Murder on Songbird Road - 4. The Sentencing

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

The day of the sentencing, Bob and Lauren retrace the route Julia Bevely claims to have taken the morning of the murder with surprising results. Her increasingly polarizing fate is then decided in a packed Marion courtroom filled with contrasting emotions. Email us with thoughts, suggestions or tips at [e-mail] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery. Big, big news. A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.

I like saw. Nothing happened. An arrest, trial, and conviction soon follow. He did not kill her. The investigation stalls until someone changes their story. I like Saul. Nothing to happen. An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow. He did not kill her. There's no way. Is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free? Did you kill her? Listen to The Real Killer, Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Beautiful young women full of life and dreams murdered or vanished without a trace. Their families left with nothing but heartbreak, questions, and memories. I'm Nancy Grace. This week on Crime Stories, we uncover the truth behind these unsolved cases. We work to bring justice and answers to grieving families. Please don't miss Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Listen on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Murder on Songbird Road is a production of iHeart Podcasts. Previously on Murder on Songbird Road. So I wanted to interview her. I wanted to get factually what her side of the story was. Since Mata's still a licensed attorney, he was able to meet with Beverly in privacy. Anytime there were issues with Jade, Jessica would never communicate with Julie.

She would always go to Mike. This strained, if not nonexistent, relationship with Jessica could shed some light on the lack of support for Julia in the days and hours immediately following the murder. And so she's like, I tell Jade, I'm gonna be gone in a couple hours, just play on your phone, I'll be back.

She's like, it wasn't unusual for us to leave Jaden and Jade. In Illinois, it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 14 home alone. And she claims that as soon as she pulls the storm open that she notices blood in the living room. That somebody clad in all black, he's got a mask on, black gloves, comes charging at her and that he's got a knife. This was the front door. This is where it went down with the masked marauder for to believe that story.

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, and this is Murder on Songbird Road. Julia Beverly's sentencing was set for Friday, the 13th of October, 2023. Bob Mata and I were in Marion to attend it in person. The woman found guilty of murdering Jay Beasley will be sentenced today. That's happening at the Williamson County Courthouse at one this afternoon. It took the jury less than two hours to find her guilty on three counts of first degree murder. All right, so let's figure out where the Hux is. Hi Renee.

Good morning. Hi. Good morning. We're gonna head over to Hux now, but there are three Hux in the general vicinity. Which one did she go to? It's gonna be the one on DeYoung Street. Okay, so the closest one. Yep, it'll be on DeYoung or Route 13. There's one that's 2.7 miles on East DeYoung. There's one that's four. Okay.

So that's not the one five miles on West DeYoung. No. Okay. Okay. Okay. We're heading there now and then we're gonna head over. What time are you guys going to... Bob Mata and I were scheduled to sit down with Beverly's mother, Renee, and her siblings

before the sentencing. On our way to Hightower's home, we decided to clock the time it would take us to get from the location on Songbird Road, where Jade was murdered, to the Huck's gas station, where the prosecution contends Beveley disposed of evidence. Beveley maintained she was simply tossing dirty diapers

before turning around and heading home for her credit cards. Turn right onto Corey Leak. Okay, so, yeah, we're going the right way. Okay. So if we're to believe the state's theory, she has committed the murder at this point. Okay, because... And has washed up thoroughly.

Washed up thoroughly. She would have had to have transported stuff, put it into a bag. Correct. And unless she was... And we're talking about bloody clothes and a murder weapon. And so she would have been wearing gloves or there would be some kind of cross-contamination. Right. And you're talking about either a garbage bag or plastic bag filled with bloody clothes

and a knife, which I'm assuming would be poking holes in the plastic bag. Just common sense. All right so we're gonna take this right on the Cory League Road. And unless you double or triple wrapped that plastic bag you would have gotten some kind of blood on the exterior as you were loading the stuff in. There would have been some kind of biological material somewhere in this car. A point of note, no blood belonging to Jade Beasley was found anywhere in Beverly's car. There was a small speck found on the wheel attributed to both Beverly and Jade's father, Mike, which is not surprising given the shared use of the car.

Back to clocking the drive. It was about 3.3 miles from the house to the gas station. We are three minutes into the drive now. We've still got about 2.5 miles. It's not a straightaway. You're having to slow down. Now, you have to try to imagine what would be going through somebody's mind if they just committed a brutal homicide like that. If you are a compartmentalized killer, you are thinking look normal,

don't attract suspicion, drive slowly. Right. Don't get pulled over. I'm curious, it doesn't seem like this is a highly policed area back here. I'm imagining it's either Marion or the county sheriff is the only one that's ever back here. But also, houses are close to the road and you would be aware of dogs or children or, you know, running onto the road. You wouldn't tear through dogs or children or, you know, running onto the road. Right. You wouldn't tear through these.

You're not, yeah, you're not doing 75 back here for sure. Like I'm going 38 maybe. And that feels quick. Yeah. And appropriate. Yeah. The rural back roads gave into more suburban sprawl as we got closer to DeYoung. It is a blinking solar stop sign, so there must be enough traffic on the road to warrant that.

That looks like a main thoroughfare what we just turned off of, and this one does as well. It's relatively freshly paved, much more residential housing on this street. And higher-end-looking homes. For sure. Newer built looking homes. For sure. Newer built as well. Like permanent driveways.

Yeah, and I would hazard a guess, these were all built in the last 10 to 15 years, it looks like to me. We're about six minutes into the drive, we're about a mile from the gas station. And it very much is a little suburban community nestled around a cornfield. Yes. Like I can guarantee that at one point this was all farmland not too long ago.

Alright, so we are on the stretch run, nine tenths of a mile. You can see the Marianne Water Tower. We've got a main thoroughfare door left over here that looks like the... Another church. I mean there you can here that looks like the... Another church. I mean, there, you can't throw a stone without hitting a church. Yeah, a lot of churches. Cast a stone without hitting a church.

There we go. In a quarter mile, turn right onto Illinois 13 West. All right, so we're 7 tenths. So we're getting onto De Young, which is where the Hux is. Yeah, and we're already 7 minutes and 30 seconds in about. Yep. All right, we're making that turn. Okay, so she's gonna get into her left lane here.

It's a two lane highway. We're hitting a light. Just beyond this light is gonna be the Hawks on the left. And you know what? I understand why she would have pulled in there to turn around, because now we're in a much more commercial, multi-lane main road. And this makes me feel way better about her story, because this is the first and only light that we've hit.

This is where she claims that she goes into her purse and realizes that she did not have her cards with her. When she told me the story last night, she was like, well, it was like halfway. This is eye shot of the Hawks. Yeah. Okay, so that makes way more sense to me why she would have just continued to go to the Hawks.

For nothing else to turn around, to go back. You know what I'm saying? I mean, that makes way more sense to me. We pulled up along the gas pumps at Hawks, where Julia Bevelie was captured on security cam discarding a small plastic bag. So we have three lanes of pumps, all of which have garbage receptacles in between the sets of pumps. And when we say garbage, I mean, we're talking garbage cans. We're not talking a dumpster. Exactly.

But interestingly enough, the one that we just pulled up to has contracting debris in it. Exactly. All right. So it took us nine minutes, 15 seconds to get here, catching that light, which we knew she caught the light as well, when she realizes that she doesn't have her debit card. This is important to note because the prosecution contends it would have taken Beverly six to

seven minutes to make the drive. Google Maps approximates seven, but with having to wait out the red light, it took us over nine. She pulls in, you know, because she has two young children who are still pooping in diapers. Occasionally, as a parent, you know, that there are times that you have to change the diaper in the car. It happens. So she has the bag with the poopy diapers, gets out, and she's going to, gets out and she's going to, I'm assuming opens the back door right? grabs diapers maybe she reaches around grabs them and then she's gonna go dump right into this receptacle and we'll have to ask her which one she went to if she went closest to because I'm gonna take a walk and see where the camera is.

Okay, but this is a busy, very busy street. If you were disposing of bloody clothes and a murder weapon, would you do it in broad daylight in front of multiple people and by multiple people? These are gas pumps. You have somebody five feet away from you at all times. We're talking, this is in the morning on December 5th, daylight. Like this is a busy gas station. I mean, there's people here, a lot of people, a lot of traffic, a lot of foot traffic, people getting in and out of their vehicles. All right, I'm going to walk

up. I want to see, I think I can see a camera there. She comes here, it's about an 18 inch opening. Dumps the bag in here. Now she would have gotten right back into the vehicle. From what I've heard, they're able to see her toss the bag. I'm curious if we can see what type of bag it was. Is it a bag from Kroger, like the plastic bag that they bag your groceries in, or is it a garbage bag?

We've confirmed that it does appear to be a plastic shopping bag from Walmart. Exactly. So there's the camera. Oh, there's another one over there. Okay. All right. So that would have been the one that would have caught those pumps over there. I'm imagining.

So this is. So then that's even more suspicious, because why would you go to the closest pump where you can be monitored by the person looking out the window? Exactly. There's 12 pumps. This is a busy gas station. And we're within 45 minutes

of what she would have been here. You know, and this Hux has a full convenience store in here. I mean, small towns like this is where people get breakfast, coffee. I mean, it has, yeah, lottery slot machines. Slots. Why are you pulling up here if you don't want to bring attention to yourself? It seems like the worst place possible to dump evidence of crime. And there's a recreation center right there.

Yeah. Like, I mean, that's a full park there. Full children's park with a full playground in there. The Huck station on DeYoung, Route 13 Beverly, crossed over oncoming lanes of traffic to pull into, boasted heightened security in keeping with the amount of money and traffic that combination of business would attract. Standing at this very busy gas station slash casino, it was pretty obvious there were many places

that would have been better suited for discarding murder evidence, including the rural area surrounded by abandoned baseball fields where the murder occurred. From that light, there's five businesses, all that would have been on the side of the road that she was driving on, which all would have made more sense if you're dumping evidence. And there was something else. That Hux was just a block and a half away from another gas station, one that was managed by Beverly's mother, Renee Hightower. Why wouldn't Beverly have gone there if she was ditching evidence?

Yes, the story does not make sense from the prosecution's standpoint right now. For all the bumps that we're seeing from Julie's version, it's not sensical from the prosecutions. Murder on Songbird Road will be back after the break. John Stewart is back in the host chair at The Daily Show, which means he's also back in our ears on The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily Show podcast has everything you need to stay on top of today's news and pop

culture. You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports and more from John and the team of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to The Daily Show, Ears Edition on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Beautiful young women, full of life and dreams, murdered or vanished without a trace.

Their families left with nothing but heartbreak, questions and memories. I'm Nancy Grace. This week on Crime Stories, we uncover the truth behind these unsolved cases. We work to bring justice and answers to grieving families. Please don't miss Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here again is murder on Songbird Road. The reality was that Beverly was about to be sentenced for a crime she may not have committed. That weighed heavily as we left the Huck station and drove to Renee Hightower's home.

-"So we're gonna head to Julie's mother's house, Renee." That home belonged to Renee's mother, who passed a little over a year after watching her granddaughter arrested there. -"All right, I think we're gonna know it's Renee's home when we see the Halloween decorations." -"Right." Hightower's modest home is situated

about eight miles northwest of where the murder occurred. When I Google mapped the address, the image that appeared showed a large, We Still Stand with Julie banner hanging from the front porch. But we were anticipating a much bigger display in person. Oh my gosh, I get to see the Halloween decorations. Up close and personal. Up close.

I'll grab my... do you want your notebook? Oh, I do. You've got all the gear. For Halloween, Renee Hightower had transformed her entire front lawn and porch into an elaborate and creative protest display with individual vignettes targeting every individual she believes corrupt or at fault

regarding her daughter's conviction. Okay, now wait, we have to look at these. Danny Boy bias, justice, sentenced. The dishonorable Judge Pink. Severely blinded by tunnel vision, told wrong storyline and tripped up, lost his memory and left wandering. Wow. She posted video of the installation on Facebook, but it was even more impressive in person.

Rene has a graveyard with nine headstones, all relating to people that I think that she believes pretty strongly screwed her daughter. Oh, my gosh, and look at the front. They lied and manipulated an investigation. Oh, it's called the Shady Blue Cemetery. Ha ha ha. The artistry and humor intertwined with the anger

that fueled the hours that must have gone into crafting the incredibly detailed pieces is daunting and somewhat heartbreaking. So this is what a mom fighting for justice looks like up close and personal. This is what somebody who's out of Fs to give. Yep. Yep. Well, she's calling it like she sees it, you know, which I respect. So I'm a big fan of that.

You know? All right, let's go in. Who's this Danny boy? I don't know. I'll have to ask bias. All right, let's go in. Who's this Danny boy? I don't know, I'll have to ask Vyice. He's gotta be a reporter. It was indeed referencing local reporter Danny Vyice,

who I have found to be very candid and thoughtful in revisiting his covering of the case. Oh, yes, he is, because there is, oh, she even has the news flag attached to the microphone. Hey. Hi. Nice to meet you. Renee radiates a very grounded energy in person.

She's direct and controlled. Quick to laughter at times, but otherwise pretty stoic. It's not at all surprising she was married to a cop at one point and has two sons in the armed forces. She favors non-frilly dark clothing, which complements her dark hair, which is often topped with a hat of some sort. She's only about 5'1", but there's nothing petite or meek about her. It's fitting she's a manager.

She comes across as one who gets things done. Upon entering the house, we were immediately met by piles of neatly wrapped and stacked Christmas presents, even though it wasn't even Halloween yet. It's Christmas really, really early. It makes me feel like a total piece of shit. In real time, we realized Renee wasn't ahead of Christmas, but rather it was postponed when Julia Beverly was arrested. These are the presents sitting from three years ago.

Oh, wow. Still waiting. Wow. Hey, I'm Lauren. This is my oldest son Mike. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. And the puppies.

Was that a cat or a puppy? Puppies. My grandson. Hey. What's up? What are you doing, man? You watching TV? I'm watching YouTube, man.

I'm Bob. Nice to meet you. I'm Lauren. Nice to meet you. I'm Lauren. Nice to meet you. We settle down at her dining room table with Renee and Julia Beverly's oldest brother, Michael. And Michael, you flew in two days ago? Yes. Okay. And where do you live? I'm in California.

Got it. Michael, like all of Renee's four children, is mixed race. He's reserved, thoughtful, and clean cut, all in keeping with his profession as an aviation mechanic in the U.S. Navy. Like all of her sons, he stands just under six foot, towering compared to the petite sister he's traveled to support at sentencing. He listens intently, taking in the two strangers at his mother's table and their microphones.

Went out to the property, made the drive to Hawks. It's interesting. About nine minutes. We caught the light. I spent a couple hours, maybe two and a half, three's the night, butt off in the Williamson County Jail over there. Yeah, that's what Julie was saying. Stacked next to Renee are multiple large binders she's been filling with every news clip, social media post, or official record of the murder for which her daughter is about to be sentenced. There are about five or six of them, and they're all full.

I wanted to show you guys we're talking about the house. Yeah. And this kind of shows you a little bit. The lay of the land. The lay of it, the way it was set out there, so you can kind of see. Hightower wanted to share photos of the crime scene that show Beverly's car was moved before it was examined

by the crime scene investigator. So this one is the very first picture, where Julie's car is way there in the driveway. Okay. And then the others we took to show where it's moved. And this is like a straight-on vision of the house. Okay, so show me the car being moved, where it was and where. Right here is her car, way up there. Right here.

Okay. And they moved it over here. For what reason, don't know. Like what's the timeframe of the car being moved? This is, you can see the ambulance are there. Okay. And this, you see they're rolling out the tape here. And her car's been moved.

Julie was still there when they were rolling out the tape. So did they ask her for her keys? Were her keys on the car? She was on there when they were rolling out the tape. So did they ask her for her keys? Were her keys in the car? She was on the porch. Hysterical. I was trying to tell Bob they found a DNA thing in the car. What they found in the car was little tiny specks, like the top of an eraser head.

It was only Julie's, but they did test. And the DNA that was found in the car was on the steering wheel and it was Mike's because they both drive the car. No blood. It was just his DNA. If someone moved the car and they had interacted with Julie, it's quite possible that that was transference. Quite possible. No acknowledgement of Beverly's car ever having been moved has been mentioned, not during the trial or in any official documents Renee has seen. Being moved at the crime scene by someone other than Beverly aside, her vehicle wasn't processed by the crime scene investigator until December 7, two days after the murder and after it had been moved into storage.

That leads us back to the evidence the prosecution believes Beverly drove to Hux to discard. So today, we took the exact same route she took, all rural until you hit De Young, and that light is like a half a block. So like that made way more sense to me. Frankly, that's where she's turning around. She pulls into the hawks to turn

back to go back to the house. You know, she's first telling me the story. I'm like, why are you still going to hawks? That's, that's sus to me. It doesn't make any sense. So now when we did the drive, it made way more sense. Because you realize you're on a multi-lane, busy road and you need to turn around. We went in and looked at the security camera setup they have there. She would have known because you manage a gas station, that that would probably be the worst possible place if you wanted anonymity or. That's not where you go to adopt out of this period. Because you're trying to- And then tell them about it dump evidence, period. You know, it's like, because you're trying to...

And then tell them about it. Yeah, right. Exactly. Yeah, we did tell them about it and they looked and they didn't find it. Right. Nothing. Nothing. Yeah.

Yeah, because... No, but then they go to the dump and find three unrelated items. How do you know that's evidence? Do you guys know? Like, there's no way in any trial that I'm a part of as an attorney that they're getting that into evidence ever. Much was made by the prosecution of the extensive search of the dump by investigators.

While their digging at the dump did end up unearthing a discarded shower curtain and several random utensils, none of those things were linked by DNA to the crime scene. When this officer was on the stand, Thane crossed and said, do these have any relation to this case? No. Any relation to any case in Marion?

The damage is done. There's an old saying that you can't unring a bell and you can take the skunk out of the jury box, but you can't get rid of the smell. You know, and that's exactly when that, when knives are introduced of any kind in a juror's mind. I got to see that. Do you have the chance? I do not. Thien was Julie Beverly's public defender. While preparing for Beverly's trial, she lost two different second chairs

before ultimately heading into court unassisted. A second chair is a lawyer who assists the lead attorney in court. Their role includes knowing key documents and exhibits, taking comprehensive notes, and assisting in strategic preparations for trial. Tom Slayton was Theon's initial second chair and interviewed Beverly in the first six months after her arrest before going over to the prosecution. This conflict is why a special prosecutor,

Jennifer Mudge, was brought in. It is hard to speculate as to why random items with no connection to the crime or crime scene were ever ruled admissible. — How's that? — I mean, that's incredibly damning. Like, to a jury. — Because that gives them reasonable doubt of her innocence. — It's there. I don't care what theene asks after the fact.

You know, because people consider that just lawyering. Oh, it's a defense lawyer lawyering. — And that's exactly how it was portrayed in social media because everybody, oh, they found their weapons. This is what they were, though. They were rusted. One was a small sickle, and one was a bread knife. A serrated bread knife. Murder weapons.

But, like, what gets portrayed in social media is exactly what is going through the juror's mind. It's like a mirror image. I always say it, like when I'm doing like court TV stuff or whatever, I always reference my Twitter account because I'm very active about the cases that I'm covering on there. And I know what the temperature is on cases in terms of what the people who I consider to be exactly who are the jurors in that box.

This is what their temperature is in terms of that defendant. In any case, and it's always the mirror image, and I know from 20 years of doing this, that is what the jury is thinking. It's going to mirror with the people, just regular laypeople that are following the case. That's what they're going to be thinking. During the trial, Mike Beasley was not asked if he recognized any of the items that were implied

came from his house, including a purple shower curtain brandishing a giant butterfly. No shower curtain was reported missing from the crime scene, and Renee says the couple wouldn't have owned one that looked like that. The other thing that strikes me is so odd. There is no way that if my daughter had been killed and my significant other had wrestled with an intruder that I would not be with my, I mean, basically wife.

Well, the mother of two of your kids. Yeah, Michael was with me that night when we took Julie over to see him. And it was DCFS that got there right when we did, right? Because she came up and talked to Julie, and she kind of told Julie that she wouldn't be able to see her children. And Julie started crying again, and she wanted to talk to Mike because... The night of the tragedy, she's not allowed to see her kids.

Right. She's not been formally charged with anything, and she's not allowed to see her children. I mean, that doesn't surprise me. We can't pretend for like one second that she's not the prime suspect again. She's the last person to see Jade alive. She's calling it in. She was at the scene, like I get it, that doesn't surprise me because that's just how law enforcement operates.

You know what I'm saying? The problem is they form the tunnel vision immediately within I don't know how many minutes of speaking with her and whatever cops are initially there, they're like in their minds, I don't give a shit what they're saying in their reports. They're immediately like she's the one. In terms of the relationship between Mike to Lauren's point,

if I'm rolling up home and I see 10 police cars out there, or if I've gotten a call from law enforcement, and they're like, yeah, you need to get home right now, there's something tragic has happened, and I'm speeding home, and they're telling me, well well your daughter's been murdered and They're telling me I can't talk to my wife. I'm like losing my mind The concept of him cutting off all communications to this day Without a word being spoken between the two of them is beyond bizarre

And that's not me saying that I think Mike's involved in any way, but it's a very befuddling situation for me to try to wrap my mind around. It's crazy. To me, I've always thought that he's a passive guy. Julie said these same things. She termed it completely non-confrontational. Yes, absolutely. So, you know,

she, I feel like Julie would kind of like would get her way, right? So, he's just kind of letting them lead him along. Right. So, he just kind of will go with whatever. So, if Julie is not there, I kind of feel like he would just listen to whatever whoever is giving them whatever story yes and you know of course he's greeting at that point but he just he kind of let someone else take over anyways Julie you guys any of you spoken to him he won't he wouldn't answer I'll try to get a hold of him a couple times he wouldn't answer but me I didn't really have a not like a bad relationship with him, but I've always been away.

So I've seen him on holidays and stuff, and we were fine, but. It wasn't like you guys weren't tight. You didn't socialize outside of the gatherings. No, no. When he was here, I socialized more with the kids than him, he was just kind of, he's quiet. And he, I don't know, I feel like he just,

he kind of let Julie lead him in their life. Now I want to say like he wasn't there for anything, but he just kind of sat back and let her run the house. So I think his mom also did that for him before he met Julie. So if Julia Bevelie was somewhat mothering in her relationship with Mike Beasley, it's that same maternal nature that makes her murder conviction so unbelievable to all her three brothers,

including the youngest one, Ricky, who joined us at the table. He serves in the United States Air Force and for years was in the Air Force Honor Guard. I was just shocked at first hearing that, that supposedly Julie did it. And, you know, I'm running back through travel with that memory, so I'm just like, there's no way. It's like, it's like if some flat-earther was like, trying to tell me the earth was flat.

There's no way, but they're trying to tell me, no, it's proof now. I'm like, no, like, I mean, that's what I've known my whole life, you know, I've known Julie my whole life. All these examples about family and stuff didn't make sense. Yeah. Yeah. Especially because on holidays, she will, she'll have two babies on her. You know what I'm saying? She sit at the kids table. She'll, you

know, like she's, she's her mom. When we went to Salem for Nikki's wedding and she's taking care of other people's kids, like all that they all just went to her no one even asked her to because she just ended up watching everyone's kids. She was a mom going through. Yeah. So what do you guys think is going to go down today? Well I'm almost certain it'll be a denial but like I tell Julie whatever happens happens today is a positive move forward. I just hate that she's even in this position. I think about what she's feeling going through it, and it bothers me because I can't fix it.

Yeah, but the truth you need to know is the thing. I want to make it really clear. All of you guys cared about Jade. Yes. Yes. You don't just want justice for Julie on this, right? You want justice for Jade. We'll be right back with Murder on Songbird Road.

Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at The Daily Show, which means he's also back in our ears on The Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. The Daily Show podcast has everything you need to stay on top of today's news and pop culture. You get hilarious satirical takes on entertainment, politics, sports, and more from Jon and the team of correspondents and contributors. The podcast also has content you can't get anywhere else like extended interviews and a roundup of the weekly headlines. Listen to The Daily Show, Ears Edition on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

your podcasts. Beautiful young women full of life and dreams murdered or vanished without a trace. Their families left with nothing but heartbreak, questions, and memories. I'm Nancy Grace. This week on Crime Stories, we uncover the truth behind these unsolved cases. We work to bring justice and answers to grieving families. Please don't miss Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, back to murder on Songbird Road. Next, we headed to our sentencing, which took place in Williamson County Courthouse in Marion. It's a boxy modern brick building, which was apparently built in 1971, with minimal use of windows so as to maximize energy efficiency. The resulting structure resembles an industrial warehouse. After clearing security, Bob and I sat in the back of the small courtroom, which was clearly divided by families and loyalties. Jade's relation sat to the left and Beverly's to the right. Local reporter Danny Valle was there. Julia Beverly was found guilty in February of murdering Jade Beasley in 2020.

So it took about eight months for the sentencing hearing to play out after the conviction. Beverly entered the courtroom today in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit. I had not met Julia Beverly in person yet, but heard her arrival before I saw her. The courtroom quieted as a metallic clanking signaled the entrance of a petite woman clad in an orange prison-issued jumpsuit, her steps slow, deliberate, and weighted by the heavy chains that shackled her petite frame. Her hair was down and long, the length underscoring the time passed since her arrest nearly three years ago.

Beverly's face remained blank as she entered the room until her eyes met with those of her eldest son, Jaden, who was seated with Renee and her brothers. She acknowledged them all with a slight nod as her mouth gave way to a hint of the smile I'd seen on her social media, though heavier and short-lived. Her face turned somber again as she turned towards the bench.

All but the top of her head was engulfed by her chair once seated. Judge Steven Green considering a motion today to a new trial that was filed by the defense just a couple of days ago, but Judge Green denied the motion due to substantial evidence presented at the trial. And before Green read the sentence, a family member from the Beasley side was allowed to read a victim impact statement saying that Beasley's death will continue to haunt the family.

Mike Beasley was seated with a woman I recognized from his social media posts as Brooke. They apparently worked together for years at Cracker Barrel, and according to their social media timelines, appeared to have started a relationship within months after the murder. This didn't go unnoticed by Beverly's friends and family. According to screen grabs Renee has shared,

Brooke's social media often appeared to target Beverly, her friends and family, while very much implying she was now raising Beverly's three youngest children as her own. In one post, she snuggles Beverly's youngest son, who was born after Beverly's arrest, with the caption, I may not have given birth to you, but you will always be my baby. Another one shows the infant, whose name has apparently been changed to Kane, wearing a navy shirt emblazoned with the words, raised by an awesome mama. Renee Hightower finds this especially painful, given her absolute lack of access to her grandchildren since the murder, pain that is further compounded by the details of Vevely's birth while in

custody of Williamson County Jail, awaiting trial. They remain deeply disturbing. We'll break them down in much more detail in our next episode. Back to the sentencing. This courtroom was packed. There was 60 people inside the courtroom to hear the sentence,

and an increased police presence there. No recording was allowed, but Mata and I were able to bring in small pads and writing implements. Special prosecutor Jennifer Mudge recommended a sentence of over 45 years. The defense countered with a recommendation of the minimum 20 years, and they say it's because Beverly had no prior criminal history. Green said he took everything into account and then handed down a 55-year sentence. The reaction in the courtroom was as immediate as it was polarizing. Some of the Beasley family were driven to tears as they heard the sentence. The reaction in the courtroom was as immediate as it was polarizing.

Some of the Beasley family were driven to tears as they heard the sentence. Beverly was also in tears and was allowed to hug multiple family members before being taken into custody and escorted to the Williamson County Jail. After the sentencing, Mata and I compared notes. Watching the dynamics in the courtroom was really interesting because I'm always on the other side of the bar. This is really the first time I've ever been in the gallery, like watching it as a straight-up observer.

And it was really interesting. And we had gone in and we had told Renee, look, we're neutral, we're Switzerland in this thing here right now. But there were only two places you could sit. Right. And there was no room on Mike's side and Jessica's family side. So we had no choice.

It was just a really interesting dynamic. After the sentence was laid down by the judge, we see these two opposite sides. We see weeping, sadness, Julie getting last hugs with her loved ones. Sobbing as she hugs her eldest son, Yeah. Jaden, goodbye.

And we see joy, which seems so... Odd. Doesn't cure anything. You know what I'm saying? joy, which seems so... Odd. It doesn't cure anything. You know what I'm saying? It doesn't make anything better. It doesn't heal the wound. I guess it's like, it's the only form of justice

that we have, but the question that we have now is is it justice? It's not justice if the wrong person has just been sentenced 55 years in prison because she didn't do it. And if she didn't do it, that means whoever killed Jade is still out there. But what stuck out to both of us was the theme of religion. When Jade's great aunt, on behalf of the family, addressed Beverly before her sentencing. The word Christianity was almost wielded as a weapon

and that Beverly had not won because the children would be raised Christians. In the victim impact statement, it was very interesting that when she listed Mike and Julie's three children, she really punched the fact that they had changed her son, the infant she gave birth to, in jail. And they changed it to Cain.

As in Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel, which is... From the Bible. Cain killed Abel. Oh, man. Towards the end of that statement, Matas scribbled down something and tilted his paper towards me. Holy shit, they think they're witches.

The last word was underlined. Darkness, the light, evil. Oh, that's what I wrote down in the line. They're talking about witches. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Right. That's wild. All right. Well, you have to get to the airport. So tomorrow,

I'm meeting with two of Julie's best friends, one who still is local. That's gonna be good stuff. And then Leah. Yeah. I'm gonna really hammer them as to have they ever seen her loser temper, had she ever complained about having to be a stepmother. I want you to dig it into whether or not it's a fucking witch. I want to know if they're Wiccan, if they're like... Yeah, because they're alleging that this was some kind of ritual or... Sure, that seems like it to me or something. Because, and you saw, like I saw Renee's necklace definitely had like some pagan symbol tree or some like Wiccan, like, you know, I mean, it was definitely had that vibe to it.

It's a fascinating angle. And it could be a motive as to why this girl was railroaded. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I mean, that kind of shit is frowned upon down here. On the next murder on Songbird Road, we uncover the details of Beverly's treatment in custody.

It's like I had every opportunity to degrade her or belittle her or even torture her. They did it. And the controversy surrounding the delivery of her son. The judge ordered Thomas would be taken as soon as the umbilical cord was cut. I wanted to scream at that moment. Before, I face Julia Beverly in person.

She doesn't look like her mugshot. It's almost as if they wanted to magnify the half-black side of her. 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 a review wherever you're listening. You can follow me on all platforms at Lauren Bright Pacheco and email the show with thoughts,

suggestions, or wherever you get your favorite shows. Thanks for listening. John Stewart is back at The Daily Show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors.

And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremorchi. And I'm Holly Frey. Together, we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime. Each season we explore a new theme from poisoners to art thieves. We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures from legal injustices to body snatching. And tune in at the

end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery, big, big news. A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story. I like saw, nothing that happened. An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow. He did not kill her. There's no way.

Is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free? Did you kill her? Listen to The Real Killer, Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Nancy Grace Beautiful young women full of life and dreams murdered or vanished without a trace. Their families left with nothing but heartbreak, questions and memories. I'm Nancy Grace. This week on Crime Stories, we uncover the truth behind these unsolved cases. We work to bring justice and answers to grieving families. Please don't miss Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Listen on the iHeartRadio

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