Page 30 - Michael Beard News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

To cross off the list? >> yes, i didn't expect to see him again. >> to the investigator and those close to kelley, michael beard didn't seem like a good suspect at all. >> did you think it is possible, he was a disgruntled employee, he was taking revenge? >> i didn't. because if you're disgruntled, why wouldn't you kill the person that you're disgruntled against. i mean, i'm angry at you so i'm going to go kill your wife? >> as a matter of procedure, the investigator asked beard for a dna swab and permission to look through his cellphone. >> he was very forthcoming, very willing, no problems, ...

Concerned, i have never been in a room that was filled with so much anxiety. >> the only one honestly didn't seem tense to the reporter was the defendant himself. he saw tom clayton smiling and kidding around with family members. his lawyer though was on the attack. he told the jury how investigators had immediately little labeled tom a killer on the night of the murder. >> i think he attacked her. >> and the defense said investigators refused to change their minds even after it was clear michael beard was the one who beat kelly to death. >> the defense had basically al lewed to the fact that ...

Stealing and taking money and killed kelly in the process. >> the prosecution said that was nonsense. michael beard had no reason to murder kelly unless he was sent there by the defendant, tom clayton. the state called linda miller to testify. she recounted how tom borrowed her phone and then deleted the number he dialed, never dreaming she would do her own detective work. >> you really connected the dots. >> she did good. >> you can call it good. >> finally, the prosecutor said he knew why tom wanted his wife dead. he called kelly's niece molly to the stand. >> he just told me a lot of stuff ...

Everything that followed in the investigation had been poisoned. >> he was simply just being wrongly accused, and police just rushed to judgment, and that, therefore, led to an incomplete investigation. >> and, in fact, investigators never found evidence that tom paid beard for a hit. >> as far as tom clayton, there was no conversation overheard, there was no money exchanging hands. you couldn't even use the confession from michael beard, so there were a lot of things you didn't have. >> right, but if you look at thomas clayton's conduct, he never mentioned michael beard. everybody says michae...

And he fired him on the 17th because there were maybe some complaints from other employees at servpro. >> so there were issues there? >> right. >> but beard was polite and cooperative when the investigator knocked on his door. >> we said, hey, can you take a ride with us up to the barracks. he said yeah, let me let my wife knew. >> he already knew what it was about? >> we told him we wanted to talk about the homicide of kelley clayton. >> the investigator asked beard where he was the night of kelley's murder. he said he was home except for a beer run. >> he actually kind of alibied himself at ...