True Crime Vault: Tainted Love
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What happened in the murder case of Stephen Beard?
Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University, our game changing flex path learning format lets you set your own deadline so you can learn at a time and pace that works for you. It's an education you can tailor to your schedule. This is Deborah Roberts. Welcome to the 2020 True Crime Vault.
Each week, we reach back into our archives and bring you a story we found unforgettable.
He broke her teeth. He broke her bones.
Poisons that you could use that would be undetectable.
Who were the key figures involved in this true crime story?
Oh my goodness! What have you done? Take a listen.
Tonight on 2020, we're in Texas for one of the trickiest possible love triangles we've ever covered. And like many of them, it ends with a dead body. Was she trying to kill the two of you?
She was trying to get us on the ground for sure.
I ran into Celeste and I said, what's wrong? And she says, well, Steve and I are getting divorced. And I said, you just got married.
Steve was at wit's end with Celeste. She was going through money like crazy.
What led to the tumultuous relationship between Celeste and Stephen?
There was a time she pointed a gun to your head.
She started like, just like waving it around, you know, like everybody was fair game.
You were depressed. I was very depressed, and I felt like I was losing everything, and I just wanted to die.
She was completely off the rails.
She would call and leave me messages saying, I'm going to make you pay for this in every single way. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what. The intruder went in the house. Tainted love. My whole world just ended right there. And then the betrayals started.
I'm here in Austin, Texas for a twisted tale of deceit that played out more than 20 years ago. One woman's fairy tale turned into betrayal and murder in a case that tore apart an entire family. And it all began with a fateful meeting right here at the Austin Country Club.
Austin Country Club is Old Guard, Texas. It was founded in the late 1800s, and it's considered to be quite prestigious to belong there.
The initiation fee at Austin Country Club is up over $125,000 now.
The Austin Country Club was a place where prominent, wealthy members of the community would go, and one of its members was a man named Stephen Beard, a very successful TV executive.
One of the kindest, most generous, funny, loving people I've ever known. And that is the truth.
One evening at the club, Steve Beard meets a young, beautiful waitress named Celeste Johnson. And they strike up a friendship.
Celeste was enchanted with his intelligence to begin with.
Steve was very gregarious and he just made me feel safe and he liked that he made me feel safe.
How did Celeste's mental health impact her actions?
Celeste was beautiful and smart and you never knew quite what Celeste was going to do and there's something rather alluring about that.
This story of Celeste Beard is one of the wildest stories we've covered from beginning to end. My name is Melissa. My name is Mandy. The name of our podcast is Moms and Murder. This story is even more appalling than you could possibly imagine. There are numerous victims in this story. I think people find the Celeste Beard story fascinating because there are so many different elements to it, and there's more twists and turns around every page of this story.
Celeste Johnson was born in the California town of Culver City on February 13, 1963.
She was adopted by Edwin and Nancy Johnson almost immediately.
She enjoyed swimming. She loved the animals in kindergarten. In fact, she brought home Thumper the bunny, and she brought home Parakeet. I was supposed to take him back to school after the summer vacation, but we always kept him.
But her mother says Celeste became troubled as an adolescent and she sought help for her.
I could tell Celeste was traumatized. She never really revealed any of the stuff that was going on.
Celeste marries Craig Bratcher when she was 17 years old, but she was pregnant at the time.
She said she loved Craig, and she wanted her children to have a father. The twins were three months early, and back then you couldn't touch them. So I feel like we never really bonded.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened in the murder case of Stephen Beard?
0:00–0:47
2
Who were the key figures involved in this true crime story?
0:47–1:29
3
What led to the tumultuous relationship between Celeste and Stephen?
1:29–3:56
4
How did Celeste's mental health impact her actions?
3:56–6:28
5
What evidence linked Tracy Tarleton to the shooting?
6:28–7:56
6
Why did Celeste's behavior raise suspicion after Stephen's death?
7:56–9:39
7
How did the recording change the course of the investigation?
9:39–11:03
8
What was the outcome of the investigation and trial?
11:03–1:23:57