the court's final ruling was a restraining order for Celeste. She couldn't see, contact or interact with her daughters in any way. The judge clarified for the girls, not only can she not get within 200 yards of you, but she can't shoot a spitball at you. She can't use a knife or a gun. She just can't get anywhere near you or touch you in any fashion. The ruling seemed to put the twins at ease, even if it couldn't undo the damage. Two and a half days after the murder trial's closing comments, the jury found Celeste guilty of capital murder. The following day, March 19, 2003, she was sentenced to life in prison. Her two appeals have been tried and denied. By the time she's eligible for parole, Celeste will be 80 years old. Tracy Charlton was sentenced to 20 years in 2011. After serving a decade, she was released on parole. She said, I don't wake up one single day without feeling shamed for what I did. And even though she has served her time, as of that 2011 interview, Tracy's life continued to be difficult. Her felon status followed her everywhere from trying to get a job to trying to rent an apartment. She relied heavily on the support from her new community. In San Antonio. Citizens held a fundraiser to help her get back on her feet. In the last interview I could find with Tracy from 2011, she expressed her gratitude. In addition to the remorse she expressed earlier. She said, the people who know me and know my story have been very, very supportive of me, and I would not have been able to make it without these people. Since then, Tracy has kept a very low profile. Celeste, meanwhile, is still in prison. She knows that Tracy was paroled, and she's jealous. Through all of this up to even now, Celeste still maintains her innocence. Another way of saying that, in my opinion, is that she accepts no responsibility for any of the atrocities she put into motion. In a prison interview shortly after Tracey's parole, Celeste said, I just wish with all the new laws and everything coming out that somebody would come forward and help me. It's not right that Tracy only did 10 years. Even if they do believe that I asked her to do it. It's not right that I'm spending the rest of my life in prison and she's doing 10 years as the shooter. I know we can't convict on subtext, but in my literary experience, that shit is as good as a confession. Celeste believes she doesn't deserve to be punished because she didn't pull a trigger. She thinks that because she manipulated someone else to do it, her hands are clean, and that's bullshit. They're both culpable. The difference is that Tracy has reformed, which is the whole purpose of incarceration. Celeste is still on her same homicidal nonsense. That's my opinion, obviously, but I feel pretty grounded in that. Steve's family was also able to ultimately forgive Tracy for his death. It's such a magnanimous, rare form of grace that it counts a lot in Tracy's favor. It doesn't make her innocent by any stretch, but it makes her something else. Former Sheriff Margot Frazier said that Tracy's sentence was even discussed with Steve's family before it was declared, and they were okay with it. I probably don't have to say this, but Steve's family did not extend that same grace to Celeste. One of Steve's sons told Celeste directly in the courtroom, I hope you burn in hell. In fact, after Celeste was declared guilty, Steve's eldest children, Becky, Stephen and Paul, issued statements that thanked the jury, the twins, and even Tracy for bringing Celeste to justice. The fact is, without Celeste, none of this hurt would have ever happened. She has ruined the lives of countless people and damaged many others irreparably. Jennifer Beard said that she still has nightmares about that period of her teenage years. That she tries not to think about it and she tries to move on. At the trial, Christina told her mother, you say we turned on you. Well, you turned on us. You turned on the whole Beard family. He let you into his home, loved you, honored, obeyed you, and you violated him and murdered him. Shame on you. Powerful words. But before we Go. I want to bring you one more perspective on the case. I'm so happy I got the chance to talk to the wonderful Susie Spencer, who has personal ties to the case, in addition to all the on the ground research she's done to bring this story to the public. That's after the break. Stay with us. We're here to talk about Celeste Beard and Tracy Tarleton and the Fortune Hunter, your glorious book. And I guess I wanted to start by just asking what inspired you to write about this case in particular?
- [60:07]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Well, the main thing is, one day I was having lunch with a friend of mine, and she said, I know the book you should do next. And I said, what is that? And she said, tracy Tarleton. I said, what are you talking about? And it ended up that Tracy and my friend I was talking to went to the same summer camp.
- [60:27]
Susie Spencer
Oh, yeah?
- [60:27]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Yes. And so even though I had never met Traci, I knew a lot of her relatives. And then also my friend was one of the mentors to Tracy. So when she told me to do it, that just sort of like, okay, I'm doing this book.
- [60:47]
Susie Spencer
That sounds like a great reason to do it.
- [60:50]
Mary Kay McBrayer
It's funny, because Celeste used to lie and say that her kids went to the same summer camp.
- [60:57]
Susie Spencer
Wow.
- [60:57]
Mary Kay McBrayer
So it was just those weird kind of little things that kept roping me into the book. Celeste would say to me, I know you like Tracey Charlton, and she was right. And it wasn't just our summer camp experiences together. It was, out of all the murderers I have interviewed, Traci was the one person who took responsibility for her actions. And when I would try to go into her background because she had a really troubled childhood, Traci would say, uh, don't go there. This is all on me. It's my fault. Whereas Celeste was the complete opposite. Well, not opposite in that she didn't have a horrible childhood. It was horrendous. But she will still blame things on her past or anybody else but herself. She does not take responsibility. And Celeste never could tell the truth. If she is being caught in a lie, she will suddenly start crying. But if you look at her, she's not really crying.
- [62:17]
Susie Spencer
Oh, that's so beautiful.
- [62:20]
Mary Kay McBrayer
She's pulling down her eyelid and wiping a tissue over her eye to make sure it gets red so that she looks like she's crying.
- [62:31]
Susie Spencer
Wow.
- [62:32]
Mary Kay McBrayer
When I would ask the people around Celeste what attracted them to this lying, thieving, vindictive woman, and they'd say, she is so much fun. She is so funny. And even with Tracy, I'M like, what did she see in her? I just did not get it. I had watched her testify in a hearing and where she'd do the fake crying and the fake fainting to get out of trouble. And, you know, I just didn't get it until I sat down with her in prison and interviewed her. And she is charming and she is funny and she's a little bit magnetic or whatever. And even though I could spot the lies and knew what was going on, I didn't want to leave the interview because I was having so much fun with her.
- [63:31]
Susie Spencer
Ooh, that's spooky. That's fascinating. I get it, though. Like, when someone is super charismatic, we will overlook a lot to just keep being around them and being part of the narrative they're creating.
- [63:45]
Mary Kay McBrayer
I think that we all have done that at some point in time, just not to that extent, because Tracy Tarleton will say to this day, I cannot believe I shot somebody. I can't believe I did that. But she was a lonely, mixed up, mentally ill, drug and alcohol addicted person who desperately wanted to be loved and accepted. And Celeste was good at faking people out and making them believe what they wanted to believe.
- [64:26]
Susie Spencer
Right. I mean, Tracy is such a sympathetic character, even though, like, she did this horrible thing. What I don't really get is what motivates someone like Celeste. Like, Tracee's really sympathetic to me. Like, I get it. I don't get Celeste. Like, what. What do you think motivates?
- [64:43]
Mary Kay McBrayer
I think her childhood just screwed her up. Her father, some people say, is an alcoholic or a drug addict. I think mainly drug addict. I don't know if that's true, but that's what I've been told. I have been told by several people that he molested Celeste. And her mother was literally insane. She went to one of her friend's house and tried to stab her. And then she went running down the streets naked, banging on doors and stuff. And she was hospitalized. And so Celeste never had any role models to show what sanity is like. And I think that Celeste probably, you know, is not exactly right in the brain. Well, obviously, if she wanted to kill somebody and, you know, she told Tracy to be sure and shoot Steve Beard in the gut. And Tracy said, no, I don't want to do that. He'll then linger. And she said, oh, no, believe me, I know, because I read all these true crime books, and I know what will work. Well, Tracy grew up in Texas hunting and fishing.
- [66:12]
Susie Spencer
Right? Right. Yeah.
- [66:16]
Mary Kay McBrayer
So. And he lingered.
- [66:19]
Susie Spencer
Yeah.
- [66:20]
Mary Kay McBrayer
And it ended up costing both of Them? Well, all three of them and the Beard family. It's just. I don't know, I think about it and I just get so sad.
- [66:33]
Susie Spencer
So I just had like a two part question left. So Celeste was interested in true crime, as are we, as are our listeners. And I'm sure you get asked this all the time. I know I do. But why is it such a fascinating genre and why is it especially fascinating to women? Do you think?
- [66:52]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Oh, gee, yeah, I think Celeste was interested in it because she relates to it too much.
- [66:58]
Susie Spencer
Right.
- [67:00]
Mary Kay McBrayer
But I think a lot of people read it because they want to know what makes people tick. And true crime writers have a tendency to want to know what makes people tick and how to prevent this from happening.
- [67:15]
Susie Spencer
Yeah.
- [67:16]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Because one of the things that I keep seeing over and over is the mental health aspect of this. There is in a lot of these cases, not just mental health, but sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, emotional abuse. And I go back in almost all of my true crime cases, I find that there is some sort of. Of abuse that has informed the killer. And I think a lot of us are trying to figure out why people do this because it's incomprehensible. And I think that's kind of what we're searching for. And unfortunately, we can kind of relate to so much of this.
- [68:08]
Susie Spencer
Yeah.
- [68:09]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Like when I growing up, I went on a church mission trip with my high school group and I came back and I was so mad at my mother because I said everybody else got letters from their family, but not me. Why didn't you do this? And she said, let me tell you what happened while you were gone. And it ended up her best friend shot and killed her husband.
- [68:34]
Susie Spencer
Oh, my gosh.
- [68:35]
Mary Kay McBrayer
And you go, wow. To be honest with me, I think I'm obsessed with death, be it natural causes or what. So I'm kind of, I think, dealing with death constantly to work through my issues. And I kind of think sometimes that other people are too. Like, how did this woman or this man cope with this? How did they come out on the other side?
- [69:06]
Susie Spencer
Amen to that. Thanks again so much to Susie for coming and sharing her insights on the case. Stay tuned for more conversations with her in the future. Join me next week on the greatest true crime stories ever told for a case with a very different woman at its center. Penny Farmer, sister to a brother who went missing in the 70s, only to be found decades later through a very unorthodox method, in no small part thanks to Penny herself. I'd also like to shout out a few key sources that made it possible for me to tell this week's story. A big thank you to Susie Spencer for her book the Fortune Hunter. The documentary show snapped ABC News and many local Austin, Texas news sources, not all of which were part of Steve Beard's empire. For more information about this case and the others we cover on the show, visit diversionaudio.com Sign up for Diversion's newsletter and be among the first to hear about our special behind the scenes features with the hosts and actors from Diversion's podcasts, more shows you'll love from Diversion, and other exclusive tidbits you can't get anywhere else. That's diversionaudio.com to sign up for our newsletter. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told is a production of Diversion Audio. I am your host Mary Kay McBrayer and I wrote this episode. Our Editorial director is Nora Battell. Our show is produced and directed by Mark Francis and Antonio Enriquez. Our development team is Emma demuth and Jacob Bronstein. Theme music by Tyler Cash, Executive Producer Producers Jacob Bronstein, Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.
- [71:25]
Mary Kay McBrayer
Diversion Audio.
- [71:30]
Advertiser
With the Best All Inclusive Vacation Deals to Mexico and the Caribbean Booking your getaway with Cheap Caribbean Vacations means you have more freedom to do your deal. Whether you want to enjoy snorkeling, endless margaritas and more, or simply soak up the sun and sand in a tropical paradise, Cheap Caribbean Vacations has your deal for that. Plan and book the exact getaway you want at exactly the right price for you by using our exclusive budget beach Finder. Or find a featured all inclusive package to Ryu Negrill and do your deal@cheapcaribbean.com.
- [71:59]
Susie Spencer
Amazon One Medical presents Painful Thoughts I could catch anything sitting in this doctor's waiting room. I'm kidding. I just wiped his runny nose on my jacket and the guy next to me sitting in a pool of perspiration.
- [72:14]
Narrator
Insists on sharing my armrest.
- [72:18]
Susie Spencer
Next time, make an appointment with an Amazon One Medical provider. There's no waiting and no sweaty guy. Amazon One Medical Healthcare just got less painful.
- [72:29]
Advertiser
What kind of programs does this school have? How are the test scores? How many kids do a classroom? Homes.com knows these are all things you ask when you're home shopping as a parent. That's why Each listing on Homes.com includes extensive reports on local schools, including photos, parent reviews, test scores, student teacher ratio, school rankings, and more. The information is from multiple trusted sources and curated by Holmes.com's dedicated in house research team. It's all so you can make the right decision for your family. Homes.com, we've done your homework.