It’s April 2000, Kristina Beard is desperately trying to get ahold of her twin sister Jennifer. They only have 6 hours to disappear and get to safety before it’s too late, after giving police the key piece of evidence they need that will finally put an end to the escalating plot of a psychotic killer: their own mother.
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00:00 This footage hides a disturbing secret.
00:02 The couple cheering in the stands is Celeste and Stephen Beard.
00:05 They are attending the high school graduation of their twin daughters, Jennifer and Christina.
00:10 Now, look closely at the woman sitting alone in front of them.
00:13 Her name is Tracy Tarleton.
00:15 From the outside, she looks supportive of the twins, clapping as they walk across the stage.
00:20 But what the girls don't know is that just a few months before this footage was taken,
00:24 Tracy was released from a psychiatric facility and has been meeting with their mother in secret.
00:30 Plotting a violent crime that will force the two teenagers to run for their lives.
00:34 She's very scary.
00:38 There wasn't enough locks on the door for the two of us to feel safe.
00:42 We were scared to death. We thought she'd kill the girls.
00:44 It's 1993.
00:53 Thirteen-year-old Christina lives with her mom, Celeste, and her stepdad, Stephen, in Austin, Texas.
00:59 While Jennifer, Christina's identical twin sister, lives with their biological father,
01:04 Craig, in Washington State.
01:06 The twins' parents went through a lengthy custody battle after their divorce,
01:09 which ended in the twins being separated between both parents.
01:13 Living hundreds of miles away from each other was difficult for the girls,
01:16 because they were each other's best friends.
01:18 I missed her a lot. I missed Jen a whole lot.
01:22 We were built-in friends with each other.
01:24 I would not know how to be a regular sibling, you know?
01:28 It's always been nice to have someone that knows exactly what I'm going through.
01:33 It was definitely hard not to have my other half.
01:37 It's July 1996.
01:40 After three years of living apart, the twins have finally planned a summer trip together,
01:44 reuniting at their grandparents' house in California.
01:47 They're really excited because it's the first time they have seen each other in over two years.
01:51 My sister and I never skipped a beat.
01:54 Laughing so hard that we were crying, and I just couldn't believe that we were actually back together again.
02:00 However, things take a turn for the worse when Jennifer tries to call their father,
02:04 Craig, to let him know they've arrived safely.
02:07 But no one is picking up the phone.
02:09 They keep trying to call, but still, no answer.
02:12 After two days of not talking, the twins receive the news that their father has been found dead
02:17 in his home, leaving behind a handwritten letter.
02:19 He had been quietly struggling for years,
02:21 leaving his daughters asking themselves why he would do this.
02:24 I felt like I died that day.
02:27 The twins are in a state of shock.
02:29 What was supposed to be only a two-week reunion turned into Jennifer suddenly moving in with
02:34 Christina, Celeste, and their new stepdad, Stephen Beard, in Austin, Texas.
02:38 At first, she had a hard time adjusting to the change, but when she met Steve Beard,
02:43 her new stepdad, he was surprisingly very welcoming and loving,
02:46 showing a lot of attention to his new stepdaughter.
02:49 When I first met Steve, he was just so sweet,
02:53 which was a relief, you know, because he was technically my stepdad.
02:58 On Sundays, it was really special because Steve and I would always go to breakfast together.
03:03 I was very grateful to have his relationship.
03:07 After years of living together, the new blended family, from the outside,
03:10 appears to be living a happy life.
03:12 The sisters have just started their senior year of high school,
03:15 and they for once have a stable father figure.
03:18 Stephen even formally adopted the twins, giving them each a special family ring.
03:22 He had always wore his.
03:24 He just gave it to us after he adopted us, and we thought it was the coolest thing.
03:28 I mean, I was definitely moved that he had this special ring made, and
03:33 I mean, just the adoption alone, you know, I felt pretty connected to him.
03:38 But everything changes on October 2, 1999, at 2.30 a.m.
03:42 Jennifer is staying with her boyfriend, while back at Stephen's house,
03:46 Christina is asleep like any other night,
03:48 when all of a sudden, Christina's bedroom door swings open.
03:51 The lights turn on, and my mom is running through the door, saying, "Someone's at the door."
03:59 I'm like, "What is going on here?"
04:01 I jump out of bed, because she's in a panic,
04:04 and I'm on my way to that front door when I see these white flashing lights.
04:08 Christina is in a state of shock, not knowing who is outside or what they want,
04:13 so she runs to the phone and calls 911 in a panic.
04:16 The girl tells them that there is someone banging on their front door,
04:19 and sirens are blaring outside, with lights flashing all around their home.
04:23 The 911 operator tells Christina that the people outside are the police.
04:27 Moments earlier, the dispatchers received this 911 call from someone else inside the house.
04:33 What is going on there?
04:36 I'm in bed.
04:37 I had to get out of bed.
04:39 Okay, are you there by yourself?
04:41 My wife is somewhere in the house, I can't find her.
04:43 Christina rushes to the front door to let the police inside.
04:46 I open the front door, and it's cops, and they're like, "Is your dad home?"
04:51 And I said, "Yeah, he's upstairs."
04:53 Christina hurries to her stepfather's bedroom with the police,
04:56 as her mother frantically runs behind them.
04:58 The paramedics, they were already working on Steve by the time
05:02 I, myself, and the police officer got into the room.
05:05 This was a man who needed immediate medical attention,
05:08 and they needed to act quickly if he was going to survive.
05:10 The paramedics try to stabilize Steve, but he's losing a lot of blood,
05:14 while they scramble to transport him to the hospital as quickly as possible.
05:18 One of the police officers makes a shocking discovery,
05:21 a shotgun shell on the ground, next to his bed.
05:23 I'm like, "What? Are you telling me he was shot?"
05:27 And they said, "Yes."
05:29 And I just couldn't believe it.
05:31 Christina calls her sister, and tells her what is happening,
05:34 as Steve is airlifted to the nearest hospital.
05:36 I just couldn't believe what he just said.
05:39 I'm panicked. I'm definitely panicked.
05:42 Back at the Beard household, the crime scene is blocked off,
05:45 as investigators conduct their initial walkthrough.
05:47 It seems like someone went through a side door, which was left unlocked,
05:51 and went up to Steve's bedroom to fatally shoot him.
05:54 But before they can start investigating their theory,
05:57 they need to take DNA swabs of everything,
05:59 including all family members who could have been in the house at the time of the crime.
06:03 Christina, Jennifer, and their mom, Celeste.
06:06 So at that point, I'm shocked that, first off, Steve had been shot,
06:10 but I wouldn't have even thought who could have done it.
06:13 I was wondering if it was a burglar or random,
06:16 but as soon as we walked out of the house, Celeste whispers to me,
06:20 "If the police ask you who might have done this, don't mention Tracy's name."
06:25 Why would Celeste say, "Don't mention Tracy's name?"
06:28 Tracy Tarleton.
06:30 Six months before the night of the attack, Celeste met 45-year-old Tracy.
06:34 She was the manager of a local bookstore in Austin,
06:37 and had recently become close friends with Celeste.
06:39 She would often get invited by the twins' mom for dinner and birthday parties,
06:43 and even attended their high school graduation.
06:46 They had this weird friendship.
06:48 I just remember thinking that this lady wants more from our mom than just a platonic relationship.
06:55 The twins are on their way to the hospital as they try to understand what's happening.
06:59 They are confused because they were told by their mother not to mention Tracy,
07:03 but that only raises suspicions in their mind.
07:06 I was thinking maybe she's protecting Tracy because she thought it was Tracy.
07:10 After getting to the hospital and talking to the detectives,
07:15 they asked me, "Who do I believe shot my father?"
07:19 And I said, "My mom doesn't want me to mention this,
07:23 but I'm not supposed to say Tracy Tarleton."
07:25 Tracy Tarleton is investigated, and her closeness to the Beard family
07:29 makes her the prime suspect.
07:31 But something is off.
07:32 Without any clear motive,
07:33 detectives have suspicions that someone else is involved.
07:37 There was no reason for Tracy to do this completely on her own.
07:40 Police quickly obtain a search warrant for Tracy Tarleton's house
07:43 based on compelling evidence.
07:45 A 20-gauge shotgun shell and the very bullet that had wounded Stephen Beard.
07:49 They then proceeded to Tracy Tarleton's home and knock on her front door.
07:53 Ms. Tarleton was asked if she owned a shotgun.
07:56 She said, "Yes."
07:58 I asked if I could see it.
07:59 She thought for a few minutes and she said, "Okay, you can see it."
08:03 She gave us a fraunchy 20-gauge shotgun.
08:06 Had her name inscribed on the weapon itself.
08:09 Law enforcement take possession of the shotgun,
08:12 bringing it in for further analysis.
08:14 Days go by, and everyone is left waiting for news from the investigators.
08:18 Until finally, the detectives have the results.
08:20 And that shotgun turns out to be the shotgun from which the bullet
08:26 that injured Mr. Beard was fired from.
08:28 October 8th, 1999.
08:30 Five days after the shooting of Stephen Beard,
08:33 Tracy Tarleton is arrested and charged with attempted murder.
08:36 But investigators are not satisfied.
08:38 Tracy is refusing to talk about why she did this,
08:41 and they know there's more to this story than they have so far.
08:44 Detectives continue to ask questions because they believe Tracy did not act alone
08:49 and there might be someone else responsible who currently walks free.
08:52 But she remains completely silent.
08:54 Meanwhile, Stephen is in the hospital,
08:57 and after a painful few months of fighting with the twins by his side,
09:00 Steve passes away from his injuries related to the shooting.
09:04 "We loved Steve. He never wanted us to worry about anything.
09:09 He just wanted us to be loved and enjoy our lives."
09:14 "Coming from Washington State, losing my father,
09:17 he filled that role for me that I'll never forget."
09:23 As the sisters try to cope with their father's death,
09:26 they are only left with pain and more questions than ever.
09:29 Why would someone want to hurt him?
09:31 Their mother Celeste tries to be there for them and goes with the girls to prepare for the funeral
09:35 and buy a casket for him, but the twins never expected what would happen next.
09:40 "A lot of crying's going on. We just lost a loved one."
09:43 "And while we were there, she purchased two pink caskets for Jen and I.
09:48 And she's like, 'I'm gonna get these for you guys.'"
09:52 "The confusing part to me was Celeste suggesting that
09:56 18-year-olds needed to pick out a casket. And in the back of my mind, I thought,
10:03 'Am I going in this casket soon?'"
10:06 Local newspapers and television networks start publishing the story,
10:10 and everyone starts to worry that the real killer might still be walking free.
10:14 But without any concrete evidence, the investigators are at a standstill.
10:18 In the midst of it all, the twins notice their mom's behavior is becoming increasingly
10:22 disturbing and erratic.
10:23 "We're all crying, and Celeste is just laughing."
10:27 "She kind of had like these crazy eyes, kind of manic."
10:30 "Very loud and emotional, but didn't really seem real."
10:35 But things reach a breaking point on February 16,
10:38 2000, when no one could imagine what was in store for two young twins.
10:42 "She then said, 'Hey, why don't we all kill ourselves?'"
10:48 "And all of a sudden, she pulls out a knife."
10:51 "She's holding it like this, and she goes to kind of lunge."
10:55 "She just stabs herself in the leg."
10:58 "Blood starts gushing everywhere."
11:01 "I was just like, 'What is happening?'"
11:04 The twins call 911 in a panic, begging for immediate medical attention for their mom.
11:09 As the ambulance arrives, the paramedics rush to start working on Celeste,
11:13 attempting to stop the bleeding from her leg.
11:15 The girls are in a state of shock, as their mom is quickly brought into an ambulance and
11:19 driven to the closest hospital.
11:20 Over the next weeks, while still in the hospital, Celeste continuously calls both sisters,
11:25 becoming more and more unhinged and disturbing.
11:28 "And she's yelling and screaming at me over the phone."
11:34 "We'd go from normal to screaming, back to normal."
11:39 That's when Christina has an idea that will later give investigators the evidence they
11:44 need to finally uncover Steve Beard's real murderer.
11:47 "That I thought, 'Hey, you know what? I'm gonna start recording her conversations,
11:52 because I want to play them back to her, and she'll then hear, like,
11:57 from my perspective, what I'm hearing and think, 'Oh, that's awful. I can't believe I'd do that.'"
12:02 "I would f---ing be so f---ing upset. I just, like, you know, I feel like just f---ing thinking that's so f---ing bad. I just f---ing…"
12:15 "You will be sorry."
12:17 But then, just as Christina is about to stop recording,
12:20 Celeste exposes a crucial piece of evidence that will change the investigation forever.
12:25 "I hired somebody to kill Tracy."
12:29 "She says, 'I hired somebody to kill Tracy.' I froze. It made it all real, and it made it all unsafe."
12:39 The twins are terrified, realizing that the pink coffins she bought, the recurring bizarre and
12:45 violent outbursts, the suspicious death of their father, and now, her murder plot for Tracy,
12:51 are all leading to one thing. They will be next on her list.
12:55 "Hearing that sealed it for me. Like, any sort of doubt that I ever had that Celeste was involved
13:01 with our father's murder, I don't have anymore."
13:05 And things get worse from here on. Their mom has been released from the hospital,
13:09 and now, the twins are in more danger than ever. At that moment,
13:13 Jennifer and Christina's last chance to survive is to go into hiding and make sure their mom can't find them.
13:18 "I cleared out my bank account for Christina and I to go on the run and not have any trace.
13:24 We stayed in motels. Everything we did, we did with cash. Celeste was trying to find us,
13:30 every day trying to find us. All I kept replaying in my head was, 'We are in danger.'
13:35 It was definitely terrifying. Like, we're not coming home from this."
13:40 As Celeste is on the hunt for her daughters, the twins, armed with the taped conversations
13:44 of their mother's threats, go to the police to obtain a family violence protective order,
13:48 which is granted. However, their suspicions of their mother's involvement in their stepdad's
13:54 death can only be confirmed by one person, Tracy Tarleton.
13:58 "This whole entire time, Tracy was keeping her silence, that she acted in this alone."
14:04 Tracy, who was in prison awaiting a trial for her role in Steve's murder,
14:08 kept silent until March 2002, when she reads that the twins received a family violence
14:14 protective order against their mother in the newspaper. In that moment, she breaks her silence
14:19 and decides to cooperate with investigators, revealing to detectives the truth behind her
14:23 motive. What investigators have been waiting to hear since the night of the murder, that she did
14:28 not kill Steve on her own, but in fact, it was Celeste's plan all along. Now, with Tracy's
14:34 crucial statement and the twins' incriminating audio recordings, investigators finally have
14:39 enough evidence to arrest Celeste for capital murder on March 28, 2002. However, just because
14:45 Celeste is arrested doesn't mean a jury will find her guilty. "I felt like if she doesn't go to jail,
14:52 I was going to be living underground forever, and I wasn't going to feel safe until she was in jail.
14:57 With her on the street, nobody's safe." The twins begin to work with prosecutors, lawyers,
15:03 and Tracy Tarleton, the woman who pulled the trigger, to take down their mother and ensure
15:07 she never gets out of prison. February 3, 2003, the trial begins of Celeste Beard, in front of
15:14 their own mother, the sister's need to take the stand. "I felt like I don't want to be in the same
15:18 room with her. I was afraid, 'Oh my gosh, how do I stay strong enough to not waver?'" "Worst thing
15:26 I've ever had to do in my life was see Celeste staring back at me when I had to sit on the stand
15:32 and testify to everything that I knew she did. I was conflicted because she's my mom, but I just
15:39 wanted to make sure that Steve got justice." The twins describe that throughout all their lives,
15:44 their mom has had severe mental health problems, causing violent outbursts, and an overall
15:49 traumatizing childhood. "Growing up, her emotions were all over the place. There was a lot of
15:55 yelling and screaming and nasty phone calls. It seemed normal to us." Jennifer reveals that when
16:04 Celeste married 69-year-old retired TV executive and multi-millionaire Steve Beard, it wasn't out
16:10 of love, but it was to gain access to his large inheritance. "Did his family ever talk to you
16:15 about her feelings about Steve Beard?" "Well, she said that she married Steve for money." "Did she
16:22 tell you about what would happen if Steve Beard died?" "That she would get it all." "She would
16:29 say, 'Why wouldn't he die already?' Did it appear that she was looking forward to that, or?" "Yes."
16:35 Investigators uncover that after only six months of marriage, Celeste had spent over $500,000
16:41 of her husband's money secretly buying all kinds of clothes, jewelry, and artwork. The twins even
16:48 noticed that Celeste had put sleeping pills in Steve's food on multiple occasions, and once he
16:53 fell asleep, she would sneak out of the house. In February 1999, eight months before Steven Beard's
16:59 murder, Celeste also had a psychotic breakdown, taking a gun, pointing it at her own head,
17:04 and threatening Christina's life. Because of that incident, she had to be forcibly checked
17:09 into the St. David's Psychiatric Mental Hospital in Austin, Texas. And while staying at that
17:14 psychiatric facility, that's when Celeste met Tracy Tarleton. Their mother quickly started
17:19 to show her a lot of attention, spending time with her, and ultimately developing a close,
17:23 intimate relationship. After building all that trust, Celeste's real plan can be put into action.
17:29 She could now manipulate Tracy.
17:31 She expressed to me that she wanted the sexual relationship with me, which I also wanted.
17:36 Celeste had been setting up Tracy, saying, "Steve is abusive to me. He's so horrible."
17:44 And Tracy believed that Celeste was really in trouble.
17:47 Celeste Beard, I don't think ever loved, maybe didn't even like Tracy Tarleton. But she was
17:52 willing to engage in a lesbian relationship in order to get what she wanted. I just saw this
17:58 woman that I loved in a desperate situation, trying to find a way to survive this meeting
18:04 that was so awful. Celeste said to Tracy, "I cannot live any longer with this abusive husband."
18:11 But Steve wasn't abusive. That's when, in front of the twins and the jury,
18:16 Tracy describes Celeste's plan for the murder of her husband.
18:20 You know, she says, "Oh man, he's gonna die soon, but not soon enough."
18:24 She had a plan, and she wanted me to shoot him with my shotgun. So we were to enter the grounds,
18:31 we're in a park, and then we walked through how I would exit my car, where I would enter the house,
18:36 how I would approach the bedroom. I walked down to the end of the building,
18:41 I saw him and I pulled up and I shot him.
18:43 Shot him once?
18:45 I shot him once.
18:46 The courtroom stays quiet after the shocking revelation. Celeste coldly watches Tracy on
18:52 the stand, shaking her head and even laughing occasionally. But her smile disappears when her
18:57 own daughters walk up to the front of the courtroom and now have their turn of revealing one
19:02 of the most incriminating pieces of evidence they have, the audio recording of her murder
19:07 plot against Tracy, as well as her constant threats to the girls.
19:11 On the tapes, she was histrionic. It was difficult to think that any mother would
19:17 talk to a child that way. The trial went on for weeks,
19:20 until on March 19, 2003, after deliberating for three days, the jurors finally come back
19:26 with their answer. This will finally determine if Celeste will remain in prison for the murder
19:31 of her husband, or if she will walk free to forever haunt the twins for their whole lives.
19:35 Before we bring the jury out, if there is anyone in the courtroom who feels that they
19:40 may have an emotional outburst, I would ask that you please leave the courtroom at this time.
19:45 Ms. Johns, would you please stand?
19:48 Truly, we've been waiting for this for three years now. And so, yeah, it's very emotional,
19:54 and you can't really know what 12 people that you've never met, what they're going to do.
19:59 Madam foreperson, please read the entire thing.
20:02 State versus Celeste Spear Johnson. Verdict of the jury. Verdict 4-1, capital murder.
20:10 We, the jury, find the defendant, Celeste Spear Johnson, guilty of the offense of capital murder.
20:16 Well, I had a flood of emotions, you know, I wasn't expecting to get so worked up. She is our
20:24 mom, and it's just like she's going to jail for the rest of her life. Finally, the sisters get
20:31 justice for their father's murder, and to conclude the trial, Christina bravely takes a stand once
20:36 more, but this time, to directly speak to her mother, and put an end to the fear she has been
20:40 living with for over two years. What did I ever do to you except love you? And this is how you
20:48 treated us like trash. You say we turned on you, but you turned on us. You turned on the whole
20:56 Beard family. He let you into his home, loved you, honored, obeyed you, and you violated him
21:04 and murdered him. You are guilty. Shame on you. Celeste Beard is sentenced to two consecutive
21:12 40-year prison terms, and she won't have the possibility of parole until she's 79 years old.
21:17 The twins can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as now they don't need to stay in hiding. They can
21:23 live their lives to the fullest. After court is adjourned, Tracy asks to meet with the twins,
21:28 and apologizes to them directly for the pain she has caused the sisters. I mean, that's not an easy
21:33 thing to do, sit in a room with the person that actually pulled the trigger. She said that she
21:40 felt really guilty for killing our father, and that she was really sorry. I remember that.
21:46 She thought she was agreeing to kill an evil man. I feel really bad for her. I could really relate
21:53 with the fact that she was a victim here, too. The twins say that for them, the sincere moment
21:59 of forgiveness helped them begin their long process of healing. Now, 20 years after the trial,
22:04 their sisterly bond only became stronger. I have Christina. Christina's my strength.
22:10 We don't live close to each other, but any chance we can get to go visit each other, we will.
22:17 The twins are now 42 years old. Jennifer has a good job, which she enjoys, and spends her time
22:22 focusing on her mental health. Christina got married and is a loving mother of two children.
22:27 She is proud to give her kids the life, attention, love, and nurturing she never received growing up.
22:33 I'm being the mom that I wanted. They get to do life like I wish I got to.
22:38 Celeste never expected that her downfall would come from her own daughters. And even though it
22:43 took years for Jennifer and Christina to heal from the wounds created by their mom, they show
22:48 that their love for each other is stronger than their mother's hatred. Living their best lives,
22:52 spending quality time together with their loving families, is their best revenge. They are living
22:57 proof that even after tragedy, there's a life worth living.
23:01 [Music]