Murder on Songbird Road - 5. The Delivery

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

Weeks after she was arrested for the murder of her step-daughter, Julia Bevely realized she was expecting her fourth child. Her subsequent treatment during pregnancy, birth and postpartum as a pre-trial detainee remain, next to the murder, the most disturbing aspects of the case. Email us with thoughts, suggestions or tips at [e-mail]. Wrongful Conviction Podcast Episodes: Julie Rae Michelle Murphy Melissa Lucio  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was a Boy Scout leader, a husband, a father. But he was leading a double life. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK. Through the voices of the people who know him best. Listen to Monster BTK on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Do you want to see into the future? Do you want to understand an invisible force that's shaping your life? Do you want to experience the frontiers of what makes us human? On Tech Stuff, we travel from the minds of Congo to the surface of Mars, from conversations with Nobel Prize winners to the surface of Mars, from conversations with Nobel Prize winners

to the depths of TikTok, to ask burning questions about technology, from high tech to low culture and everywhere in between. Join us. Listen to Tech Stuff 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. 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. Murder on Songbird Road is a production of iHeart Podcasts. Previously on Murder on Songbird Road. We're going to 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 the Yonge Street. 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. The prosecution contends it would have taken Beverly six to seven minutes to make the drive. She would have known because you manage a gas station,

that would probably be the worst possible place if you wanted anonymity. Samples weren't collected from Beverly's car until the evening of the murder, after it had been moved by someone on the scene and not Beverly. Then they go to the dump and find three unrelated items. When knives are introduced of any kind, an adjurer's mine. The damage is done.

And the victim impact statement. Darkness, the light, evil. Oh, that's what I wrote down. Yeah. I want you to dig in into whether or not it's a fucking witch. It could be a motive as to why this girl was railroaded. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? I mean that kind of shit is frowned upon down here.

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco and this is Murder on Songbird Road. Within weeks of her arrest while being held in Williamson County custody awaiting trial, Julia Beveley made a shocking but not entirely unexpected discovery. Here's Renee Hightower. She found out she was pregnant in jail. I was happy for her, but I was hurting for her because I knew the situation. I knew they wanted another child. Beverly and her now estranged former fiance, Mike Beasley, had been trying for a third child together, hoping for a son. Julie has issues with her cervix, and she wanted a boy with him.

So they were trying one last time when all this happened. For Beverly, the pregnancy was a light in a sea of darkness. She wanted to nurture this baby as best she could in the situation she was in. But it was rough. It was rough. The best possible blessing at the worst possible time. Yes, exactly. Upon learning her daughter was pregnant, Hightower immediately began to petition the courts

for a home-based pregnancy while awaiting trial. We went to get her a bond reduction so she can come home with her pregnancy and be around people that care about her, people that love her, and people she loves, and see her children. Because her bond was set for $2 million. Yes, yes, two million dollar bond.

And we went in for a reduction and Judge Green denied it. So her attorney said that she was going to try again at a later time and his response was, I know you will. So we tried again when she was around eight months pregnant, and he denied it again. She even suggested wearing an ankle monitor. She wasn't going to go anywhere. If she did, they would immediately know about it. And he denied it again. He gave two different reasons for each time we went. One was he was afraid that she was a flight risk. And the second one was my mother wouldn't be able

to defend herself if anything were to happen because my mother was living here as well. He said my mother was on an oxygen machine and she was not capable of running away if Julie ever attacked her. That my mother wouldn't be able to defend away if Julie ever attacked her. That my mother wouldn't be able to defend herself if Julie got out of control.

Am I wrong in remembering that there was also some issue that your house was too close to a school? They brought it up in court. What was the implication? That Julie was some kind of a threat to children in general? Yes, keep her away from children and elderly. We appealed it, and then the appellate court denied it as well. And upheld the judge's decision.

Keep in mind that Julia Beverly had no priors and this was while she was awaiting trial when she was supposed to have been given the presumption of innocence. Renee Hightower had immediate concerns about how her daughter was being treated after she was taken into custody in Williamson County before she even knew she was pregnant. I was trying to get a hold of her and the second or third day she was in there. I was calling and calling. When I finally did talk to her, she said that the correction officers were almost curating her charges to everyone in there

saying that she was a child killer. And not only that, they said that her father was a police officer trying to rile up people in jail to do things to her. To harm her? Mm-hmm. What would you say were your major concerns after Julie was arrested? She had told me after she was in there three weeks, 21 days,

she hadn't taken a shower or got the opportunity to brush her teeth at all. Since the time she stepped in there and for 21 days following, I called the sheriff, spoke to him directly, Benny Vick, and I voiced my complaints and he said, well, inmates lie all the time. I said, well, she has no reason to lie about taking a shower or brushing her teeth.

I said, do you keep those things on record? He said, yeah, and he was going to look into it. And he never called me back. And then once I got off the phone with him, I called her attorney. And I told her the same thing. And she was beside herself. And she said she's going to take care of it. Well, Julie called me the next day and said she finally got her shower and got and said she finally got her shower and got a semi-conda toothbrush to brush her teeth. Under what precaution or protocol did they justify not allowing her to brush her teeth or shower for 21 days? I've never heard an answer yet.

No one returned any calls to me. No one has answered that question. Not one person. Who do those officers report directly to? The sheriff I believe. Who's now retired? Yes, Benny Vick. Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system. Hi my name is Lauren Bright Pacheco and I am a journalist trying to get in touch with Mr. Vick.

I've reached out to former Williamson County Sheriff Benny Vick to no avail. Since March 18, 2024, I've also attempted to contact current Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diedrich, making Freedom of Information Act requests for documentation of orders that dictated Beverly's treatment while pregnant and during the delivery of her son while she was in custody of Williamson County awaiting trial. At the date of this recording, I had yet to receive a response. She wasn't treated like she was an innocent human being at all. It's sickening right down to what they were giving her to eat.

It took her a while to get the vitamins that she needed. That was another reasoning for house release because she had issues with iron. So in case she needed an iron infusion, she finally started taking the vitamins. But nutrition was not there because a lot of the food that they were giving her, this was during COVID, these are the excuses. COVID. So a lot of the meals

were lunch meat. This went on for at least three to four months, lunch meat, for lunch and dinner. That's filled with nitrates. Yes. Eating too much of that and her being pregnant can get listeria. It's just like at every opportunity that came to them to degrade her or belittle her or even torture her. They did it. They took that opportunity and did whatever they could. There were no presumptions of innocence while we're awaiting trial. There was none of that. None of it. Especially, it would seem,

when it came to Beverly's labor and delivery. We'll be right back with murder on Songbird Road. He was a Boy Scout leader, a church deacon, a husband, a father. He went to a local church. He was going to the leader, a church deacon, a husband, a father. He went to a local church. He was going to the grocery store with us. He was the guy next door. But he was leading a double life.

He was certainly a peeping Tom, looking through the windows, looking at people, fantasizing about what he could do. He then began entering the houses. He could get into their home, take something, and get out and not be caught. He felt very powerful. He was a monster hiding in plain sight. Someone killed four members of a family.

It just didn't happen here. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK, through the voices of the new hosts of the long running podcast Tech Stuff. I'm slightly skeptical, but obsessively intrigued. And I'm Kara Price, the other new host. And I'm ready to adopt early and often.

On Tech Stuff, we travel all the way from the minds of Congo to the surface of Mars to the dark corners of TikTok to ask and attempt to answer burning questions about technology. One of the kind of tricks for surviving Mars is to live there long enough so that people evolve into Martians. Like data is a very rough proxy for a complex reality. How is it possible that the world's new energy revolution can be based in this place where there's no electricity at night? Oz and I will cut through the noise to bring you the best conversations and deep dives

that will help you understand how tech is changing our world and what you need to know to survive the singularity. So join us. Listen to tech stuff 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tremarchi. 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, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them. We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact. We also look at what kinds of societal forces

were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective. And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom-made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, back to murder on Songbird Road. In a six-page letter, Julie Beverly shared the circumstances of her son's birth while in custody of Williamson County. I've asked her cousin, Nikki, to read excerpts of that letter. July 28th, 2021 was one of the best days of my life, and it turned into the hardest days. I gave birth to my fourth child, Thomas.

It was hard birth because a few hours earlier, I was told for the first time that he would be taken. — Beverly goes on to explain that she was awoken in her cell at 10 p.m. by Williamson County jail nurse Marilyn Reynolds, who was accompanied by a corrections officer and a police lieutenant. Beverly was informed she was being taken to the hospital to be induced.

— When we arrived at the hospital, Marilyn and the corrections officer, Stucker, stayed in the room with me. Nurses started my intake, and at that time, they asked if I had planned to bottle or breastfeed. I said I wanted to breastfeed while I stayed in the hospital room. Then Marilyn Reynolds tells me

that the judge ordered Thomas would be taken as soon as the umbilical cord was cut. I wanted to scream at that moment. I said, no one told me this. Her reply was, well, you're attorney and the judge signed off on it. Not only was Beverly not informed as to the plan to immediately seize her son, she was denied access to contacting her lawyers or family. Reynolds apparently ordered the phone removed from Beverly's hospital room.

All I could think is I didn't want to be here. I wanted to keep him inside until he was ready to come out. And I'm ready for him. I didn't want to hand him to anyone. And I wanted him to stay until the case was resolved so that I could take him home. I was not prepared and would never be prepared to give Thomas to anyone.

Beveley was forced to give birth with two Williamson County jail employees in her room. My only support system was Marilyn and the corrections officer, Stucker, two people I did not want with me. There was a person who showed Beveley kindness and compassion immediately after Thomas was born. Her OB-GYN, Dr. Andrea Humphrey, by refusing to immediately cut the umbilical cord.

Hearing that first cry is always the most amazing feeling. He only cried for a few seconds. Once he was placed on my chest, he was calm. Then Dr. Humphrey did for me the most heartfelt, amazing thing I will never be able to express, how appreciative I am for her. She gave me the golden hour. It's an hour where the umbilical cord stays attached and the mother and child are able to bond. She gave me an hour when the courts

and the corrections officers wanted to give me seconds. Dr. Humphrey also made sure that photos of that hour were taken before Beverly's son was taken from her. That hour was the best thing ever. I got to hold him and kiss him, breastfed him, and most important, tell him that I loved him and that I will forever love him. The pictures are heartbreaking.

In them, Beverly's face clearly shows the strain of having just given birth, and the emotional weight of balancing her love for her newborn son with their inevitable separation. Then the dreaded moment came. Dr. Humphrey said, it's time. It was like Thomas knew because he started crying. And of course, because he started crying. And of course, I immediately started crying. And I'm crying now. Just reliving the moment. It broke my heart. I didn't want him to leave.

When a hospital staff member came in to discuss the birth certificate, Julia Beveley endured additional heartbreak, and it involved the man she'd lived with for nearly eight years and already had two other children with, Mike Beasley. She said he didn't want to sign the birth certificate without a DNA test. It felt like a slap in the face. So he basically said he believed that I had cheated on him. I had never given him reason to believe that. He was the love of my life, the only person I was with.

So my name was the only one on the birth certificate. Less than 24 hours after giving birth and still bleeding heavily, Beverly was shackled and returned to the Williamson County Prison, her breasts painfully swollen with milk, meant for the son she has not seen or held since.

And then came another blow to Beverly. I found out later that day that Mike took Thomas home before the DNA results came back. I don't know why he was able to take him when he wouldn't sign the birth certificate. As we'll further discuss, the circumstances surrounding Beverly's birth and the custody of her son are even more controversial than they are cruel. But alone in her cell, Beverly stripped of her newborn felt powerless and despondent. I fell into a deep depression again. It was a rough couple of weeks after that. Julia Beverly ended her letter with this. It's hard going back to these moments.

Even before reading the letter, the way in which Beverly was forced to give birth and the way in which her son was taken was hard for her cousin Nikki to process. It's horrific. It's inhumane. I can't even imagine. I was so worried for her leading up to the birth, just because I know having had three kids,

everything that takes out of you and everything that you go through, it's all worth it in the end because they are you and they're a part of you and for her to have to do that with nobody that cared for her really. To be alone and have to do that and then have to leave without him. I just can't. It still is extremely upsetting. I just can't. It's still, it's extremely upsetting. Especially if, as Nikki vehemently believes, Julia Bevelie was wrongfully accused and convicted. Back to Bevelie's mother, Renee Hightower. How did you find out that your grandson was born?

My friend actually, she used to work at the hospital. So she called saying that she needed to check on Julia Beverly. She got through to the nurse's station up there and they told her what time she came in and she asked how she was doing. And then she called me and told me that she was there. So that's how I found out because I wasn't getting calls from Julie at all. And I was worried about her. And then when I called immediately after they told me she wasn't there. And this was within 10-15 minutes. So she's put back in solitary confinement basically when she gets back to the jail.

Pretty much, yeah. And she's not reaching out to you. No. And you're probably concerned again. Very, yeah. Because I knew this was going to be heart-wrenching for her, not being able to be with her baby,

and the whole situation in its entirety. And she didn't call me. I sent a text and I didn't get a response from that. So I called the jail and I talked to an officer. It was a woman. And I said, I know she had the baby. I'm just checking to see if she's all right.

She's not calling me. And they said, I guess she's okay. She's not in a smock. And what does that mean? Meaning she's not in a suicidal outfit. So I guess she's all right. It is of interest to add that I've been given portions of Beverly's DCFS case file by an

anonymous source. For some reason, Beverly, who is half white, is listed as black on the reports. Yet, all four of her children, whose fathers are white, are listed as white. Again, Marion, Illinois is 86% white. Here's Renee Hightower's reaction. I have the page. It's on page two of 15. Julia Beverly, adult female, black African American. Jade Beasley, child, female, white.

I'm not going to use the kids' names, but Mike and Julia's one-year-old child is listed as female and white. And Jayden is listed as white. Wow. As is the eldest daughter that Julia and Mike share, white. All the kids are white and just Julie is black. How does that happen? Get me.

That view of Beverly as other seems to have also impacted the way her entire family was treated, even before the trial, particularly when Hightower was petitioning to have Beverly stay with her during the pregnancy. The sad part about one of these things is when she was up for that hearing to the appellate court for her to be on house arrest just for the birth of her baby, and we were waiting on the results for that. And when those results came back, they were not given to Thein, they were not given to me, they were not given to Julie.

Yet Mike's family made a huge post on their Facebook, denied in all capital letters, with exclamation points. And that's how we learned. That's how we learned. There seems to be a huge lack of communication, but it seems to just be in one direction. Yep. A quick aside. When this interview was taped in March of 2024,

Thomas was nearly three years old. And so when did you first get the chance to meet Thomas? I have yet to meet Thomas. I have yet to meet Thomas. I have not met him yet. I've seen the pictures that Julie got from the hospital, and that's all I have. Renee Hightower had been denied access to Beverly's three youngest children, her grandchildren, since the arrest. Mike is keeping three of Julie's children from me.

On what grounds? He states that he's doing it for the protection of his children. And I'm not sure what that means. That's one half of their family. Yeah. Yeah. And this is not something that was done later in this case. This was done immediately. Immediately upon Julie's arrest. As soon as she was arrested, it was complete cut off. Even when Thomas was born, I reached out, anything you need to help with the baby,

let me know, I'll help anywhere I can. Everything goes unanswered. let me know, I'll help anyway I can. Everything goes unanswered. That's got to be so painful. It is. It is very. And then I have Jaden here, who is missing out on three of his siblings. And he comes to see me every other weekend. Yet he can't see his own siblings. And Mike has a direct line to Jaden,

where he doesn't have to go through me or anyone else. And he still doesn't maintain contact with him. And Jayden sends text messages all the time, wanting to talk to the girls, and those go unanswered. Hightower has had no choice but resort to petitioning the courts for access to her grandchildren. That was always an excuse. Like clockwork, every two weeks, I would request to see them. And my request would either go unanswered or it would be, it's not a good time or I'll let you know.

And this went on for a year and a half. And I finally looked into getting an attorney. I ended up filing for grandparent visitation. Never did I think it would take years. You have reached the non-emergency line for Williamson County Sheriff's Department. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911. Please listen carefully. By the fall of 2024, it's important to stress just how unresponsive Williamson County had been

to my outreach for information pertinent to the case against Julie Beverly. This occurred on multiple levels across multiple branches. For Williamson County Jail, please press 1. Williamson County Jail. Hi, may I please speak with Marilyn Reynolds? Just one minute. Record your message. Hi, Ms. Reynolds.

My name is Lauren Bright-Pacheco, and I am a journalist who is looking into the Julia Beverly case. I'm calling because I believe that you were the attending nurse on duty when she gave birth to her son, Thomas, on 7-28-21, when she was in custody of Williamson County, awaiting trial. I'm just calling because I'm trying to find out where the order to remove the infant immediately

upon birth came from. Ms. Beverly contends that you gave the direction, but I cannot find any official order. So I'm hoping you can clear that up for me. And also who gave the order for members of the Department of Correction to be in the room while she was giving birth. Again, my name is Lauren Bright-Pacheco.

After many failed attempts, I finally did manage to get Williamson County jail nurse Marilyn Reynolds on the phone. She refused to answer any of my questions as to whose orders she was working under and directed me back to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office for information. Sheriff Diedrich ignored more than a dozen of my requests via phone and email for information and records pertaining to Julia Beverly's case. If you could give me a holler back, I am at

Thank you so much. Out of frustration, I contacted the Williamson County State's Attorney Ted Hampson, who replaced the former Williamson County State's Attorney Brandon Zanotti, Zanotti having resigned under somewhat dubious circumstances. A former Southern Illinois state's attorney has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge. Former Williamson County state's attorney, Brandon Zanotti, pleaded guilty to a charge of false entry of bank records and involves Southern Trust bank branches in Marion, Viena, and Goreville. That charge carries with it the possibility of jail time and a fine. In March of 2024, I started reaching out to Justin Mays,

the Williamson County Circuit Clerk. After several unresponsive weeks, he linked me with an assistant state's attorney, Jerry Adams. On May 30th, she forwarded as a, quote, courtesy, an amended temporary custody order signed by a judge claiming it provided the information I was seeking, even though there was no mention

of birthing protocol or the immediate removal of Beverly's infant. When pressed as to who initiated those specific orders, she responded that Sheriff Benivick had retired before wishing me, quote, good luck. Months later, the Williamson County Circuit Clerk who'd linked us, Justin Mays, resigned after being caught up in the same real estate

and banking scandal as former Williamson County State's attorney, Brandon Zanotti. Here's Renee Hightower's take. For a long time, I've heard people complain about Williamson County, and I just chalked it up as, oh my God, well, if you do the right thing, you won't have nothing to complain about Williamson County. And I just chalked it up as, oh my God, well, if you do the right thing, you won't have nothing to complain about. I've thought a lot about that.

And then when my ex-husband became a police officer, I learned the other side of the law from a police officer's perspective. And I never thought about any of the corruption or the poor judgment and the poor behavior of some of these officers until this happened to Julie. I never seen this side until I was in it. I have not ever seen this level of corruption anywhere in my life, anywhere, from the lying and the cover-ups. And it's just drip, drip, drip in the bucket.

We've got full bucket, and it's still going. It's unbelievable. Because of the ongoing lack of response to my Freedom of Information Act requests, I eventually contacted the Attorney General's Office of Illinois. But federal investigations, scandals, and retirements aside, why would Williamson County be so reluctant

to provide transparency regarding Beverly's pregnancy, delivery, and the immediate removal of her son while in their custody. My name is Emily Wurst, and I am a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Illinois state law is quite clear as to the reproductive rights of incarcerated individuals. Reproductive rights in the context of incarceration should mean the same thing as reproductive rights in any context, which is the right to make your own autonomous decisions about

reproductive health care, whether that's contraception, abortion, prenatal care, care during labor and delivery. It's really about having bodily autonomy when it comes to making those decisions. Can you give me just a general overview of reproductive rights while incarcerated in Illinois? Within Illinois, we have a state law called the Reproductive Health Act that sets standards for everyone in the state to have basic reproductive rights. And the Reproductive Health Act does apply to anyone who's in the custody of a county jail. So within the state of Illinois, the reproductive rights that you have do not vary from county to county. Everyone in Illinois

is guaranteed the same reproductive rights by the Reproductive Health Act. We also have a number of additional specific laws here in Illinois that deal with particular issues related to pregnancy care while someone is incarcerated in prison or jail relating to things like the use of solitary confinement, the use of restraints during pregnancy and postpartum, and other issues unique to someone who is experiencing pregnancy or has recently given birth. What are those rights specifically in terms of prenatal care?

So someone who is pregnant while incarcerated in Illinois has the right to receive adequate prenatal care that ensures that they have a healthy pregnancy. They have the right to make their own decisions about whether to continue that pregnancy or to obtain an abortion. If they do continue the pregnancy, they have the right to make decisions about how they give birth, for example, whether or not to have an epidural, whether or not to have a C-section, whether or not to be induced. They have those rights to make those decisions.

In terms of the specific amount of time that an incarcerated person is allowed to stay with their newborn in Illinois, are there laws around that timeframe or window? The current law is that someone who's incarcerated has a right to have their baby stay with them for 72 hours after giving birth unless the doctor says that that isn't safe. That became the law on July 1st of 2021. Got it. And so it's the doctor's call basically, not a judge or a correctional facility nurse.

That's correct. The law says that the determination is to be made by a medical professional. The law became effective July 1st, 2021. A point of note. Julia Beverly's son Thomas was born July 28, 2021, nearly a full month after that law went into effect. We did talk about the 72-hour window that the incarcerated individual is entitled to spend with their newborn, but we didn't talk about the rights specifically during delivery and birth. So during labor and delivery, there should be no shackles whatsoever used on an incarcerated person. And any correctional staff that are at the hospital should be posted outside the delivery room.

Now, was that a change that was made at the same time that the 72 hours was? I believe that change was made earlier. That was the law even prior to 2021. What recourse does an individual in Illinois specifically have if they believe their reproductive rights were violated while they were incarcerated? This Reproductive Health Act includes a right of action, includes a right to sue the government

if you believe that your reproductive rights have been violated. Murder on Songbird Road will continue after this. He was the guy next door. But he was leading a double life. He was certainly a peeping Tom, looking through the windows, looking at people, fantasizing about what he could do. He then began entering the houses. He could get into their home, take something, and get out and not be caught. He felt very powerful. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight.

Someone killed four members of a family. It just didn't happen here. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK, through the voices of the people who know him best. Listen to Monster BTK on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Do you want to understand an invisible force that's shaping your life? I'm Osvaldo Loshan, one of the new hosts of the long running podcast Tech Stuff. I'm slightly skeptical but obsessively intrigued.

And I'm Kara Price, the other new host, and I'm ready to adopt early and often. On Tech Stuff, we travel all the way from the mines of Congo to the surface of Mars to the dark corners of TikTok to ask and attempt to answer burning questions about technology. One of the kind of tricks for surviving Mars is to live there long enough so that people evolve into Martians. Like data is a very rough proxy for a complex reality. How is it possible that the world's new energy revolution can be based in this place where there's

no electricity at night? Oz and I will cut through the noise to bring you the best conversations and deep dives that will help you understand how tech is changing our world and what you need to know to survive the singularity. So join us. Listen to tech stuff 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.

They're 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. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarchi. 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, everything from poisoners and pirates

to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them. We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact. We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective. And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom-made cocktails

and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here again is Murder on Songbird Road. In April of 2024, I visited Beverly in the Illinois facility she was transferred to after her sentencing. I flew into Chicago and drove a rental car two and a half hours south to Lincoln, Illinois. Afterwards, I connected with Bob Mata. It was really interesting, the difference between the women's facility and the men's facilities that I've been in.

Yeah. I mean, right away. It sprawled out. So originally, it was built as a home for women who didn't want to keep their children. And I guess they'd give birth and then give the children up for adoption. But there's nothing but just corn fields, basically. Just farmland. And then this brick structure that's all sprawled out in little houses. You almost get the feeling that it's a religious retreat

or some kind of school. Even if that's the vibe, we know that's not what it is. That's for sure. I was the only visitor who signed up for the 430 to 830 time slot. Really? So once I went through, and of course they pat you down and you had to declare every piece of metal on your body and then they led me through to another building where Julie was just sitting by herself. The first thing that I was taken aback by was her size.

She is so tiny. She's tiny. Tiny. She's tiny. And also, she was so pale. And I mention that because she doesn't look like her mugshot. That's the thing that she hears most often. People don't recognize her like her mugshot. That's the thing that she hears most often. People don't recognize her from her mugshot because the mugshot really almost looks

like it's in black and white. It is a darker version of Julie, which I find interesting because of the layers that race plays in this case particularly. It's almost as if they wanted to magnify the half-black side of her. So I don't know if there was some tampering at work in terms of that photo, but then I think about But then I think about that press conference that Zanotti, the then state's attorney, when he held up the photo of Julie, because he announced the murder and her arrest during the same press conference, and then held up this picture of Jade that's three years old

at that point, but very, very vibrant. And you see the blonde hair and you see pink as her favorite color everywhere in that photo. And the juxtaposition with the dark, grainy grayness of the black and white field. Julie's mugshot is just jarring. Yeah, well, I mean, in terms of the picture of Jade, it's completely a misrepresentation of what she looked like at the time that the crime occurred. I mean, she was a big kid. When I first laid eyes on a photograph of Jade, I never in a million years would have

thought that she was 11 years old. No way. Yeah. She looked older in her physicality. Also, the size difference. I am closer to Jade's size. Almost exactly. I towered over Julie, towered over her. If she and I were to get into a physical interaction,

my size would be such an advantage. I doubt Julie could pin me. I seriously doubt it. And there was something else we'll return to later in greater detail. That knife-wielding masked man Beverly claims to have encountered, she placed his height at

only 5'6 or so. If he was an imaginary boogeyman Beverly had concocted to feign innocence, why wouldn't she have claimed he was more physically imposing? Why make up a man who's several inches shorter than the average American male? But back to issues with Beverly's birth, which I discussed with Bob and his wife Allison, who is also a criminal defense attorney. So Beverly was at the hospital when the jail nurse informed her that she would not be able to keep the baby at all. Right, but before that, give up her parental rights. I mean, she can still-

No, no, no, there's a temporary order. I have a copy of that. It was temporary for Mike, but never did she waive her parental rights or custody. She's not getting visitation. No, she's not seen any of her children since her arrest. She's not seen any of her kids since the arrest. She's not seen any of her kids since the arrest. Someone's not bringing them or what?

Mike's not bringing them. Beverly's family, so her mother and siblings, have had no access. Julie's mom, the grandmother, is not even seeing the kids at all. No. She can pick the kids up and bring them to the mom, but I guess dad's not letting her.

Right. No, no, no's not letting her. Right. No, no, no, not letting her. They have no access. She's never met Thomas. Julia had lost all access to the children she shares with Mike Beasley as well, even as Mike's new girlfriend, a stranger to Beverly and her family, was on social media posting about them as if they were her own.

Even though I'm waiting on more Freedom of Information Act requests, I don't think that anyone involved had proper authority to remove Beverly's infant or hand him off to someone who had refused to sign the birth certificate. And I don't think that Beverly's treatment in Williamson County is exactly an anomaly. 100%. A simple Google search would reveal multiple suits Williamson County is exactly an anomaly. 100%.

A simple Google search would reveal multiple suits brought by former detainees, naming Williamson County jail nurse, Marilyn Reynolds, as a defendant. Whose authority was she acting upon when she removed that baby immediately after birth? It would have had to have been with the oversight of the then sheriff, Vic, who was also named in tons of these other lawsuits in addition to the nurse.

Yeah, that makes sense. There are also multiple suits naming former sheriff Benny Vic as a defendant, many of which include Williamson County jail nurse Marilyn Reynolds. And then you've got the tons of people who've retired or resigned since Beverly's arrest. The former sheriff, the former lead investigator, the former state's attorney. And it's kind of as if accountability left with them. Yeah, for sure. It was just another in the many troubling patterns that our investigation seemed to be unearthing. It is this vilification not only of Julie but her entire family, because Julie's entire

family has been kept from the children, not just Julie. Which is crazy. Yeah. It played itself out in the way that the trial was conducted. It played itself out in the way that the investigation or lack thereof was conducted. I mean, this was a classic case of tunnel vision. And I mean, Beverly and her supporters do claim that only evidence that could incriminate her was presented or tested. From DNA to things like cell phones and electronics found at the crime scene.

There's no doubt about it. I mean, as soon as we can get an appellate lawyer that's gonna dig into the investigation that didn't take place with the things that they didn't do that are inexplicable in terms of devices that weren't looked at, DNA that wasn't tested, I still, as I sit here today, cannot believe that all of Jade's devices were not forensically examined.

I cannot believe that that's true. At this point, it was our understanding that while the phone belonging to Julia Beveley was searched and tracked to build a timeline of her movements, none of Jade's electronics — not her cell phone, Chromebook, laptop, or gaming device, were subjected to a forensic search. Why is this important? Because if there was any activity on any of them, after the 45-minute window

during which the prosecution contends Beverly brutally murdered Jade Beasley, Beverly's innocence would be more than arguable. That could have been potentially exculpatory evidence because if it showed that Julie was at the gas station at the exact time Jade was texting. Agreed. But we needed access to the investigation reports

and the trial transcripts to prove it. I want to get the transcripts. It's very frustrating not being able to get our hands on things. We can get the trial transcripts from Julie. I couldn't because I wasn't there on a legal visit. But you could. On the next murder on Songbird Road, Mike Beasley's family shares their take on Julia Beveley.

That is where we believe the jealousy came in and where we believe she's sad. Allegations of witchcraft are made. Going online and making such a tasteless coat because of the way that she was murdered and trying to make that insinuation just as birth-a-pot. And I head to Salem, Massachusetts to confront the root of the accusations. The people down there associate witchcraft with something evil. So they're trying to associate evil with Julie. 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 Lauren Bright Pacheco. Investigative reporting by Bob Mata and Lauren Bright Pacheco. and Please like, subscribe, and leave us 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. He was a Boy Scout leader, a husband, a father, but he was leading a double life.

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