Naman Shrestha
In ABC’s ’20/20: What The Little Girl Saw’ and ABC’s ’20/20: The Murder of Kelley Clayton and the 7-Year-Old Witness,’ the primary focus is on the mysterious killing of a married mother of two named Kelley Clayton in her home in September 2015. During the investigation, it turned out that her 7-year-old daughter had witnessed the crime, which helped the detectives move forward. The authorities soon uncover an unlikely murder-for-hire plot. The documentaries feature exclusive interviews with Kelley’s family and friends, providing the viewers with insight into the case and the investigation that followed.
Kelley Clayton Was Found Bludgeoned to Death in Her Caton Home
On August 1, 1980, in Elmira, New York, Kelley Elizabeth Stage Clayton was born to loving parents, Howard and Elizabeth “Liz” Stage. Growing up with her sister, Kimberly, and her brother, Leonard Stage, Kelley attended Elmira Free Academy. She then went to the State University of New York at Oneonta, with aspirations to become a teacher. However, she had a change of heart and relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she worked as a cocktail waitress at the Imperial Palace and also dabbled in modeling. In 2004, Kelley returned to her hometown of Elmira and reunited with her family and friends. The sociable and compassionate woman then began working at The Woodhouse Stadium Grill in Corning.
In her free time, Kelley loved spending time with her close friends, with whom she had been attending the Country Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, for the past few years. She was also passionate about gymnastics. Around 2006, she married former hockey player Thomas “Tom” Clayton and welcomed two adorable children, Charlie and Cullen. Residing in Caton, New York, the doting mother looked forward to raising them and witnessing them achieve success. Unfortunately, fate had other plans as her life came to an abrupt end. In the early hours of September 29, 2015, she was found dead on the kitchen floor by her husband, Thomas, who frantically called 911 and informed the authorities about the situation.
After the officers rushed to the scene of the crime, they discovered 35-year-old Kelley inside the house, but could not find the murder weapon anywhere. Upon inspecting the residence, they found no signs of forced entry or theft. Since the autopsy revealed that she had died of blunt force trauma, the authorities believed it to be a crime of passion committed by someone close to her. Thus, a homicide investigation was immediately launched to get to the bottom of the case.
Someone Close to Kelley Clayton Orchestrated Her Murder
At first, Thomas Clayton told the authorities that he had been at a poker game with his friends at the time of the murder. He claimed that when he returned home, he found his wife, Kelley Clayton, dead in the house and took the two children to the neighbor’s house. The then-7-year-old daughter, Charlie, was the sole eyewitness to the killing. One of the officers talked to her, and she reportedly told him that “A man was hurting Mommy, and Mommy was yelling ‘Run, Charlie, Run.” Charlie also alleged that the masked killer had eyes like her father’s. Thus, after a few hours, the detectives and a child forensic investigator interviewed her at the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center.
Charlie told them, “It could have been my dad, but he looked real—he looked like my dad.” As suspicions about Thomas Clayton arose, the investigators questioned him and corroborated his alibi. However, he failed his polygraph test. Armed with enough evidence and witness statements, the police arrested and charged Thomas with second-degree murder. However, he posted bail a few days later. They also interviewed a couple of people he was with at the poker game, Greg and Linda “Lucky” Miller. Although they corroborated his alibi, Linda told them that Thomas borrowed her cellphone to make a call just about an hour and a half prior to him finding Kelley’s remains. It turned out that he had placed the call to his employee, Michael Beard, who also became a person of interest in the case.
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Despite the Recantation of a Key Confession, the Killers Were Brought to Justice
During his interrogation, Michael initially denied having anything to do with Kelley’s murder. However, he later ended up confessing to the crime and claimed that Thomas had offered him $10,000 to get rid of his wife and burn down his home for insurance money. Michael also led the detectives to the murder weapon, the spare key to the Clayton residence that he disposed of in a small creek, and the bloody clothes he wore during the commission of the crime. Thus, he was charged with the murder of Kelley Clayton. As Michael Beard’s trial approached, he recanted his confession and claimed that Thomas told him to kill Kelley and burn the house down, but she was already dead when he got to the residence.
In November 2016, as the prosecution couldn’t use Michael’s confession in his trial, they presented forensic evidence that eventually led the jury to find him guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During Thomas’ trial, the prosecution focused on the incriminating cell phone records and geolocation data to convince the jury of the defendant’s guilt. Thus, in February 2017, he was also convicted of first and second-degree murder in connection with Kelley Clayton’s death. He was also sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
