- Female narrator: In 2004,
the very first episode of "snapped"
featured the story of Celeste beard,
a beautiful cocktail waitress
who won the heart of a Texas millionaire.
- He was a lonely man,
and he wanted a companion to travel with.
- They went on cruises, they went to Europe.
He replaced all of her clothes.
Celeste had everything she wanted.
- Narrator: Until a mysterious late-night injury
put her mogul husband's life on the line.
- She's screaming, telling them to please save his life.
- I felt just uncertainty, you know? Was he gonna make it?
- Narrator: When that apparent medical emergency
turned out to be attempted murder,
the dark side of this may-December romance
was revealed.
- It had love triangle, it had money, it had sex,
and it had murder.
- It became very apparent
there were two sides of this woman.
- It makes sick to my stomach and sad
for the pain and suffering that he went through.
It's pretty obvious that Celeste is evil.
- Narrator: Back in 2004,
Celeste sat down with our cameras
to proclaim her innocence.
- I'm not guilty, but they're gonna read it as guilty.
I will never apologize for Steven's murder
when I had nothing to do with it.
- Narrator: Now, she's back to plead her case once more
and reveal shocking new details of her past.
- Our house was a complete war zone.
I told Steven that I had, had an affair.
All the lies started coming out
about everything that I had been doing
- when she realized that she could not just
completely manipulate this man,
she set on a different path and that was,
how do I get rid of him.
- I still to this day don't understand
how they can continue with the lies.
There isn't a night that I don't ask god
not to wake me up in the morning
because I've been here 19 years.
- ♪
- I'm Celeste beard Johnson.
Anytime I'm offered an opportunity
to proclaim my innocence, I take it,
to hopefully get the public to turn their mind,
not against me, but maybe for my cause of my innocence.
I've been rotting in here for something that I didn't do.
- I would expect nothing less than for her
to continue to claim that she was somehow framed.
But, you know, she's the puppeteer
behind the puppet show.
You know, if you don't believe she's a liar
then believe she's delusional.
- This crime happened in a high, upscale neighborhood in Austin,
inside a beautiful, huge mansion.
- Narrator: Around 3:00 am on October 2, 1999,
a 911 call came in from 74-year-old, Steven beard.
- He'd been asleep and he wakes up
and there is literally a hole in his stomach.
He had recently had some medical procedures,
so he thought something had gone wrong medically with him.
- Narrator: Emergency responders raced to the beard mansion
and found Steven alone in his bedroom.
- Mr. Beard was holding his hand over,
over his stomach and you could see
intestines protruding up between his fingers.
- Narrator: Before cops could figure out what had happened,
Steven's wife, Celeste beard
suddenly burst into the bedroom, awakened by the commotion.
- I was crying. I was, I-I just kept saying,
please don't let him die, that's all I could think about.
I never slept in the room. His cpap machine was loud,
and I could not sleep in there.
- Narrator: Paramedics strapped Steven into a gurney
and wheeled him out to an awaiting ambulance.
His sobbing wife following close behind.
- Celeste is screaming.
Telling them to please save his life,
she doesn't want him to die.
- I didn't know anything that was going on.
And I just lost it.
- She was very emotionally upset.
But she's always been a caring um, kind of a person.
- Narrator: Born in 1963 in camarillo, California,
Celeste beard's childhood was hardly ideal.
Abused by a male relative,
Celeste was eager to run away as soon as she could.
- My home life was very dysfunctional.
I wanted to get out of the house so bad.
- As a teenager she was unhappy
and I didn't know the reason why.
She was getting to be more independent and feisty.
She was troubled at that time.
- Narrator: Before she graduated high school,
Celeste moved in with her teenage boyfriend,
Craig Bratcher, and became pregnant with twins.
- I think I was about 15 years old
when I started dating him.
I was pregnant when I turned 17.
- Narrator: In 1980, the young couple married,
and soon after, Celeste gave birth
to twin daughters, Jennifer and Kristina.
But it wasn't long before Celeste found out
that she hadn't run all that far from her abusive past.
- Her husband was into drugs and, and drinking
and became abusive.
- Narrator: In 1983, Celeste grabbed her girls
and ran away again.
Over the next several years, she would head east,
leaving a trail of broken marriages in her wake.
- She put her stuff in a u-haul and drove with the twins.
She was away in Washington for several years
and I guess they lived in Arizona sometimes also.
- Narrator: By the end of her third marriage in 1993,
Celeste found herself starting over again,
this time in Texas.
- Celeste started waitressing at the Austin country club.
- Austin country club is the oldest country club in Texas;
just affluent people were members.
- Narrator: It was there 30-year-old Celeste
caught the eye of a handsome older man,
68-year-old millionaire media tycoon,
Steven beard.
- Steven beard was a self-made financial wizard.
He founded a television station.
When he sold kbvo the rumor around
was that he got $15 million for it.
- Narrator: Steven had recently lost his wife of 42 years
to terminal brain cancer.
- He was a lonely man,
and he wanted a companion to travel with.
- Less than two weeks after she died,
Steven had asked me to go out with him and I did.
We dated probably for about a month
before he wanted me and the girls
to move in with him.
- I liked him. He was a very strong person
and so the age didn't bother me in the least.
It seemed very appropriate.
It seemed to be very good for Celeste.
- Narrator: Celeste was swept off her feet
by the millionaire widower.
- He always, always lavished me with gifts.
- He had a gorgeous mansion.
And every kind of conveniences that could convey.
And when they traveled, they always went
first class in everything.
- They went on cruises, they went to Europe.
He replaced all of her clothes.
Celeste had everything she wanted in life from Steve.
- Narrator on February 18, 1995,
Celeste and Steven married.
At Celeste's prodding, Steven also adopted
her now teenaged twin daughters.
- I forced him to adopt them a month-and-a-half
before they turned eighteen.
He was very loving and giving towards them
in the beginning.
- Steve coming into the picture was appreciated, you know,
to have a father figure.
And I thought of it as my life can be normal.
- Narrator: Not long after the fairy-tale wedding,
Celeste set to work spending Steven's money.
- She went on a spending spree,
nothing to go out and spend 15, $30,000 a day.
- Celeste would buy a new Cadillac
the way I would buy a Reese's peanut butter cup
on the way out of the supermarket.
- He could have stopped my spending.
He could have taken away my credit cards, but he didn't.
I think the biggest purchase I spent in a month
was maybe a 125,000. But most of the stuff I bought
was for the homes and for my daughters.
- Narrator only four years later,
the dream life that Celeste and Steven
had been building together stood on the edge of disaster.
Following his dramatic 911 call,
Steven was being rushed to the emergency room
with a mysterious injury to his stomach,
which he assumed was a complication
from a recent surgery.
- The fact that he was able to make that phone call is amazing
because the way he describes
what was happening to him he was dying.
- Narrator: Coming up.
As doctor's race to save the millionaire's life,
sheriff's deputies will discover they're dealing with more
than just a medical procedure gone wrong.
- They have a shotgun shell casing on the floor.
- That's when the investigation, I mean, changed 180 degrees.
- I just remember feeling really sick.
It was pretty much living your worst nightmare.
- ♪
- Narrator: On October 2, 1999,
74-year-old millionaire Steven beard
was fighting for his life in an Austin, tx emergency room.
After waking up in the middle of the night
with a gruesome wound in his abdomen.
- He had, had a recent surgical procedure,
and he thought it was a result of that.
So it really came in as a medical call.
- Narrator: As the doctors' worked,
Steven's frantic wife,
36-year-old Celeste beard, stayed nearby.
- She goes to the hospital with him and is by his side.
And this has got to be a very scary moment for her.
- My only concern was that they keep Steven from dying.
I mean, that's all I cared about.
- Narrator: Meanwhile,
investigators inside the beard home
were making a key discovery.
- After Mr. Beard had been evacuated from the home,
the bedding was moved, and we found
that twenty-Gauge shotgun shell.
- When a deputy came out from the room and informed me
that a shotgun shell had been located in the bedroom,
the investigation changed 180 degrees.
- Narrator: The shell casing wasn't the only
troubling discovery investigators made.
- The sliding glass door
that led to Steven's bedroom was unlocked.
And the alarm system which you could set
by zones of the house was not on.
- This was a very safe, a very prestigious neighborhood
where you kind of can leave your doors open.
But at the same time inside this mansion,
there's a lot of stuff that people would like
to get their hands on.
- Narrator: Investigators wondered if someone
had broken into the home in search of valuables
and shot Steven beard in the process,
but they soon realized that theory was unlikely.
- Celeste had tons of jewelry
and she had beautiful, expensive, rare paintings.
And none of that was touched.
- It appears that Steven beard is the target.
So, then the question you immediately wonder is
who would have a reason to do this?
- Narrator: As investigators continued
to ponder that question,
Steven successfully made it through surgery.
It was a positive step,
but he wasn't out of danger just yet.
- Steven had only a slim chance of, you know,
he was like a 10% chance of surviving.
- I just remember feeling really sick.
All these emotions, you know, just the uncertainty, you know?
Was he gonna make it?
It was pretty much living your worst nightmare.
- Narrator: With the family still reeling,
detectives arrived at the hospital,
hoping Celeste could help them figure out
what happened that night.
But they were out of luck.
Celeste said that because she was sleeping
in another wing of the mansion,
she didn't see or hear the assailant.
- The only time I slept in the master bedroom
was to take a nap during the day.
- It didn't seem extremely odd that she wasn't
sleeping in the same bed with him because of medical issues.
What did seem odd
was not to have heard the shotgun go off.
That seemed strange.
- To her it was very much a surprise.
Why would anybody want to hurt Steve,
he's, you know, he's such a wonderful person.
- Narrator: Detectives wanted to speak to Steven beard himself.
But it was soon clear
that would be easier said than done.
- Celeste refused to allow the police
to talk to her husband.
She went and hired a criminal defense attorney,
uh, the same day that the police
were beginning their investigation.
- The whole thing was kind of suspicious.
- Narrator: To this day,
Celeste denies this account of what happened.
- That wasn't my decision.
They've been blaming it on me ever since
but Steven was not in a position to talk.
The notice on the door was to go through the attorney.
He didn't wanna talk to them.
- Narrator: With Steven off limits,
investigators turned to Celeste's twin daughters
and what they said was eye-opening.
- Celeste's daughter had a suggestion about
I think maybe you should look into this person.
Her name is Tracey tarlton and I think she may have
something to do with my father's shooting.
- She was Celeste's friend.
And they hung out quite a bit.
They met at a mental hospital.
- Celeste was going through some severe depression at the time
so, her family admitted her into that mental hospital.
- Narrator: Celeste's daughters explained
that their mother's relationship
with Steven had become rocky in recent months.
So rocky, that Celeste had threatened suicide.
- Our house was a complete war zone.
Steven wanted me to have nothing more
to do with the twins as far as disciplining them.
I was feeling like I was gonna be totally alone
in this big house because he passed out every night.
It was just too much
and I was so upset about everything.
I was so depressed.
I just wanted to kill myself at that point.
- She is so distraught that in front of one of her daughters,
she picks up a firearm, holds it against her head
and threatens suicide. The police are called
and thankfully the situation was resolved safely.
But she is hospitalized at a psychiatric facility
for her own safety.
- Narrator: It was at that facility
where Celeste met Tracey tarlton.
- Tracey tarlton at the time she met Celeste beard
was having some mental issues.
She was suicidal and she had an alcohol problem.
- Narrator: The two women shared an immediate and intense bond.
- I felt a kinship with her.
I could talk to her and not feel bad
or feel like somebody wouldn't understand
what I was talking about.
We bonded over similar childhood traumas
and that's how Tracey and I became friends.
She needed a friend, and I needed a friend.
- Narrator: By June of 1999,
both women were discharged from the psychiatric hospital.
Celeste fled back into the waiting arms of her family.
But she stayed in close touch
with her new best friend, Tracey.
- They were still very close.
They talked very often on the phone.
Tracey spent quite a bit of time at the beard home.
- I actually gave a party for her at my lake house.
I think I only spent a few thousand dollars,
and you know, I know a lot of people think
that's a lot of money to spend on a friend,
but it really wasn't if you took it in context
with what I spent on my other friends.
- Narrator: But according to Celeste's daughters,
it soon became evident that Tracey and their mother
were more than just friends.
- I mean, it was pretty obvious
that she had feelings for Celeste.
- Narrator: Coming up.
Investigators uncover a passionate affair
and a chilling plot.
- One of the daughters said she saw
Celeste and Tracey kissing
and that's when she knew something was up.
- Celeste had convinced Tracey
that if Celeste remained with Steven beard,
Celeste would kill herself.
- ♪
- Narrator: In October of 1999,
Texas investigators were hunting for whomever shot
media mogul millionaire Steven beard in his own home.
Access to the victim had been cut off by his wife,
Celeste beard. So detectives were turning
to her eighteen-year-old twin daughters for information.
- The first introduction of Tracey tarlton
was actually through one of the girls, you know,
that my mother has this friend
who seems to be over the top about her.
- Celeste would be sitting on top of Tracey's lap
and, you know, snuggling her ear.
Things that you don't normally see two friends doing.
- Narrator: But that's not all
Celeste's daughter, Kristina, witnessed.
- Kristina had told me that she walked in on them in bed.
And Tracey was kissing on her.
And Celeste's interaction with Tracey was basically like,
we're lovers, you know?
- At that point, their reaction is
to go tell Steve because they feel like
it's a betrayal of him
- Steven was outraged. And he, from that point on,
didn't want Tracey anywhere around his family.
- Narrator: Celeste, however,
claims her daughters were lying about the whole ordeal.
- They nev-never saw that. And I never kissed her.
There was no kissing or anything.
I just wouldn't have done that.
- Narrator: The twins were adamant
about their suspicion of Tracey.
- I thought Tracey could be involved
so, I had to say something.
I just remember being very young and scared
and really focusing on, you know, justice for Steven.
- Narrator: On October 2, 1999,
detectives paid a visit to Tracy tarlton's house
to ask her about her relationship with Celeste.
She swore they were just friends,
but her home decor suggested otherwise...
- They were able to observe,
quite frankly, almost a shrine, uh, to Celeste.
- They saw a lot of pictures of Celeste
and candles lit next to these pictures
- incredibly unusual, especially for just a simple friendship.
Tracey having a shrine to Celeste,
to me, really indicates a fixation with Celeste.
- Narrator: The detectives got right to the matter at hand.
- They straight out ask her,
did you have anything to do with the assault on Steven?
And she says no.
- They asked her do you own a shotgun?
And Tracey said yes, I do.
And, Tracey willingly handed it over.
- Narrator: It was a 20-Gauge shotgun.
Just like the one used to shoot Steven.
- At that point they felt like they had
a pretty strong suspect in the case.
- Narrator: When detectives left,
they took Tracey's shotgun with them for ballistics testing.
And when the results came back, it was just as they suspected.
- Once they did the ballistics test
it was clear that Tracey's shotgun
was the one that had fired the shell.
- Narrator: The next morning,
police brought Tracey down to the station
for an official interrogation.
Faced with the ballistics evidence,
Tracey finally admitted she had shot Steven beard.
But when detectives asked her why,
she refused to answer.
- You knew that there was more to what she was saying
than what she was saying.
Something is eating at her and it's not allowing her
to tell us what we need to know.
- Narrator: Police charged Tracey with felony injury
while they continued investigating the case,
and Celeste.
- Celeste, although she wanted to very much appear as this,
you know, this poor, distraught woman,
she didn't seem to have much of an interest in, uh,
solving, uh, the crime, which seemed very odd.
- Narrator: Four months later, on January 18, 2000,
Steven beard was released from brackenridge hospital
and placed in the custody of his wife.
- I mean it was a miracle, right?
You would think that he was not gonna survive that gunshot,
but he did.
- He wanted me to take over his care.
And I was willing to do that.
I wanted to do whatever he wanted me to do
because I felt so guilty for bringing Tracey into our lives.
- Narrator: As police were continuing to investigate her
behind the scenes, Celeste was given
explicit instructions by the hospital
to routinely clean Steven's wound
to stave off infection.
But just one day after returning home,
his condition took a drastic turn.
- Shortly after he's released to Celeste
and she's able to take him home and to care for him,
he's right back at the hospital
and this time he has an infection.
- Narrator: And things only got worse from there...
- Within three days, he has developed
such a severe infection that it's killed him.
- I was really upset.
It was shocking
that he didn't make it.
- When Steven died, I was so overwhelmed with grief.
It was horrible, I mean, I just went crazy.
I literally went crazy.
- Narrator: Following Steven's death,
the charges against Tracey tarlton
were upgraded to murder.
Still, she refused to tell police
why she shot Steven,
or if Celeste had anything to do with it.
But when investigators heard about
the new widow's recent behavior, it raised more eyebrows...
- Shortly after Stevens death, Celeste calls Steven's banker
to immediately arrange for what her allowance is going to be,
now that Steve passed. It's very difficult
to say how somebody would react in a time of trauma
or in a time of grief, but I think it's really telling
that we see a lack of compassion.
- Also, what didn't make sense was that Celeste,
now that her husband was dead was, you know,
kind of back to her, uh, high spending ways,
you know, partying, spending money,
running around different places.
- The way she acted wouldn't be a way
a widow would act that loved their spouse.
I just remember her laughing a lot,
kind of in a way that she was relieved
that he wasn't around anymore.
- Friends had said that Celeste told them
that Steven just didn't satisfy her sexually
and she was having an affair with her ex-husband.
She called him BMW and she told her friends
that standed for "big Mexican wiener."
- Narrator: However, Celeste claims
the affair was short lived,
and that Steven knew about her infidelity.
- All the lies and everything started coming out
about everything that I had been doing.
So, I told him in September. I told him,
I was deeply regretful and would he forgive me
and he said yes.
He planned us to start our life over.
Steven planned a $60,000 limo ride
from Frankfurt, Germany all the way to London.
We were going to reaffirm our marriage vows.
- Narrator: As scandalous as her recent behavior appeared,
police didn't have any concrete evidence
showing Celeste had a hand in her husband's murder.
Until a shocking call came in six months later.
- Tracey calls up the detective and tells them,
I'm gonna tell you why I shot Steven beard.
- Narrator: Coming up.
Celeste's alleged lover holds nothing back.
- Celeste moving on with her life
was just the final straw for her.
- Narrator: And what she says will blow the case wide open...
- In Celeste's mind, she was definitely going to
benefit more by his death than by a divorce.
- ♪
- Narrator: Six months after 75-year-old Steven beard died
from an infected gunshot wound,
his widow's alleged lover, Tracey tarlton,
made a surprising call to Texas investigators
from behind bars.
- Tracey calls up the detective and tells them,
I'm gonna tell you why I shot Steven beard.
- Tracey saw an article in the newspaper
that Celeste had gotten married
and gone on a honeymoon with her fifth husband.
- Tracey tarlton all of the sudden realizes,
I have been so duped and that's when she decided,
not only to clear her own name,
but she suddenly starts to identify with Steven beard,
feeling like he wasn't the only victim here.
- Narrator: When detectives sat down with Tracey,
she admitted that she and Celeste
were more than just friends.
- Tracey was very adamant that they did have a relationship.
- Tracey believed that Celeste
was someone who had a lesbian love for Tracey.
- Narrator: Tracey claimed that a few months before
she had shot Steven beard,
Celeste had come to her begging for help.
- Celeste had convinced Tracey
that if Celeste remained with Steven beard,
Celeste would kill herself.
That if she tried to leave Steven beard
then Steven beard would harm Celeste.
- Narrator: According to Tracey,
Celeste told her that Steven was an abusive monster.
- Celeste tried to paint Steven beard as being
cruel to her, that he demanded, you know, sexual favors.
- He was very emotionally and verbally abusive to all of us.
I just overlooked it because
I felt like I deserved it.
I tried to keep the kids away from it,
but it was difficult.
- We spoke with a lot of people who knew them
and there was no indication that Steven beard was ever
physically or mentally abusive
towards Celeste or the twins.
- Celeste was saying that he was mean and just not a nice person,
which wasn't the truth, you know?
Steve was someone that I looked up to and...
I loved him.
- Narrator: Tracey, with her own history of childhood abuse,
said she bought the story hook, line, and sinker.
- Tracy really came to see him as a monster,
because Celeste had painted him this way.
- Narrator: Tracey said the two of them began scheming
for ways to spend more time together,
without Steven getting in the way.
- Steven liked to have a cocktail in the evening
and Celeste would substitute everclear,
which is obviously a much higher proof alcohol,
so that he would pass out.
- The everclear would put him to bed around 10:00.
And then she could go out with Tracey
until 2:00, 3:00 in the morning.
- Narrator: Tracey admitted that over time,
their scheming became more sinister.
- Celeste asks Tracey to purchase ecstasy pills
that she then crushes up and puts in his drink,
with the hopes that he will overdose.
She also asks Tracey to order a book
for a recipe to poison him with a meal.
- The way Tracey told it was that they got this book,
they cooked up some kind of recipe,
put it into a chili dog and served it to Steven
but nothing happened as far as
he survived whatever concoction they made.
- Narrator: According to Tracey, that's when Celeste decided
they needed to get more hands on.
- Celeste has put sleeping pills into his food,
and he is knocked out cold one evening.
Together they each take turns putting a plastic bag
over poor Steven's head
to try to asphyxiate him to death.
But Tracey says that she can't continue doing it
because of her conscience.
- Narrator: Just three months later,
Tracey agreed to an even more disturbing plan.
- Celeste knew that Tracey had a shotgun
and she told Tracey to get Steven out of the picture.
It's either Celeste or it's Steven
and Tracey needed to do something.
- Narrator: Tracey said on the night of October 1, 1999,
Celeste turned off the burglar alarm
and unlocked the sliding glass door in Steven's bedroom.
- Tracey gets there, she's able to access the bedroom,
he's sleeping,
and she shoots.
Once she shot, he was startled, she was startled.
And all she could think about was getting out of there.
- Narrator: That's when Tracey told police a real shocker.
She claimed that she may have shot Steven beard,
but she didn't kill him, Celeste did.
- Tracy tarlton said that Celeste,
when she would change the wounds,
was putting everything she could to infect the wound
and he got an infection and that's what killed him.
- Narrator: But Celeste is insistent
that Steven's fatal infection didn't come from her care.
- That's just another one of their lies.
He wasn't home long enough.
- It wasn't something we were able to, to prove.
But certainly it was like,
that's just too much of a coincidence.
It does not take much to introduce
a pretty strong infection into open wounds.
- Narrator: For investigators, there was still the question
of why Celeste would want to kill her husband
rather than simply divorcing him.
- There was a prenuptial agreement.
A lot of Steven's wealth had been incurred
before the marriage, so, her entitlement to that
was gonna be very limited. In her mind,
she was definitely going to benefit more by his death
than by a divorce.
- Narrator: Based on Tracey's confession,
authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Celeste,
now known as Celeste beard Johnson,
on charges of capital murder.
At the time, she was preparing for a big holiday
with her new husband.
- We were getting ready for the easter weekend.
I got a call that the groomers were ready for us
to pick up the babies, they were getting their hair done.
And when I went to pick them up, I was arrested.
I never even thought in a million years
that I was going to be charged with Steven's shooting, never.
- Narrator: As preparations for Celeste's trial began
prosecutors knew they'd need compelling witnesses to back
Tracey tarlton's story and soon, they'd find two.
- It makes me sick,
you always hear blood is thicker than water,
not in my case.
- Narrator: Coming up.
Celeste's own daughters turn against their mother.
- At the time, it felt like testifying was the only option
to get any justice for Steve,
to actually have Celeste pay for what she has done.
- My kids sold me to the state of Texas.
- ♪
- Narrator: On February 3, 2003,
three years after her husband Steven had died
from an infected gunshot wound,
Celeste beard Johnson walked into
the Travis county courthouse to stand trial for capital murder.
- I was devastated. When they arrested me,
I had no idea about anything in the criminal justice system.
- The penalty for capital murder in Texas is life in prison.
- Narrator: The newly remarried mother of two,
steadfastly denied the accusations,
entering a plea of not guilty.
- I'm not guilty.
I will never admit to anything that I didn't do.
- Narrator: Prosecutors opened the trial
by painting Celeste as a manipulative gold-digger
who had married Steven beard for one reason
and one reason only. Money.
- It was pure greed and selfishness.
She's somebody who married him because she loved money.
- Narrator: But when her extravagant spending habits
threatened her marriage, prosecutors say Celeste began
a steamy lesbian affair with Tracey tarlton
and convinced her that the only way
they could be together was to murder Celeste's husband.
- Narrator: Celeste's attorney didn't dispute the fact
that greed was at the root of this case.
But, he claimed, it wasn't Celeste's greed,
it was Tracey tarlton's.
- She fell in love with Celeste and she was obsessed with her.
She saw Steve as the one impediment
to Tracey tarlton's happiness forever,
so she wanted to get rid of Steve.
- Narrator: But when Tracey took the stand,
she claimed she never wanted to shoot Steven.
- Celeste manipulated Tracey.
And the whole general, kind of theme
of the manipulation was, it's him or me,
in other words, Steven or Celeste.
- She's crazy. I mean she truly believed
that we would have a life together.
She had this delusion that we were gonna
live happily ever after at my lake house.
- Narrator: Tracey's testimony was effective.
But the state wasn't done yet.
Prosecutors called two more witnesses to the stand.
Celeste's own daughters.
- It makes me sick. You always hear
blood is thicker than water, not in my case.
I want to call them the menendez sisters.
- Narrator: The girls corroborated Tracey's story
of a lesbian affair and their mother's secret hatred
for the man they considered their father.
- It felt like testifying was the only option
to get any sort of freedom in our life,
to get any justice for Steve,
to have Celeste pay for what she has done.
- Narrator: However, Celeste's defense said the twins
were just trying to get their hands
on Celeste's inheritance.
- When they found out that they weren't going to get any money
until I died or went to prison
that's when they turned against me.
My kids sold me to the state of Texas.
- I try not to think about her thinking that we're all
full of lies, now at this point.
We told the truth on the stand.
And, um, I'm glad it's over.
That was the last time, that I can remember,
even seeing Celeste. It's been over twenty years.
- Narrator: When the jury retired
to consider the verdict,
it took them three days to reach a decision.
- They said, guilty of capital murder.
And I did not have any expression on my face.
I just stood there and took it,
and I wasn't gonna let that judge or anybody else
see how bad they had hurt me.
- Narrator: Celeste was sentenced to life in prison.
- I was devastated. It's not right
that I'm spending the rest of my life in prison
and there is no evidence against me.
I just wish somebody would come forward and help me.
- Narrator: Tracey tarlton received a 20-year sentence
in exchange for her testimony.
She was paroled in 2011.
- It's hard to believe that she's already out.
I have absolutely no contact with Tracey.
I wanna live my life in peace
and try and move forward.
- Narrator: Celeste has attempted to appeal her case
to no avail.
- There isn't a night that I don't ask god
not to wake me up in the morning because...
Even, I mean, I've been here nineteen years.
- Why should she have to stay any longer than the shooter?
She did not shoot Steven.
Tracey tarlton did it.
- Narrator: Celeste still has no relationship
with her two daughters.
- I have not spoken with either one of them since this happened.
I wish that my kids would just give me a chance.
I am not the same person I was twenty years ago, I'm not.
- It's pretty obvious that Celeste is evil.
It makes sick to my stomach and sad
for the pain and suffering that he went through.
So, I will never forgive her.
I never wanna see her.
I don't ever wanna talk to her again.
- I'm not a threat to anybody. I'm not a threat.
And I would've rather been given the death sentence
and given a lethal injection than to be in this prison
for as long as I've been in, rotting in here
for something that I didn't do.
Because this is the other death penalty.
This life sentence is a death penalty
and it's just wrong.
- ♪