Naman Shrestha
Netflix’s ‘The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ focuses primarily on the 2008 murder of Sharon Randolph, but also explores the deaths of multiple other women, including Beckie Gault Randolph in late 1986. The mystery behind her sudden demise intensified when the authorities received a tip two years later, cracking the case wide open. The documentary features footage and interviews with Beckie’s family members and the witness who led the detectives to the potential perpetrator responsible for Beckie’s killing.
Beckie Gault’s Death Was Initially Considered an Apparent Suicide
On December 28, 1956, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Martha Gault DeGraw welcomed Beckie Rae Gault into the world as a little bundle of joy. Beckie grew up alongside two brothers, Steven and Tony Gault, and a sister, Denice DeGraw, and was known as a compassionate and fun woman who could light up even the dullest room with her mere presence. In her 20s, she crossed paths with Thomas William Randolph, who was then married to Kathryn Randolph. However, a day after his divorce was finalized, Beckie and Thomas got married in Clearfield, Utah, in April 1983.
More than three years into the marriage, in November 1986, Thomas was taken into custody for driving erratically. The following morning, when he got out of jail and returned home at 2265 South First West in Clearfield, Utah, he dialed 911. He claimed that he had found his wife, Beckie, dead in her bed with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. When the police arrived, they found the 29-year-old woman dead with a gun in her hand and a suicide note in the room. Although her death was reported as a suicide at first, the Clearfield Police Department investigated the possibility of other factors that led to her demise.
Thomas Randolph Was Acquitted of Beckie’s Murder After a Jury Trial
As part of the investigation, the detectives delved deep into Beckie’s marriage with Thomas “Tom” Randolph. It turned out that there were many cracks in their marriage, related to finances and the alleged emotional abuse caused by Thomas. The authorities’ suspicion of Thomas intensified when he pocketed a $250,000 life insurance payout after Beckie’s death. However, the police found no break in the case until two years later, when his former friend, Eric Tarantino, contacted the detectives and claimed that Thomas groomed him. He told the investigators that he had asked him to kill his wife for him and make it look like an accident. He also alleged that the two men practiced killing Beckie in different ways for about a year before Eric informed Beckie about Thomas’ murder plot and went into hiding.
So, in light of Eric’s incriminating statements, on December 8, 1988, Thomas Randolph was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Beckie and a second-degree felony charge of filing a false insurance claim. While awaiting his trial in jail, he tried to hire a hitman to get the prosecution’s star witness, Eric, killed in order to prevent him from testifying against him. However, the hitman turned out to be an undercover cop. In April 1989, during his murder trial, the prosecution argued that the defendant intentionally got himself arrested after allegedly killing Beckie to have an alibi. Ultimately, Thomas was found not guilty of killing Beckie and was acquitted. Almost immediately, he was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder of Eric. So he pleaded guilty to felony witness tampering and served about 18 months in prison.
You must be logged in to post a comment.