The $12 Million Motive: Who Shot Steven Beard?
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What happened on the night Stephen Beard was shot in his home?
Hi, everyone. Carter Roy here. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about my crime house show, Murder True Crime Stories. Join me every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as I explore history's most notorious murders like you've never heard before. Follow Murder True Crime Stories available wherever you listen to podcasts.
This is Crime House.
Stephen Beard was a media mogul. He amassed a $12 million fortune and became one of the most beloved men in Austin, Texas. And then on October 2nd, 1999, he woke up in his bed after being shot in the stomach.
Stephen had no idea what had happened to him, but investigators quickly figured it out. And what they uncovered was a marriage built on lies, money, and manipulation. And what followed was one of the strangest trials Texas has ever seen.
Hi guys, welcome back to Clues, where we sneak past the crime scene tape to explore the key evidence behind some of the most gripping
true crime cases. I'm Kayla Moore, and I'm gonna be the one digging deeper into the timelines, the backstories, and the court files released on these cases.
And I'm your internet sleuth, Morgan Absher. I'm the one who's diving into the Reddit forums and anything else I can find online to talk about the lesser known details and pull out the threads that just don't add up. Don't forget to share your thoughts on social. Want ad-free and early access to clues and the rest of the Crime House lineup? Subscribe to Crime House Plus and get at least two bonus episodes from across Crime House every month. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap try free at the top of the clues page. Now let's get into Stephen Beard's case and the clues that defined it. So I came across this case. I kept getting social videos of this woman freaking out at an investigator.
And I was like, who is this? What? Literally, the first clip I ever saw was her name. You will soon learn is Celeste. But Celeste being like, I'm done with this and like flipping off the interviewer and like wheeling away in her jail uniform. And I was like, What the heck did she do?
Yeah, what
is going on here? And I soon unraveled it and hence why it ended up on our agenda. And it turned out to be one of the most dramatic, insane cases. Yeah. As far as like money, wealth, power, rich, privilege. Twists, turns. It is tea.
Like this is
just like what happened in this case? If
this were to
happen today, it would be everywhere. You
wouldn't
be able to escape it.
No. But it happened, what, almost 30 years ago.
Yeah. Yeah. And at the center of it all, you just have this guy who was just trying to get by after, you know, losing his wife. And what you guys are going to learn today is crazy. So. Yes. Without further ado, let's just get into this one. Yeah,
we're going to show you some pictures, videos, maps on screen if you're watching the video. And if you're listening, you're going to find all that same stuff on our socials. That's at Clues Podcast on socials.
Yeah, you're definitely going to want to look at the Instagram because we're going to show how bougie this family was. And just a quick warning before we begin, this episode contains discussions of suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. And as always, listen with care. And
with that, we're going to start on 3 a.m. on October 2nd, 1999. 74-year-old Stephen Beard is awoken by a gunshot to his stomach. He dials 911, but he can't explain to the operator what happened. He has no idea. He just knows that he's holding his guts in his hands.
Have you heard the 911 call?
Yeah. He's so calm.
I know. He
is
so calm. He's like, honey, I don't know what happened.
Yeah. Yeah. He is shockingly calm in this 911 call. I imagine you're just in shock when something like that happens. So in another wing of his massive home, his wife, 36-year-old Celeste Beard, is sound asleep. That's not unusual for this couple to be sleeping apart. Stephen snores. He also has sleep apnea. He needs a CPAP machine to get through the night.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened on the night Stephen Beard was shot in his home?
0:01–7:00
2
How did detectives identify the 20‑gauge shotgun as the murder weapon?
7:00–15:04
3
What role did Tracy Tarleton’s personal shotgun play in linking her to the crime?
15:04–24:06
4
Why did investigators suspect Celeste Beard had a motive to kill her husband?
24:06–32:12
5
How did the secret romance between Celeste and Tracy influence the trial?
32:12–40:49
6
What evidence finally convinced the prosecution to charge Celeste with capital murder?
40:49–49:06
7
What was the outcome of the 2003 trial for Celeste and Tracy?
49:06–55:54
8
What lasting impact did the case have on the Beard family and the community?
55:54–1:04:05
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore
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She Found Her Own Way Out: The Abduction of Jayme Closs
Not Forgotten: Missing Persons August 2026
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