Unseen - Killer Mom Thinks She Got Away With It, Until Her Twin Daughters Secretly Outsmart Her | The Case of Jennifer & Kristina Beard | UNSEEN

Episode Date: November 3, 2023

“Am I going in this casket soon?” -- It’s April 2000, Kristina Beard is desperately trying to get ahold of her twin sister Jennifer. They only have 6 hours to disappear and get to safety before it’s too late, after giving police the key piece of evidence they need that will finally put an end to the escalating plot of a psychotic killer: their own mother. External footage from: "Deadly Women: Blood for Money" (S3 E2, Discovery+), "Power, Privilege & Justice: Gold Digger" (S3 E1, True Crime Central), "Who do you believe: What the sisters saw" (Part 1-2, ABC), "Tainted Love" (ABC), "Black Widow: Celeste Beard-Johnson - Women Who Kill" (Channel 4), "Millionaire Murder" (S1 E8, On the Case with Paula Zhan), "Women Behind Bars" (S1 E9, FilmRise True Crime), "Rude Awakening: Someone They Knew" (Tamron Hall, Court TV). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This footage hides a disturbing secret. The couple cheering in the stands is Celeste and Stephen Beard. They are attending the high school graduation of their twin daughters, Jennifer and Christina. Now, look closely at the woman sitting alone in front of them. Her name is Tracy Tarleton. From the outside, she looks supportive of the twins, clapping as they walk across the stage. But what the girls don't know is that just a few months before this footage was taken, Tracy was released from a psychiatric facility and has been meeting with their mother in secret.

plotting a violent crime that will force the two teenagers to run for their lives. She's very scary. There wasn't enough locks on the door for the two of us to feel safe. We were scared to death. We thought she'd kill the girls. You better get your he home tonight. You understand that? Because if you don't, you will be sorry.

It's 1993, 13-year-old Christina lives with her mom, Celeste, and her stepdad Stephen in Austin, Texas. While Jennifer, Christina's identical twin sister lives with their biological father, Craig, in Washington State, the twins' parents went through a lengthy custody battle after their divorce, which ended in the twins being separated between both parents. Living hundreds of miles away from each other was difficult for the girls because they were each other's best friends. I missed her a lot. I missed Jen a whole lot. We were built-in friends with each other. I would not know how to be a regular sibling. You know, it's always been.

It's been nice to have someone that knows exactly what I'm going through. It was definitely hard not to have my other half. It's July 1996. After three years of living apart, the twins have finally planned a summer trip together, reuniting at their grandparents' house in California. They're really excited because it's the first time they have seen each other in over two years. My sister and I never skipped a beat laughing so hard that we were crying, and I just couldn't believe that we were actually back to.

together again. However, things take a turn for the worse when Jennifer tries to call their father, Craig, to let him know they've arrived safely. But no one is picking up the phone. They keep trying to call, but still, no answer. After two days of not talking, the twins received the news that their father has been found dead in his home, leaving behind a handwritten letter. He had been quietly struggling for years, leaving his daughters asking themselves why he would

do this. I felt like I died that day. The twins are in a state of shock. What was supposed to be only a two-week reunion turned into Jennifer suddenly moving in with Christina, Celeste, and their new stepdad, Stephen Beard, in Austin, Texas. At first, she had a hard time adjusting to the change. But when she met Steve Beard, her new stepdad, he was surprisingly very welcoming and loving, showing a lot of attention to his new stepdaughter. When I first met Steve, he was just so sweet, which was a relief, you know, because he was technically my stepdad. On Sundays it was really special

because Steve and I would always go to breakfast together I was very grateful to have his relationship. After years of living together, the new blended family from the outside appears to be living a happy life. The sisters have just started their senior year of high school and they for once have a stable father figure. Stephen even formally adopted the twins,

giving them each a special family ring. He had always wore his. He just gave it to us after he adopted us and we thought it was the coolest thing. I mean, I was definitely moved that he had this special ring made. And I mean, just the adoption alone, you know, I felt pretty connected to him. But everything changes on October 2nd, 1999 at 2.30 a.m. Jennifer is staying with her boyfriend.

While back at Stevens' house, Christina is asleep like any other night, when all of a sudden, Christina's bedroom door swings open. The lights turn on, and my mom is running through the door, saying someone's at the door. I'm like, what is going on here? I jump out of bed because she's in a panic, and I'm on my way to that front door when I see these white flashing lights.

Christina is in a state of shock, not knowing who is outside or what they want, so she runs to the phone and calls 911 in a panic. The girl tells them that there is someone banging on their front door, and sirens are blaring outside. With lights flashing all around their home, the 911 operator tells Christina that the people, outside are the police. Moments earlier, the dispatchers received this 911 call from someone else inside the house.

Christina rushes to the front door to let the police inside. Open the front door and it's cops and they're like, is your dad home? And I said, yeah, he's upstairs. Christina hurries to her stepfather's bedroom with the police as her mother frantically runs behind them. The paramedics, they were already working on Steve by the time. the time I, myself and the police officer got into the room. This was a man who needed immediate medical attention, and they needed to act quickly if he was going to survive. The paramedics try to stabilize Steve, but he's losing a lot of blood, while they

scrambled to transport him to the hospital as quickly as possible. One of the police officers makes a shocking discovery, a shotgun shell on the ground, next to his bed. I'm like, what? Are you telling me he was shot? And they said, yes. And I just couldn't believe it. Christina calls her sister and tells her what is happening as Steve is airlifted to the nearest hospital.

I just couldn't believe what he just said. I'm panicked. I'm definitely panicked. Back at the Beard household, the crime scene is blocked off as investigators conduct their initial walkthrough. It seems like someone went through a side door, which was left unlocked and went up to Steve's bedroom to fatally shoot him. But before they can start investigating their theory, they need to take DNA swabs of everything, including all family members who could have been in the house at the time of the crime, Christina, Jennifer, and their mom, Celeste.

So at that point, I'm shocked that first off, Steve had been shot, but I wouldn't have even thought who could have done it. I was wondering if it was a burglar or random, but as soon as we walked out of the house, Celeste whispers to me, if the police ask you who might have done this, don't mention Tracy's name. Why would Celeste say don't mention Tracy's name?

Tracy Tarleton, six months before the night of the attack, Celeste met 45-year-old Tracy. She was the manager of a local bookstore in Austin and had recently become close friends with Celeste. She would often get invited by the twins' mom for dinner and birthday parties and even attended their high school graduation. They had this weird friendship. I just remember thinking that this lady wants more from our mom than just a platonic relationship. The twins are on their way to the hospital as they try to. to understand what's happening. They are confused because they were told by their mother not to mention Tracy, but that only raises suspicions in their mind. I was thinking maybe she's protecting

Tracy because she thought it was Tracy. After getting the hospital and talking to the detectives, they asked me, who do I believe shot my father? And I said, my mom doesn't want me to mention this, but I'm not supposed to say Tracy Tallton. Tracy Tarleton is investigated and her close to Closeness to the Beard family makes her the prime suspect, but something is off. Without any clear motive, detectives have suspicions that someone else is involved. There was no reason for Tracy to do this completely on her own. Police quickly obtain a search warrant for Tracy Tarleton's house based on compelling evidence. A 20-gauge shotgun shell and the very bullet that had wounded Stephen Beard,

they then proceeded to Tracy Tarleton's home and knock on her front door. Ms. Tarleton was asked if she owned a shotgun. She said, yes, I asked if I could see it. She thought for a few minutes, and she said, okay, you can see it. She gave us a fronchy 20-gauge shotgun, had her name inscribed on the weapon itself. Law enforcement take possession of the shotgun, bringing it in for further analysis. Days go by, and everyone is left waiting for news from the investigators, until finally the detectives have the results.

And that shotgun turns out to be the shotgun from which the bullet, that injured Mr. Beard was fired from. October 8, 1999, five days after the shooting of Stephen Beard, Tracy Tarleton is arrested and charged with attempted murder. But investigators are not satisfied. Tracy is refusing to talk about why she did this, and they know there's more to this story than they have so far. Detectives continue to ask questions

because they believe Tracy did not act alone, and there might be someone else responsible who currently walks free, but she remains completely silent. Meanwhile, Stephen is in the hospital, and after a painful few months of fighting with the twins by his side, Steve passes away from his injuries related to the shooting. We loved Steve. He never wanted us to worry about anything. He just wanted us to be loved and enjoy our lives.

Coming from Washington State losing my father, he filled that role for me that I'll never forget. As the sisters try to cope with their father's death, they are only left with pain and more questions than ever. Why would someone want to hurt him? Their mother Celeste tries to be there for them and goes with the girls to prepare for the funeral and buy a casket for him. But the twins never expected what would happen next. A lot of crying's going on. You just lost a loved one. And while we were there, she purchased two pink caskets for Jen and I.

And she's like, I'm going to get these for you guys. The confusing part to me was Celeste suggesting that 18-year-olds needed to pick out a casket. And in the back of my mind, I thought, am I going in this casket soon? Local newspapers and television networks start publishing the story, and everyone starts to worry that the real killer might still be walking free. But without any concrete evidence, the investigators are at a standstill. In the midst of it all, the twins notice their mom's behavior is becoming a real. increasingly disturbing and erratic.

We're all crying, and Celeste is just laughing. She kind of had like these crazy eyes, kind of manic, very loud and emotional, but didn't really seem real. But things reach a breaking point on February 16, 2000, when no one could imagine what was in store for two young twins. She then said, hey, why don't we all kill ourselves? And all of a sudden, she pulls out a knife. She's holding it like this and she goes to like kind of lunge.

She just stabs herself in the leg. Blood starts gushing everywhere. I was just like, what is happening? The twins call 911 in a panic, begging for immediate medical attention for their mom. As the ambulance arrives, the paramedics rush to start working on Celeste, attempting to stop the bleeding from her leg. The girls are in a state of shock as their mom is quickly brought into an ambulance and driven to the closest hospital. Over the next weeks, while still in the hospital, Celeste continuously calls both sisters, becoming more and more unhinged and disturbing.

And she's yelling and screaming at me over the phone. It would go from normal to screaming, back to normal. That's when Christina has an idea that will later give investigators the evidence they need to finally uncover Steve Beard's real murderer. That I thought, hey, you know what, I'm going to start recording her conversations because I want to play them back to her. And she'll then hear, like, from my perspective, what I'm hearing and think, oh, that's awful.

I can't believe I'd do that. But then, just as Christina is about to stop recording, Celeste exposes a crucial piece of evidence that will change the investigation forever. She says, I hired somebody to kill Tracy. I froze. It made it all real and it made it all unsafe. The twins are terrified, realizing that the pink coffins she bought, the recurring bizarre and violent outbursts, the suspicious death of their father,

and now her murder plot for Tracy are all leading to one thing. They will be next on her list. Hearing that sealed it from me. Like any sort of doubt that I ever had that Celeste was involved with our father's murder, I don't have anymore. And things get worse from here on. Their mom has been released from the hospital, and now the twins are in more danger than ever.

At that moment, Jennifer and Christina's last chance to survive is to go into hiding and make sure their mom can't find them. I cleared out my bank account for Christina and I to go on the run and not have any trace. We stayed in motels, everything we did we did with cash. Celeste was trying to find us, every day trying to find us. All I kept replaying in my head was we are in danger. It was definitely terrifying.

Like, we're not coming home from this. As Celeste is on the hunt for her daughters, the twins, armed with the taped conversations of their mother's threats, go to the police to obtain a family violence protective order, which is granted. However, their suspicions of their mother's involvement in their stepdad's death can only be confirmed by one person, Tracy Tarleton. This whole entire time, Tracy was keeping her silence, that, that she acted in this alone. Tracy, who was in prison awaiting a trial for her role in Steve's murder, kept silent

until March 2002, when she reads that the twins received a family of violence protective order against their mother in the newspaper. In that moment, she breaks her silence and decides to cooperate with investigators, revealing to detectives the truth behind her motive. What investigators have been waiting to hear since the night of the murder, that she did not kill Steve on her own. But in fact, it was Celeste's plan all along. Now, with Tracy's crucial statement and the twins' incriminating audio recordings, investigators

finally have enough evidence to arrest Celeste for capital murder on March 28, 2002. However, just because Celeste is arrested doesn't mean a jury will find her guilty. I felt like if she doesn't go to jail, I was going to be living underground forever. And I wasn't going to feel safe until she was in jail. With her on the street, nobody's safe. The twins begin to work with prosecutors, lawyers, and Tracy Tarleton, the woman who pulled the trigger to take down their mother and ensure she never gets out of prison. February 3, 2003, the trial begins of Celeste Beard.

In front of their own mother, the sisters need to take the stand. I felt like I don't want to be in the same room with her. I was afraid, oh my gosh, how do I stay strong enough to not waver? The first thing I've ever had to do in my life is she Celeste, staring back at me when I had to sit on the stand and testify to everything that I knew she did. I was conflicted because she's my mom, but I just wanted to make sure that Sieve got justice. The twins described that throughout all their lives, their mom has had severe mental health problems, causing violent outbursts,

and an overall traumatizing childhood. Growing up, her emotions were all over the place. There was a lot of yelling and screaming and nasty phone calls. It seemed normal to us. Jennifer reveals that when Celeste married 69-year-old retired TV executive and multi-millionaire Steve Beard, it wasn't out of love, but it was to gain access to his large inheritance.

And he's going to never talk to you about her feelings about Steve Beard. Well, she said that she married Steve for money. Did she tell you about what would happen if Steve Beard died, that she would get it on. She would say, why wouldn't he die already? Did it fear that she was looking forward to that? Yes. Investigators uncover that after only six months of marriage,

Celeste had spent over $500,000 of her husband's money, secretly buying all kinds of clothes, jewelry, and artwork. The twins even noticed that Celeste had put sleeping pills in Steve's food on multiple occasions, and once he fell asleep, she would sneak out of her. of the house. In February 1999, eight months before Stephen Beard's murder, Celeste also had a psychotic breakdown, taking a gun, pointing it at her own head, and threatening Christina's life. Because of that incident, she had to be forcibly checked into the St. David's Psychiatric Mental Hospital in Austin, Texas. And while staying at that psychiatric facility, that's when Celeste met Tracy Tarleton.

Their mother quickly started to show her a lot of attention, spending time with her, and ultimately developing a close, intimate relationship. After building all that trust, Celeste's real plan can be put into action. She could now manipulate Tracy. She expressed to me that she wanted the sexual relationship with me, which I also wanted. Celeste had been setting up Tracy saying, Steve is abusive to me. He's so horrible. And Tracy believed that Celeste was really in trouble.

Celeste Beard, I don't think, ever loved, maybe didn't even like Tracy Talton. but she was willing to engage in a lesbian relationship in order to get what she wanted. I just saw this woman that I loved in a desperate situation trying to find a way to survive this meeting that was so awful. Celeste said to Tracy, I cannot live any longer with this abusive husband, but Steve wasn't abusive. That's when, in front of the twins in the jury, Tracy describes Celeste's plan for the murder of her husband.

You know, she says, oh, man, he's going to die soon, but not soon enough. She got a plan, and she wanted me to shoot him with my shotgun. So we were to enter the grounds, where to park, and then we walked through, how would exit my car, where I would enter the house, how I'd approach the bedroom. I walked down at the end of the building, and I saw him, I pulled up, and I shot him. Shot him once. The courtroom stays quiet after the shocking revelation. Celeste coldly watches Tracy on the stand, shaking her head, and even laughing occasionally, but her smile disappears when her own daughters walk up to the front of the courtroom,

and now have their turn of revealing one of the most incriminating pieces of evidence they have, the audio recording of her murder plot against Tracy, as well as her constant threats to the girls. On the tapes, she was histrionic. It was difficult to think that any mother would talk to a child that way. The trial went on for weeks until on March 19, 2003, after deliberating for three days, the jurors finally come back with their answer. This will finally determine if Celeste will remain in prison for the murder of her husband, or if she will walk free to forever haunt the twins for their whole lives. Before we bring the jury out, if there is anyone in the courtroom who feels that they may have an emotional outburst,

I would ask that you please leave the courtroom at this time. Ms. Johns, would you please stand? Truly, we've been waiting for this for three years now. And so, yeah, it's very emotional. And you can't really know what 12 people that you've never met, what they're going to do. Madam 4, person, please read the entire. State versus Celestere Johnson. verdict of the jury.

verdict form 1, capital murder. Leave the jury find the defendant, Celesteere Johnson, guilty of the offense of capital murder. Well, I had a flood of emotions, you know, I wasn't expecting to get so worked up. She is our mom, and it's just like she's going to jail for the rest of her life. Finally, the sisters get justice for their father's murder, and to conclude the trial, Christina bravely takes a stand once more, but this time to directly speak to her mother and put an end to the fear she has been living with for over two years. What did I ever do to you, except love you?

And this is how you treated us like trash. You say we turned on you, but you turned on us. He turned on the whole Beard family. He let you into his home, loved you, honored, obeyed you, and you violated him and murdered him. You are guilty. Shame on you. Celeste Beard is sentenced to two consecutive 40-year prison terms,

and she won't have the possibility of parole until she's 79. years old, the twins can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as now they don't need to stay in hiding. They can live their lives to the fullest. After court is adjourned, Tracy asks to meet with the twins and apologizes to them directly for the pain she has caused to the sisters. I mean, that's not an easy thing to do, is sit in the room with the person that actually pulled the trigger. She said that she felt really guilty for killing our father and that she was really sorry. I remember that. She thought she was agreeing to kill an evil man. I feel really bad for her. I could really relate with the fact that she was a victim here too. The twins say that for them,

the sincere moment of forgiveness helped them begin their long process of healing. Now, 20 years after the trial, their sisterly bond only became stronger. I have Christina. Like, Christina's my strength. We don't live close to each other, but any chance we can get to go visit each other, we will. The twins are now 42 years old. Jennifer has a good job, which she enjoys, and spends her time focusing on her mental health. Christina got married and is a loving mother of two children. She is proud to give her kids the life, attention, love, and nurturing she never received growing up. I'm being the mom that I wanted.

They get to do life like I wish I got to. Celeste never expected that her downfall would come from her own daughters. And even though it took years for Jennifer and Christina to heal from the wounds created by their mom, they show that their love for each other is stronger than their mother's hatred. Living their best lives, spending quality time together with their loving families is their best revenge. They're living proof that even after tragedy, there's a life worth living.