Celeste BEARD JOHNSON

Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: To inherit
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: October 2, 1999
Date of arrest: March 28, 2002
Date of birth: February 13, 1963
Victim profile: Steven Beard, 75 (her millionaire husband)
Method of murder: Shooting (20-gauge shotgun)
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Status: Sentenced to life in prison, serving at least 40 years, in 2004


Celeste Beard Johnson, (born February 13, 1963) is a convicted American murderer currently serving a life sentence at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. She is Texas Department of Criminal Justice offender #1157250.

Background

One of the reasons cited by the prosecution for the murder was that Steven Beard, a wealthy former television executive, had grown tired of paying for Celeste's extravagant lifestyle. Steven worked in radio and advertising in Dallas in the 1950s and 1960s, starting at the bottom and climbing steadily up the business ladder.

He switched to television in the 1970s, and by 1981 had found financial success as a partner and general manager of KBVO in Austin. In 1985, the station became one of the original affiliates of the fledgling Fox network. It grew in value and stature over the following decade, and on October 3, 1994, a year after his first wife's death, Beard sold his share of the station for a small fortune.

On February 18, 1995, Celeste and Steven were married at the Austin Country Club.

Murder

Celeste ordered her lover to shoot her husband, Steven Beard, a retired Fox network television executive and self-made multi-millionaire. The event took place on October 2, 1999. Steven died in a hospital on January 21, 2000 as a result of the gunshots.

Beard's accountant would later reveal that Celeste spent $321,000 during October and November 1999, followed by an additional $249,000 by December 10, and another $100,000 in the six weeks ending March 31, 2000. According to the prosecution Celeste only married Steven Beard for his money.

In 2003 Celeste was sentenced. Celeste received a mandatory life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 2043, serving at least 40 years for the crime. Despite her conviction, Celeste maintains her innocence.

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