Steven Beard grew up poor in Dallas, Texas. He had ambitions to go to medical school, but he joined the Navy during World War II.  After the war, Steven took a job at a department store.  He met his first wife, Elise, while working at the store. They had three children together. Hard working, smart, and good with people, Steven worked his way up to become an executive and co-found Austin’s first independent TV station.  Steven and his wife, Elise, were a rags to riches success story.  But then, Elise died of cancer.  After 42-years of being happily married, Steven was lost and despondent.

Join us at the quiet end for Trophy Wife. As a wealthy widow, Steven began spending much of his time at the exclusive Austin Country Club.  A 31-year-old waitress there, Celeste Martinez, caught Steve’s eye.  He hired Celeste to be his housekeeper. But within a year, the two were married. Unfortunately, Steve was not aware of Celeste’s checkered past or that she was only marrying him for his money. Within months, Celeste was cheating on Steve and stealing from him. But nothing was ever enough for Celeste, who wouldn’t be satisfied until Steve was out of the picture.

Support the show for ad-free and bonus episodes and more!

Record a voicemail for a future show

Contact Us

Shop TCB Merch

Join our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion Group

Read “She Wanted it All” by Kathryn Casey

Steve & Celeste

Sources

Betrayed by Her Own Children, Rebecca Leung, CBS.com, 5/12/2003

Celeste: The Celeste Beard Johnson Story by Nancy Hall

She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey

Snapped: Celeste Beard, S1 E1, 2004

The Waitress & The Millionaire, Power Privilege & Justice, 2003