Celeste Beard Johnson's Book

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Celeste Beard Johnson writes letters to her mom. Wounded Bird ISBN: 978-1-4389-3390-0 (sc) includes letters from Gatesville Prison, Author - Nancy Hall mother of Celeste Beard Johnson, order at AuthorHouse.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders.com and more.

READ CELESTE'S JUSTICE BY TERROR

Dear Reader,

At the trial of Celeste Beard Johnson, unsigned and computer generated letters became a part of the circumstantial evidence presented to the jury. Three and four times these letters mysteriously showed up and the court allowed them to document Celeste's thoughts. It seemed when theory needed to be proven, an anonymous letter was produced.

Over the years, letters and cards have been sent to me which I have kept and no one knew that I have saved them. These letters have been hand written and signed by Celeste; I have the original envelopes with post marks, They provide a dramatic difference in events before and after the shooting. Thus, this book gives the oppposite point of view.

It took five years to appeal Celeste's convictions and I waited for justice to be done. Now, I have compiled Celeste's letters along with trial testimony, so you can judge for yourself the findings of the jury.

                                                                                                              Nancy Hall

     The prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt: 1. Capital murder for remuneration. 2. Injury to an elderly person. Mr. Kuperman, Steven's tax attorney explained the "marital trust" and it was set in stone (irrevocable). It originated in 1998 long before Tarlton came on the scene. It is a tax shelter which the IRS required Celeste's name and social security number be on the papers so they could collect income tax on money the fund earned.   Steven gave Celeste 2 houses, her cars, and personal property for her efforts. THE MARITAL TRUST DOES NOT QUALIFY AS A REASON TO HIRE TARLTON TO SHOOT STEVEN. The marital trust saved paying the IRS up to 46% in estate taxes and it surely decreased Celeste's luxurious living with Steven.
     Injury to an elderly person is explained in the autopsy. The Medical Examiner, Dr. Roberto Bayardo testified; "Then I continued to examine the spleen, the kidneys, the pancreas, the adrenal glands. They were normal for - except for engorgement with blood." Everclear is 190 proof alcohol and taking 2, 3, or 4 drinks every day for a couple of years certainly did not hurt these organs. Maybe the young people lied about Steven drinking Everclear.
     Dr. Petty, forensic pathologist, who testified about the slides of the autopsy said; "There is also an area of the lung that shows well in the slides that is an infracted area. -- this infracted or dead area shows that it's been there for a period of time. I can't tell you, maybe three or four or five, six days. I can't tell you exactly, but it is a difference sort of thing but indicates that these clots that have gone into his lung have gone over a prolonged period of time. It's another step in dating how long this has gone on."
     Six days before Steven's death, he was in HealthSouth rehab hospital. Wanda Jenkins, case manager at HealthSouth testified; "Many times in the hospital he would not do therapy because he didn't feel like it." Steven was released from HealthSouth because Medicare will not pay unless a person is progressing in their therapy. HealthSouth said; "When Steven was home, he would be forced to walk," but these clots start in a person's legs and it hurts when you walk. There were two hospitalizations in September, 1999. Steven was found unconscious on the floor and next Steven was slumped over at the breakfast table with his eyes unreponsive. It was other signs of blood clots which passed through Steven's body probably to his lungs. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE PROVED STEVEN BEARD DIED OF NATURAL CONDITIONS OF HIS BODY WHICH DEVELOPED SINCE THE 1980S.
     The Medical Examiner determined that Steven Beard died of a Pulmonary Embolism, Steven's shotgun wound was mostly healed. http://celestebeardstrial.blogspot.com/2011/09/celeste-beard-johnson-trial-errors.html and read blogs under
www.myspace.com/508829337/blog

                                                        PLEASE HELP CELESTE BEARD JOHNSON

1. Does the Uniform Commerce Code support the Marital Trust signed July 30, 1998 over the alleged remuneration contract? July 30, 1998 was signed long before Tarlton met Celeste.
2. Were any of the young people mistaken - could water have been put in Steven's drinks rather than Everclear?
3. Does the autopsy show infracted areas caused by clots that occurred at an undetermined time other than the shooting?
4. Did a juror fail to standup to others when they felt Celeste was not guilty?
5.Celeste needs a new witness to process a new Habeas Corpus. Maybe someone heard Tarlton speak about what she wanted to do and knew it didn't include Celeste?
     Tarlton has served her time for injury to an elderly person because that was the charge all along.

     Tarlton shot Steven Beard with her shotgun. A Franchi 20-gauge semi-automatic shotgun with her name engraved on a plate permanently attached to the gun. We know the shell was loaded with #8 stainless steel pellets because many were removed in the autopsy. Tarlton shot into the fat part of the stomach, so she clearly intended to stop Steven and Celeste from making their European trip but did not intend to kill Steven or she would have aimed at a vital organ or used a bigger pellet. #8 is small and used to kill doves.
     After the shooting Tarlton took her shotgun home and placed it back in her closet. The shotgun was picked up by the police the day of the shooting without a warrant in hand which caused Tarlton's attorney to fight the admission of it as evidence. It passed the ballistic test for the gun used in shooting Steven and Tarlton was arrested for injury to an elderly person. Two years later Tarlton involved Celeste in her crime, making a deal for twenty years in prison.

Mr. DeGuerin told the jury: "Corroboration has to be evidence that Celeste was involved in the shooting. And it's a very big distinction.
     The state brought evidence to show that Celeste was a bad person. We spent a lot of time on that. The state brought evidence it was believed there was contact between Celeste and Tracey. That doesn't corroborate that Celeste participated in the shooting. Or that Celeste and Tracey had a sexual relationship, and that does not support that Celeste participated in the shooting."  Celeste said; "NO" to Tarlton on August 25, 1999, August 28, 1999, and August 29, 1999. NO MEANS NO in any language.  Celeste no longer wanted to be friends with Tarlton and there was no contact with her after that. All telephone calls were screened for Celeste. Even Celeste's mother and sister were prevented from talking to her during this time.
    Everclear, sleeping pills, plastic bag, botulism, and Ecstasy were presented in the trial. THEY ARE ALL LIES - NO ONE CAN DRINK 190 PROOF EVERCLEAR FOR FOUR YEARS WITHOUT AFFECTING THEIR PANCREAS, SPLEEN, OR KIDNEYS.  There was no evidence that the plastic bag, botulism, and Ecstasy ever happened.

     Finally, a TV show, "Facing Evil" on Investigation Discovery channel 11/25/11, puts a true face on Celeste's letters from Gatesville Prison. You can see Celeste's fear and twitching in her eyes, as guards enter the interview area. The guards were never seen, but the results were halting answers. Almost 10 years in prison with unhealthy food, over-medication, and stress has left her face bloated and her body fat. Prisoners get 20 minutes to eat their food. The food is sometimes too hot or frozen and it can not be comsumed in the time allotted. She has had the Heimlich procedure performed on her three times or more over the years.
     The rest of the show is a poor representation of the shooting and Steven Beard's life with Celeste. It's always good to see another point of view to get the full picture of the truth.

     Jails and prisons are two different places. Jail is a place for persons in lawful detention, thus jails have more turnover of people, their families, police officers, attorneys, documentaries and newspaper reporters looking for stories.

     Persons convicted or accused of crimes are confined in prisons. They are moved to the many areas designed for their crime behind razor wire away from the public. Hans Sherrer, editor and publisher of Justice Denied magazine wrote a book called: "Dehumanization is Not an Option." It explores how the inhumane treatment of real or suspected wrongdoers is contributed to by the unleashing of authoritarian attitudes, and that bureaucratic systems contribute to barbaric behavior."
     Hans Sherrer wrote: "People around the world were shocked when gruesome details were revealed about the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and other detention facilities run by the United States. Yet their treatment in general differs only by degree from the treatment of people imprisoned in the U.S. and other countries."

    VISIT A NEW WEBSITE: freeceleste.com to view pictures, records, and Celeste's response to being incarcerated.

     "FROM THE BIG HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE" has two hundred easy to prepare and tasty recipes for meals, snacks and desserts. Written by six women imprisoned in Texas, the recipes can be made from basic items a prisoner can purchase from their commissary, or people on the outside can purchase from a convenience or grocery store.
     This book is the result of the women's cooking experiences while confined at the Mountain View Unit, a woman's prison in Gatesville, Texas. The six women are Ceyma Bina, Tina Cornelius, Barbara Holder, Celeste Johnson, Trenda Kemmerer, and Louanne Larson.
     All proceeds are donated to the Justice Institution/Justice Denied by these six women to help the innocent people incarcerated in prisons around the United States. Soon you will be able to purchase the book from justicedenied.org and amazon.com.