Celeste Beard - Trial

Trial

With Tarlton's statement, Johnson was arrested on March 28, 2002. In the trial, the prosecutors cited that she married Beard only for his money and her reason for wanting him dead was that he had grown tired of paying for her extravagant lifestyle and had threatened to cut off her credit cards and talked about divorce. Beard's accountant revealed that Johnson 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. Prosecutors also felt Johnson never actually loved Beard due to their large age difference and his overweight, unattractive appearance. Further building up their case was Johnson's hostile relationship with her daughters, who claimed to have heard their mother make threatening comments about Beard. A friend of Johnson claimed that she hired her a month after Beard's death to kill Tarlton, which was dismissed as an attempt to cover up the crime. Other witnesses said they saw Tarlton and Johnson performing flirtatious and sexual acts on each other, showing the latter's manipulative and seductive personality.

Johnson's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, cited that she had nothing to do with the shooting and Tarlton, who he dismissed as an unreliable witness due to her mental instabilities, acted alone due to her obsession with Johnson, who denied making any sexual advances toward Tarlton. She cited an incident where Tarlton tried to kiss her while she was passed out during her daughters' high school graduation in August 1999. After Tarlton was arrested for drunk driving and Johnson bailed her out, Beard, already angry at the photos of Johnson and Tarlton together, demanded that she be kicked out of his life for good, but Tarlton continued calling and hounding the couple. Several witnesses were called who said they did not see any problems in Johnson and Beard's marriage. DeGuerin also argued that Kristina and Jennifer lied on the witness stand because they would have inherited a lot less from Beard's estate if their mother was not convicted and that they were the ones who actually hated him.

In 2003, Johnson was found guilty of capital murder and received a mandatory life sentence. She will be eligible for parole in 2043, when she is 80 years old, serving at least 40 years for the crime. Despite her conviction, she maintains her innocence and denies everything said against her.

In exchange for testifying against Johnson, Tarlton was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but released on parole in August 2011 and is now living in San Antonio, Texas.