Christine Belford and Laura “Beth” Mulford: How Did They Die? Who Killed Them?

It was February 11, 2013, when the entire state of Delaware was left shaken to the core as Christine Belford and Laura “Beth” Mulford were murdered in the New Castle County Courthouse. As explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Web of Lies: Web of Spies,’ the two friends were simply supporting one another as they did their best for their families, unaware it would lead to death. It turns out the motive behind this horrifically brutal crime was nothing but anger, narcism, as well as selfish greed, which only makes this whole heartbreaking ordeal that much more tragic.

Christine Belford’s Last Few Years Were Far From Ordinary

At the age of 39, Christine was reportedly leading a good life alongside her partner Jared Purcell and her four adorable daughters – Katie, Laura, Leigh, and Karen – from two previous marriages. She had had a tough time in the years leading up to 2013 owing to a myriad of issues involving her second ex-husband, David Matusiewicz, since he wanted sole custody of their three young kids, but she did find solace in her faith and her brief role as a Sunday School Teacher. Little did she know that things would only go from bad to worse, especially as she had never faced such troubles following her divorce from William Moffa, the father of her first-born child as well as her equal co-parent.

Things actually were so bad that David and his mother, Lenore Matusiewicz, actually kidnapped the three girls under the pretense of taking them to Disney World in Florida. The girls were supposed to return to Delaware and Christine in September 2007, only for them to not be found. The ensuing search for them and questions to David’s father and sister also proved unfruitful as they stated they had no idea where their family was. Yet, they did not seem worried. That’s when officials realized this was much more than a usual bitter custody dispute.

As investigations continued, it came to light that David had sold his optometry business to his partner just a short while prior and that his mother had purchased an RV. The father of three had even ensured the mortgage on their marital home defaulted and bagged another significant sum, which all seemed strange since he never needed such cash in a hurry. The sum totaled nearly $1 million, and the RV purchase for travel also didn’t make sense since the family was supposed to fly to Florida. In the end, following 18 months, they were tracked to Nicaragua, and the kids were finally returned to Christine; albeit malnutrition, they were safe and sound.

David and Lenore were both taken into custody immediately, and the questioning of the girls brought to light that the duo had actually told them their mother had died by suicide. As if that’s not enough, patriarch Thomas Matusiewicz and sister Amy Gonzalez had also relocated to Texas by this point, where the family eventually hoped to reunite one day. In the end, David and Lenore pleaded guilty to the charges against them, as a result of which he was sentenced to four years (48 months) in federal prison, whereas Lenore was given 18 months for her role in the abduction. Christine filed to terminate his parental rights, which was successful on January 8, 2010.

Christine Belford and Beth Mulford Were Ambushed in a Courthouse

Even though David and Lenore were behind bars, the pressure on Christine to keep her family together was far from over, as a smear campaign on her essentially spread like wildfire a short while later. As per a webpage uploaded under Lenore’s name, there were several allegations of the mother of four being mentally, physically, and sexually abusive towards her daughters, but officials never even arrested her owing to a lack of proof. Even video footage of her dragging one of her young kids from the streets and onto her lawn was later uploaded on YouTube as “proof” of her cruelty, but nothing serious became of it too. It was clear she was doing it for their own safety.

Christine did grow genuinely afraid, feeling as if she was being stalked at every turn, and she truly was. Her house was cased, and information about all her daughters’ schools and private activities was spread through internal links, among many other things. She had no idea that the Matusiewiczs had essentially planted spies, but she did have a gut feeling something was going on. Therefore, when she filed for child support from her ex-husband following his prison release and a court date was set, she brought a friend along for support – a 47-year-old nurse and married mother of two, Laura “Beth” Mulford.

But alas, on the fateful morning of February 11, 2013, both Christine and Beth were killed as soon as they stepped foot in the courthouse. As per policemen on site, as well as security footage, a male stepped out of line the moment the two women walked in and opened fire on them. Christine was shot multiple times as she was entering through the revolving doors to the lobby before Beth was targeted simply for helping the mother of four. She was shot as she attempted to flee. The friends were rushed to a nearby hospital mere minutes later, but it was already too late; they soon succumbed to their injuries.

Christine Belford and Beth Mulford Were Killed By the Former’s Father-In-Law

While the first assumption of officials aware of the case was that Christine’s ex-husband was responsible, it soon came to light that the shooter was actually his father, avid gun collector Thomas Matusiewicz. However, owing to what had transpired in the past, David was brought into custody and soon detained, only for him to initially be cooperative by stating how he had arrived in Delaware with his father for the court hearing. Yet, suspicions grew when he was told that Thomas had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound upon being surrounded by officers, just for his response to be silence followed by a small “okay.”

Thus, detectives attained a warrant for his vehicle and home, only to find insurmountable evidence against him, his mother, Lenore, and his father, Thomas. They also believed his sister Amy Gonzalez was involved in the matter since she filed to get custody of the couple’s three daughters within mere days – before the courtroom had even reopened. In the end, her request was denied, and officials found evidence against her too. In their search of the vehicle David and Thomas had driven, they found a foot-long knife, several cases of ammunition, and other weapons as if they were preparing to go to war. Then, in the Matusiewiczs’ Texas home, they discovered a hit list they were allegedly planning to follow through with – it included several names of people they believed were helping Christine in their familial dispute, including that of her family court lawyer.

The Perpetrators in Christine Belford and Beth Mulford Murder Case Were Sentenced in 2016

While no charge against Thomas could be brought despite him being the gunman since he had already passed, David Matusiewicz, Lenore Matusiewicz, and Amy Gonzalez were arrested. They stood trial for the charges against them in 2015 and were found guilty of conspiracy, interstate stalking resulting in death, as well as cyberstalking resulting in death following a 5-week trial. Therefore, in February 2016, they were all sentenced accordingly. The judge deemed them needlessly cruel, narcissistic, and selfish before sentencing them to life in prison. While Lenore had aided in the whole plan through the smear campaign, Amy had built up a network to stalk Christine. Plus, the judge stated, David’s repeated criminal conduct made it clear he was acting with premeditated intent.

Read More: Where Are Christine Belford’s Daughters Now?