Celeste Beard Johnson

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Celeste Beard Johnson was convicted of killing her elderly husband

This is the story featured on the first episode of Snapped. Celeste Beard Johnson was tried for the murder of her husband in Texas. Did she do it or was she set up by her twin daughters and lesbian lover?  Listen and decide for yourself.

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Location

Austin Texas

Our episode takes place in Austin, Texas, the state’s capital.  Although not the largest city in Texas, it’s fourth, it is the 11th most populated city in the United States.  After winning independence from Mexico in 1836, The Republic of Texas was established as its own country with its government and monetary system.  At the time, Houston was the capital, but that changed in 1839 to Waterloo, which was renamed Austin after Stephen F. Austin the republic’s first secretary of state.  

Shot in the Dark

On October 2, 1999, 74-year-old Steven Beard called 911 a little before 3 am.  He told the dispatcher that he needed an ambulance and it felt like his guts were coming out of his stomach.  Steven didn’t know what was going on. He felt it might have had to do with a recent medical procedure he had gone through.  He told the dispatcher that he was in awful pain and was lying in his bed trying to figure out what was happening to him.

When Deputy Alan Howard arrived at the Toro Canyon residence at 3 am the front gate was unlocked and there were no lights on.  It didn’t look as if anyone was up.  Howard banged on the front door and rang the bell, but no one answered.  At the same time, Steven was still on the phone with 911.  Howard gained entry through the sliding glass door after breaking the glass into the master bedroom after he was able to see Steven inside. Upon the arrival of EMTs, Officer Howard went to the front door to let them inside.  

Change of Scene

Sergeant Gregory Truitt arrived on the scene at the same time that Steven’s wife, Celeste Beard Johnson, and her daughter, Kristina came to the front door.  Celeste had heard the banging and went into Kristina’s bedroom slamming the door open and turning on the lights.  Celeste wanted Kristina to investigate who was at the front door.  When Kristina went to the door she could see all of the emergency vehicle lights on the outside.  Celeste wanted to know why all these people were in her house.  When she was told her husband had a medical emergency she started screaming “don’t let him die” repeatedly.  

Sergent Truitt found Celeste’s behavior odd.  One minute she was screaming not to let him die and the next  saying “this is perfect timing we were supposed to go to Europe tomorrow.”  

Steven was transported to Brackenridge Hospital while authorities remained on the scene.  What started as a medical emergency soon turned into a criminal investigation. A 20 gauge shotgun shell had been found on the floor under the corner of an EMT’s bag.  At this time, both Kristina and Celeste were escorted to the front door by officers to be transported to the hospital.   

Celeste

Celeste Johnson was born on February 13, 1963, in California, and adopted at birth by Edwin and Nancy Johnson.  Her biological parents are unknown.  Celeste didn’t appear to have a happy childhood as she dealt with physical and sexual abuse from her father and for that reason had tried to attempt suicide in her teens.  

In 1980, at the age of 17, Celeste gave birth to twin girls, Jennifer and Kristina.  Celeste would marry her daughter’s father, Craig Bratcher, as the two had been a couple since Celeste was 15.  Craig battled his demons with drugs, alcohol, and violence issues according to Celeste. The couple’s relationship ended in 1983 when Celeste left with the twins. 

On Her Own

However, being on her own was a struggle so Celeste decided to join the Air Force. This meant she had to leave the twins in Craig’s care.  Celeste didn’t go through with enlisting as she couldn’t give up her girls, but when she tried to get them back a bitter custody battle ensued.  At one point, Kristina reported her father had been abusive toward her and her twin.  After that, a compromise was made with Kristina staying with Celeste and Jennifer staying with her father.  This would be the first time the twins were separated. They wouldn’t be fully reunited until Craig Bratcher committed suicide in 1996. At this time the twins were around  15 years old.  

Celeste would marry two more times in the following ten years but by 1993, she and Kristina would settle in Austin, Texas.  Jennifer was still in the custody of her father at this time.  Celeste, now 30 years old, was working as a cocktail waitress at the prestigious Austin Country Club. It is one of the oldest clubs in the state of Texas.  That is where she would meet 68-year-old, Steven Beard.  

Millionaire

Steven Beard was a multi-millionaire having founded and eventually selling the KBVO television station for a rumored 15 million dollars.  He had been married to his wife, Elise, for forty-two years. Unfortunately, she died of brain cancer in 1993, two weeks after he met Celeste.  

Steven wanted to find someone to spend time with. Celeste seemed to fit the bill with her outgoing and charming personality.  He soon asked Celeste out and after a month of dating asked Celeste and her daughter to move in with him.  Steven’s grown children, Steven III, Becky, and Paul may have been concerned about this new relationship, but they all felt their father was happy.

Steven is said to have lavished Celeste with gifts and first-class trips to foreign countries.  While still dating Steven, Celeste filed for divorce from Jimmy Martinez, in April 1994. On February 18, 1995, Steven and Celeste would marry. He promised her that he would give her one million dollars throughout their marriage and he would help her regain custody of Jennifer.  He even offered to adopt her daughters. 

Flying Through Money

Both Jennifer and Kristina reported having a good relationship with Steven.  He went out of his way to talk to them and include them in activities.  Although wary due to their mother’s history with men they came to see Steven as a kind step-father.  Steven seemed to have a closer relationship with Jennifer as they often went out to breakfast on Sunday mornings and on afternoon drives to get ice cream.  

All seemed well with the newly formed family. Within the first six months of marriage, Celeste Beard Johnsonhad depleted the first $500,000 that had been placed in a trust for her use by Steven. It was in the first few months of the marriage that Steven’s banker would inform him that Celeste had been removing some jewelry and silver that had belonged to Elise from his safe deposit box.  This out-of-control spending started to cause problems for the newlyweds.  

Out of Control

This wasn’t the only issue with Celeste’s spending.  After the wedding, Celeste went on lavish sprees.  She admitted in season one episode 7 of Snapped Behind Bars that she would spend anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 a day. In one month she spent $125,000.  Celeste claimed that she was mostly buying fine art and household items for the couple’s two homes.  

By the end of their first year of marriage, Steven moved forward with filing for divorce. The couple reconciled through counseling and he withdrew his petition two months later.  Had they divorced Celeste Beard Johnson would only receive $500,000.  

The couple still faced some issues, especially concerning Celeste’s mental health.  Celeste had always struggled with depression. In February 1999, she would check herself into a psychiatric facility for suicidal ideation.  The couple had been fighting when Celeste had grabbed a fire poker threatening to kill herself.  Police were called and the incident was resolved safely with Celeste agreeing to sign herself into treatment.

New Friends

It was while in inpatient at the Saint David Pavilion Psychiatric Hospital that Celeste Beard Johnson met a fellow patient, Tracey Tarlton.  Tracey, a self-identified lesbian and manager of a popular bookstore, was in treatment to address her bipolar disorder.  The pair were soon inseparable having developed an immediate and intense friendship over their shared issues of childhood traumas.  The pair had even arranged to be transferred to Timberlawn Hospital in Dallas for ongoing care.  While there, they had started out sharing a room. They were separated when a staff member saw Tracey giving Celeste a massage. 

Discharged

In June 1999, Celeste Beard Johnson was discharged from inpatient treatment.  Tracey and Celeste’s friendship continued with the couple keeping in close contact.  Tracey became a constant fixture at the Beard residence.  Celeste even hosted a lavish party for Tracey and her employees at her lake house.  The couple’s closeness didn’t go unnoticed by others around them. Especially by Celeste’s daughters who suspected something more intimate happening between the pair. 

Hospitalized

Back to the night of the shooting. Steven was rushed into surgery to repair the gunshot he received to his abdomen.  Doctor’s found that Steven had an orange size hole in his upper right abdomen and bird shot had damaged several of his internal organs.  Steven also suffered severe colon damage and had to have a large amount of his colon removed which created a need for an ileostomy.  Skin grafts were required to close the wound to his abdomen.  

Once in recovery, Celeste Beard Johnson was a constant presence by his side.  She would not even allow officers Paul Knight and Rick Wines to ask Steven any questions.  Celeste had posted a sign outside of his hospital room stating, “No Visitors Including Police.”  She even hired a criminal defense attorney informing police they would need to go through their lawyer.  This is an allegation that Celeste denies. She claimed that it was Steven who did not wish to talk to the police. She was just following his wishes.

Celeste would tell the police that she didn’t hear anything that night from her room in the other part of the sprawling house.  She told them that she didn’t sleep in the master bedroom due to Steven’s CPAP machine being too loud.  Celeste only slept in their bedroom for afternoon naps.

Questions 

So investigators are left with trying to question other members of the Beard’s household. They wanted to find out who would have a reason to try to kill Steven. Investigators decided to talk to Jennifer and Kristina and their respective boyfriends to find out what they may know. Jennifer gave the name of Tracey Tarlton to Officer Knight.  

What police didn’t know at the time was that Celeste Beard Johnson had whispered to Kristina not to mention Tracy’s name if asked who they might suspect who shot Steven.  Celeste made this request as they were leaving the residence to follow Steven to the hospital. Kristina was also to pass this request on to her boyfriend and Jennifer.  Kristina called her boyfriend. He then reached out to Jennifer and her boyfriend as they were en route to the hospital.  However, Jennifer decided that she was going to share with the police what she suspected. She liked Steven and felt he didn’t deserve what happened to him.

Kristina would also share with investigators that she had walked in on her mother and Tracey lying in bed kissing one time.  The girls believed that their mother’s friendship was something more intimate.  The girls told Steven what they had seen and suspected. He had his concerns because he wasn’t blind. He didn’t want Tracey in their home or around his family any longer.

With this information and knowing that the sliding glass door had been unlocked and the alarm had been turned off in the master bedroom the night of the shooting, police decided to pay a visit to Tracey Tarlton.

Questioned

So detectives went to Tracey’s house and asked if they could interview her which she agreed to.  Tracey told detectives that she and Celeste Beard Johnson were just friends, but when detectives looked around they saw a sort of shrine of pictures and candles to Celeste which seemed a little more than one would do for just a friendship. Detectives asked Tracey if she had anything to do with Steven’s shooting and she replied no.  Next, they asked her if she own a shotgun.  Tracey said yes and even handed it over voluntarily.  Detectives took possession of the 20 gauge and sent it off for ballistic testing.  Once ballistic testing was completed results would show an exact match to the weapon used to shoot Steven Beard.

The day after the ballistic match came in Tracey was asked to come into the police station for a formal interview.  When confronted with the ballistic results Tracey admitted that she had shot Steven, but would not tell detectives why she did it.  Tracey was placed under arrest and charged with attempted murder on October 8, 1999.  She was released on bail.

Release

Three months after being admitted to the hospital Steven was discharged from the Health South Rehabilitation Center and sent home on January 18, 2000, with Celeste Beard Johnson in charge of his care.  Steven was confined to a wheelchair and would experience a considerable amount of pain when moved.  Celeste claims that Steven wanted her to take care of him and not some home health worker.  Celeste was given explicit instructions by Steven’s doctors on how to care for his wound and take care of his ileostomy that required daily cleaning.  She also needed to make sure to regularly clean his wound to avoid infection.  Celeste having no health care experience agreed as she would say in Snapped Behind Bars that she felt “so guilty about bringing Tracey into their lives.”  

However, Steven returned to the hospital the next day when his medical condition to a drastic turn.  Celeste Beard Johnson had phoned Steven’s doctor to complain about the care he had received while in the rehabilitation center.  The doctor agreed to examine Steven at Celeste’s request.  Upon examination, the doctor didn’t feel Steven looked too bad but admitted him for treatment of a yeast infection in his groin area.

By the morning of January 22, 2000,  Steven’s condition had worsened with a blood test showing he did have an infection.  Antibiotics were ordered in the morning, but not administered until 1 pm.  Steven Beard died later that afternoon.  The cause of death was recorded as septic shock. Tracey Tarlton’s charges were upgraded to murder and she was placed in jail.  Still, she wouldn’t tell authorities the reason behind Steven’s shooting.

Grief

After Steven’s funeral, the widowed Celeste Beard Johnson went on a lavish spending spree.  She would later say that she was “crazy with grief.”  It was around this time that Celeste hired Donna Goodson as her personal assistant. Celeste was telling friends she was so upset over Steven’s death that she checked herself into a psychiatric clinic.  In reality, in February 2000, Celeste and Goodson had traveled to Houston for a rodeo and then onto Lake Charles, Louisiana to visit a casino. Those around Celeste didn’t feel that she was grieving as someone normally would with her partying and carrying on.  As Goodson would testify later on Celeste “slept all day and partied all night.”

It was only five months after Steven’s death that Celeste Beard Johnson would marry for the fifth time.  The lucky groom was bartender, Cole Johnson, age 41.  Other stories have him working as a carpenter.  Celeste would end up selling off real estate that was the bulk of Steven’s fortune after his death and used that money to buy a home in Forth Worth, Texas where her new husband had extended family.

Giving It Up

Six months after Steven had passed Tracey Tarlton was sitting in jail when she came across a newspaper article about the newly married Celeste Beard Johnson.  In July 2000, Tracey placed a call to detectives finally ready to tell them why she had shot Steven Beard and she had quite a story to tell.

Tracey admitted to detectives that she and Celeste had an intimate sexual relationship that began while they were both in the inpatient psychiatric unit and continued upon their release.  While in inpatient, Celeste allegedly told Tracey that she only married Steven to help secure custody of her daughter, but now felt trapped in a loveless marriage.  Celeste when on to say that Steven was slowly killing her psychologically and emotionally.  Tracey believed the portrait that Celeste was painting of Steven as an abusive husband.

The pair continued to see each other while in outpatient treatment at Timberlawn and meeting in motel rooms as their relationship became more intense.  Once they returned to Austin they continued to see each other with Celeste often spending the night at Tracey’s place several nights a week.

Tracey claimed that four months before the shooting Celeste had come to her and begged her for help.  She claimed that Celeste told her that if she stayed with Steven she would end up taking her own life.  If she tried to leave she was afraid Steven would come after her.  Celeste went on about how cruel Steven was and that he was physically abusive toward her and the girls.

Tracey felt for Celeste primarily due to her traumatic childhood abuse and the couple then schemed how they could spend more time together as Steven had refused to allow her on the property or his family.  

Scheming

Tracey went on to tell detectives how Celeste Beard Johnson would get out of the house undetected.  Steven liked to have a cocktail in the evenings, especially vodka.  Celeste began to replace Steven’s vodka with Everclear.  Everclear is a high-concentration grain alcohol that is tasteless but packs quite a punch.  It’s so strong it can be used as a disinfectant.  Steven’s cocktail would have him in bed by 10 pm after which she would go out and meet up with Tracey and stay out until 2 pm.

As time went on Tracey claims that the discussion on how to get Celeste away from Steven turned darker.  She said that Celeste had her buy some ecstasy pill that she put in Steven’s nightly cocktail in the hopes he would have an overdose.   When that didn’t work Celeste had Tracey buy a book about poisons.  Celeste then prepared a meal for Steven with one of the poisons as the ingredients.  Steven, however, survived.  

In September 1999, Celeste decided that they needed to be more hands-on in ending Steven’s life.  Celeste put some sleeping pills into his food so he would pass out.  Celeste then called Tracey to come over. When she arrived she found Steven passed out at the dining room table.  Tracey claims that they both took turns trying to suffocate him with a bag over his head.  This deadly back-in-forth ended when Tracey said she couldn’t do it.  It would be three weeks later that Tracey agreed to shoot Steven.  

Planning 

Before the shooting, Steven had been planning a trip to Europe for him and Celeste in October 1999.  Celeste Beard Johnson told Tracey that she was dreading the trip and feared the emotional abuse Steven would give her.  She wanted Tracey to shoot Steven before the trip.  Celeste knew that Tracey had hunted before and owned a shotgun.  Tracey told detectives that initially she refused, but changed her mind when Celeste said she was going to kill herself.  

Tracey then asked Celeste for three things if she got arrested.  One, find a good home for her pets.  Second, Celeste had to pay for all her legal fees. Finally, Celeste needed to support her while she was in jail.  According to Tracey, Celeste agreed to all three requests.  

On the afternoon of October 1st, the day before the shooting, Tracey went to the Beard residence to plan the shooting with Celeste.  Celeste told her that she arranged for Jennifer to be away for the night. Kristina would be there but she would be with Celeste on the other side of the house.  Celeste showed Tracey where to park, how to enter the house, and where Steven would be sleeping.  

Tracey then told Celeste that her shotgun would eject a spent shell casing. Celeste promised to pick it up and dispose of it after Tracey left.  Celeste also allegedly told Tracey that if Steven didn’t die right away she would wait to call for help.  

Later on the night of the 1st Celeste paid an unannounced visit to Tracey’s house to tell her to park somewhere else to avoid being seen by neighbors.  She also assured her that the house would be unlocked and the alarms turned off.

Shot in the Dark

Tracey arrived shortly after 2 am and found the gate opened as planned.  She parked her car near the twin’s bedrooms and entered the house through an unlocked door near Steven’s bedroom.  Tracey then walked into Steven’s bedroom and shot him in the stomach.  Shooting him in the abdomen Tracey claims had been suggested by Celeste.  She then exited the house, returned to her car, and drove home.  Tracey tells detectives that she didn’t dispose of her 20 gauge shotgun since it was personalized. Also she was sure that Celeste would collect the shell casing as she had promised to do.

Tracey tells detectives that the pair remained in contact after the shooting. They even met up in a park that was convenient to both the hospital Steven was in and Tracey’s work.  Next, Tracey dropped the biggest bombshell on the detectives.  She tells them that she may have shot Steven Beard, but she didn’t kill him, Celeste did.  She goes on to say that before Steven was discharged from the rehabilitation center Celeste told her that she wasn’t going to hire a home health aid because she planned to infect Steven’s wounds herself.  

Tracey Tarlton pleaded guilty to murder. She accepted a plea deal of a twenty-two-year sentence in exchange for testifying against her one-time friend and lover.

Arrested

On March 28, 2002, Celeste Beard Johnson was arrested and charged with Capital Murder, Murder, and Injury to an Elderly Individual.  She was initially denied bail but appealed and was granted bail for $500,000.  Initially, the state had asked for 8 million.  Celeste pleaded not guilty and hired famed Texas attorney Dick DeGuerin to represent her.  

Celeste went on trial on February 3, 2003. Prosecutors painted her as a manipulative gold digger who had only married Steven Beard for his money. When her extravagant spending habits threatened her marriage she began a steamy lesbian relationship with a vulnerable fellow patient. She convinced her the only way to be together was to kill her husband.

The defense agreed that greed was at the center of Steven’s murder, but that it was her twin daughter’s greed and Tracey’s obsession with Celeste that was the reason for Steven’s murder.  Steven had adopted both girls a month before their 18th birthdays so they were heirs to his estate as well.

Tracey Tarlton took the stand as the state’s star witness.  She testified as to how she met Celeste and how she believed everything Celeste told her. Including that they would live together at the lake house once Steven was dead.  Tracey truly believed that Celeste loved her.  She related to the jury everything she had told the police about the Everclear, sleeping pills, failed suffocation, and finally whose idea it was to have her shoot Steven. 

A Betrayal of Trust

To back up Tracey’s testimony both Celeste’s daughter, Jennifer and Kristina testified to portions of Tracy’s earlier testimony.  The twins each testified that Celeste didn’t hide her disdain for Steven, but would only do this behind his back never in his presence.  They saw Celeste substitute Everclear for Steven’s vodka and even mix sleeping pills in his food.  They stated Steven didn’t deserve what Celeste was doing to him. But they were too afraid of Celeste and what she might do to them if they spoke out.  

The twins also were aware of Celeste’s sexual relationship with Tracey. Kristina testified that she had a key to Tracey’s house and sometimes she had to go there to wake Celeste up after she had spent the night.  She also stated that the morning after the lake party for Tracey and her employees she had gone to help clean up and found Celeste and Tracey in bed together.

It also came out in the trial that throughout 1999, Celeste had been having an affair with her ex-husband Jimmy Martinez.  Kristina testified that she also had to occasionally drive Celeste over to Jimmy’s house where she would spend the night. 

On the night of the shooting, Kristina had gone out on a date with her boyfriend to dinner and a movie.  Ordinarily, she didn’t have a curfew, but on that night Celeste told her she had to be home by midnight.  Kristina arrived home at 11 pm with plans of having her boyfriend spend the night which he had done with Celeste’s knowledge before.  That night, however, Celeste told him he had to go home.  He left around midnight.

Next Up

Jennifer testified that on the night of October 1, 1999, Celeste had told her she and her boyfriend could spend the weekend at the lake house.  She found this odd as this was the only time Celeste had told her she could use the lake house without Jennifer first asking permission.  Jennifer went on to say that later that night between the hours of 9 and 10 pm that Celeste showed up with Steven’s dog Megan. Celeste claimed that Steven was drunk and had been hitting the dog.  Again, she found it odd as Steven was never violent, especially towards his dog. Megan was old and quite infirmed to be brought out to the lake house. It was a 45-minute drive from their residence.  Celeste left sometime after 10:30 pm.  

Tape Recordings

Due to their mother’s deteriorating mental state and while Celeste was hospitalized for the second time before her arrest Kristina started to tape record their conversations.  She wanted to be able to play them back to Celeste to make her hear how she sounded including the horrible way she talked to her.  Some of these recordings were played for the jury. In one of them, the jury could hear Celeste say, “I hired someone to kill Tracey.”

Hiring a Hitman

It also came out at trial through the testimony from Donna Goodson that during the Lake Charles trip Celeste allegedly told her that “it would take two pieces of evidence to indict someone, a gun and the other would be Tracey.”  Goodson commented that Tracey might already be cooperating with police and that’s when Celeste asked if she knew of anyone who would “get rid of Tracey?” 

Goodson appeared to lead Celeste on telling her for the right amount anyone could get rid of anybody.  That is when Celeste gave her $500 to hire someone to kill Tracey even showing Goodson Tracey’s house and what vehicle she drove.  As time went on and Tracey was still alive Goodson said she needed more money.  Celeste then gave her payments of $2,500, $2,500, and $7,460.  A hitman was never hired.  Goodson instead just fleeced her for money.

Phone Calls

Other evidence introduced at trial included phone records showing hundreds of calls between Celeste and Tracey between August 29 – October 1, 1999.  In all 98 calls totaling 336 minutes.  This includes 8 calls totaling 15 minutes on the day of the shooting.  After the shooting and Tracey being charged on October 8th, there were 94 calls totaling 389 minutes up to January 26, 2000.  

Defense

The defense tried to paint Tracey Tarlton as a delusional mentally ill, predatory woman who became obsessed with Celeste and acted on her own in murdering Steven.  The defense also tried to paint the twins as spoiled brats having an ulterior motive in wanting their mother convicted.  They claimed that the girls were the ones who were the manipulators and needed Celeste out of the way to get their hands on Steven’s estate.

It would all come down to the jury and after the 6-week trial that had over 100 witnesses, they sided with the prosecution’s case and found Celeste guilty on two of the three charges against her, Capital Murder and Injury to an Elderly Individual.  Celeste Beard Johnson will be eligible for parole when she turns 79 years old in 2042.

Aftermath 

For close to twenty years Celeste Beard Johnson has maintained her innocence.  She has given numerous interviews protesting her innocence and how she was betrayed by her daughters calling them the “Menendez Sisters.”  You can see this with the two most recent shows:  Snapped Behind Bars and ABC’s “Who Do You Believe” which just aired in May 2022 and can be found on Hulu.

As for the twins, they are now in their 40s and both believe that their mother is a manipulative monster and that Steven didn’t deserve what happened to him.  Kristina in “Who Do You Believe” even feels sorry for Tracey Tarlton. She understands the manipulation she faced from Celeste as she had been manipulated as a child in claiming that her father had beaten her and her sister.  

As for Tracey Tarlton, she was paroled after serving 10 years and was released on parole in 2011.  As of August 2021, Tarlton completed her parole requirements and was last reported to be living in the San Antonio area rebuilding her life.

After the trial, Tracey requested to meet with both Jennifer and Kristina which they agreed to.  Tracey told them that she feels guilty for believing Celeste’s lies and thinking that Steven was the evil man Celeste Beard Johnson portrayed him to be.  Neither of the girls has talked to Celeste in over twenty years.

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