Shivangi Sinha
When police began investigating the murder of Kelley Clayton in September 2015, suspicion quickly fell on her husband, Thomas Clayton. As detectives dug deeper, evidence pointed to another man, Michael Beard, who had been hired to carry out the attack. Beard initially confessed to his role but later withdrew that admission and maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. Despite this, he was ultimately tried and convicted. ABC’s ‘20/20: The Murder of Kelley Clayton and the 7-Year-Old Witness’ explores Beard’s involvement in the crime and traces how investigators uncovered his connection to the case.
Michael Beard Led the Police to Key Evidence in Kelley Clayton’s Case
When investigators first interviewed Charlie Clayton, Kelley Clayton’s 7-year-old daughter, who witnessed the assault, she said the attacker resembled her father, Thomas. Charlie explained that the man was wearing a mask and jeans similar to those her father often wore, which led her to that belief. Police later questioned Thomas, who claimed he was at his regular poker night with friends at the time of the attack. While those present initially supported his alibi, one woman recalled that he asked to use her phone around 10:50 pm. Records showed the call was made to Michael Beard, a detail that quickly linked him to the crime. Beard had previously been employed at Paul Davis Emergency Services of the Southern Tier, a fire and water damage restoration company in Chemung County that was owned by Thomas.
He had also worked at ServPro, a similar business owned by one of Thomas’s friends. However, Beard was later dismissed after allegedly stealing items from clients’ homes. Investigators also learned from Beard’s partner that the two were arguing on the night of September 29, 2015. During that time, Beard received a phone call around 10:50 pm, left their home at approximately 11:30 pm, and did not return until about an hour and a half later. Beard was later taken to the police station for questioning, where he initially confessed to killing Kelley Clayton. He claimed Thomas Clayton had promised him $10,000 to carry out the murder, though he later withdrew that confession.
Despite this, investigators assembled substantial evidence against him. Police determined that after receiving a call from Thomas, Beard rode his bicycle to ServPro and used a vehicle left there by a former employer. He had taken the clothes and the mask left for him there as well. He then went to Kelley’s home with an acquaintance, Mark Blandford, who later testified that Beard told him he intended to kill someone and asked him to wait outside as the getaway driver. Beard entered the house through the garage, and after the attack, placed his bloodstained clothes, the weapon, and keys into a gym bag, disposing of them at separate locations. He ultimately directed police to these items, which became critical evidence in the case.
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Michael Beard is Serving His Sentence in a New York Prison Today
Michael Beard’s trial began in 2016, during which he testified in his own defense. He maintained that Thomas Clayton had hired him not to kill Kelley Clayton, but to commit arson as part of an insurance scheme and had allegedly assured him the house would be empty. Beard claimed that when he arrived, he discovered Kelley had already passed away and panicked. He claimed that he then fled the scene. Prosecutors challenged this account with extensive evidence, including phone records, timing inconsistencies, and Beard’s documented connections to Thomas.
The jury rejected his version of events, and in November 2016, Beard was convicted of first-degree murder along with two counts of second-degree murder. He received a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction, along with concurrent sentences of 25 years to life for the two second-degree murder counts. Now 54 years old, he remains incarcerated at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, where he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
