Wounded Bird

   In 1995, Celeste married Steven Beard, Jr.  He was 70 and she was 32.  He was wealthy and she was struggling to make ends meet.  He was a member of the country club where she was a waitress.  Lots of differences and Celeste brought lots of problems to the marriage.  In 1998 and 1999, Steven changed his will and put most of his assets in the marital trust. Only $230,000 was projected to go to the residuary trust or the kids trust.  The marital trust was irrevocable which meant you couldn’t change it.  Any money that Celeste got from the trust had to have the approval of the trustee.  It was mandated that all of the income that the assets would earn had to be distributed to Celeste at least annually.  When Celeste dies or is disqualified, the property in the marital trust goes into  the kids trust.

      Jennifer and Kristina are Celeste’s twin daughters.  Steven adopted them three months before they turned 18 years old, so they would inherit along with Steven’s three older children.     Jennifer dated Christopher Doose.  Kristina and Justin Grimm are a couple and they double dated with Jennifer and Christopher.  On April 4, 2000, Celeste revoked the Power of Attorney that Kristina used to do some business for Celeste while she was in the hospital.  After that, checks were written and money was moved from accounts which forced Celeste to initiate legal action.  Family ties were broken.  Telephone calls were recorded and material was given to Mr. Mange, assistant district attorney for Travis County, Texas.

      Tracey Tarlton met Celeste at a psychiatric hospital in  the spring of 1999 in Austin, Texas and they became friends.  Tarlton entered the hospital after a breakup with Tarlton’s homosexual partner.  Celeste suffered from major depression..

     On October 2, 1999, Tracey Tarlton shot Steven Beard (Celeste’s husband) in the stomach with a 20-gauge shotgun while he was sleeping in his bed.  He fumbled for the phone and dialed 911; “I need an ambulance,” “My guts just jumped out of my stomach,” “Hurry!”  Steven and Celeste had agreed to terminate all relationships with Tarlton.  Steven called Tarlton “white trash.”  Celeste confronted Tarlton and told her, “To stay out of her family business.”  In the month of September, 1999, Tarlton’s anger changed to rage with every telephone call not returned by Celeste.  Steven and Celeste planned an extended trip on October 3, 1999.  Other trips that Celeste had taken, upset Tarlton so much that she ended up in the hospital with apparent suicide attempts.   Friends of Tarlton had held her shotgun because they were afraid of what she might do.  The shotgun was returned to her in August of 1999.  Celeste and her daughters hid in a dark house in September of 1999 because Tarlton had left a message that she was coming over with her shotgun.  Steven disregarded it as “theatrics” by Tarlton. The police knew of other situations with Tarlton but nothing was substantial to arrest her.  Tarlton and Celeste were friends for six months.  Over half of that time Celeste was in treatment at Timberlawn Psychiatric Hospital in Dallas for depression or traveling and Tarlton was in Austin, Texas