Shivangi Sinha
Netflix’s ‘The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ focuses on the investigation into Thomas “Tom” Randolph following the death of his sixth wife, Sharon Randolph. In May 2008, Tom called the police and reported that Sharon had been shot and killed by an alleged intruder, Mike Miller. As the investigation progressed, detectives found evidence that supported the theory that Mike had been hired by Tom to carry out the killing. Investigators eventually concluded that Tom had shot and killed both Sharon and Mike. A major part of their investigation involved examining his past, particularly his former marriages, which raised even more questions about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of several of his wives.
Tom Randolph Was Investigated After His Second Wife Passed Away
Thomas “Tom” William Randolph was born to Dorothy Arlene Randolph in 1955 in Fairfield, Illinois. He came from a working-class, middle-class family. His father was employed in the Air Force and his mother worked as a bookkeeper. Some reports claim that Tom aspired to become a rock-and-roll star and had a flamboyant personality that charmed many people he met. He was 20 years old when he married Kathryn Thomas. The young couple soon welcomed two children, Justus and Krista, into their home. However, his first wife later claimed that Tom was allegedly unfaithful during their marriage. They divorced in 1983.
On the same day that Tom divorced Kathryn, he married Becky Gault. On April 7, 1985, he began this new chapter, but their marriage soon took a tragic turn. On November 7, 1986, Tom reported that his wife had shot herself and passed away. When detectives arrived at the scene, they found a gun in Becky’s hand and a suicide note, but they became suspicious about its positioning. Investigators also discovered five life insurance policies taken out in Becky’s name, with Tom listed as the beneficiary. As they continued looking into the case, a man named Eric Tarantino came forward. According to court documents, he claimed that Tom had allegedly hired him to kill Becky, although he ultimately could not go through with it.
Tom was arrested and charged with Becky’s murder. While awaiting trial, he asked a cellmate, who was actually an undercover officer, to kill Tarantino. When this came to light, Tom pleaded guilty to felony witness tampering and was handed an 18-month sentence. By 1989, he had been acquitted of the murder charge, and the court ruled Becky’s death a suicide. In 1994, Tom married Leona Stapleton, but the couple separated within a year, by February 1995. According to reports, Leona later died of cancer in 2006. Through an advertisement he placed in the newspaper, Tom began dating Gayna Allmon in 1995. She had recently gone through a divorce, and by October of that year, the two were married.
Tom Randolph Was Reportedly the Last Man to be Seen With His Fifth Wife Before Her Passing
According to Gayna Allmon’s statement to police, when Tom Randolph was allegedly arrested over a shooting incident, officers were the ones who informed her that he had previously stood trial in connection with Becky’s death. Gayna later testified that Tom had fired a gun through the floor, very close to her, and claimed it was an accident. He allegedly told her the gun went off while he was cleaning it and that he had not realized it was loaded. Frightened by the incident, Gayna packed her belongings and left. She also discovered that Tom had taken out several life insurance policies in her name. The couple divorced in July 1997. Just a month later, in August 1997, Tom married Rachel Gaskins and again took out life insurance policies in his new wife’s name.
In April 2004, Rachel fell ill and required heart surgery, but she died in the hospital. Tom was never charged in connection with her death. However, her family and detectives featured in the episode expressed doubts because Tom had reportedly been the last person with her before she died. Tom later sued the hospital for negligence and received a substantial settlement. In the summer of 2005, Tom met Sharon Causse through an online dating website. He was living in Utah at the time and soon moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to live with her. In 2006, the couple tied the knot on a cruise ship to Mexico, with a ship official performing the ceremony.
Tom Randolph’s Account of Sharon Randolph’s Killing Did Not Match the Evidence
Tom and Sharon Causse Randolph appeared to be in love. In 2007, they renewed their vows in Las Vegas, surrounded by friends and family. Shortly afterward, on May 8, 2008, Tom called 911 and reported that an intruder had shot his wife. When detectives arrived, they found Sharon’s body along with that of a man identified as Michael Miller. A bag containing valuables was lying next to Miller. Tom gave detectives a detailed account of what had supposedly happened, saying he had returned home to find Sharon shot, then encountered the intruder and shot him as well. However, the crime scene raised suspicions among detectives, as the position of the two bodies and their bullet wounds did not match the timeline Tom had provided.
A neighbor’s account also revealed that there had been about a 15-minute delay between when the shots were heard and when Tom made the 911 call. When investigators spoke to Miller’s family and friends, they learned that he had reportedly talked about being hired by a “white guy” to kill his wife. Detectives eventually discovered that Miller was Tom’s handyman and that the two had exchanged numerous calls in the days leading up to the killings. They found life insurance policies in Sharon’s name as well. Her daughter, Colleen Beyer, told detectives that her mother had removed Tom as the beneficiary of her estate shortly before she was killed. Investigators also began examining Tom’s former marriages and the deaths of his previous wives. In January 2009, Tom was arrested at his mother’s home in Clearfield, Utah.
Tom Randolph
Tom Randolph is Serving His Sentence in a Nevada Prison Today
Tom Randolph pleaded not guilty to the charges relating to the two homicides. He changed his lawyers several times, which contributed to delays in the case. In June 2017, his trial finally began. His two surviving wives, Kathryn Thomas and Gayna Allmon, also took the stand against him. Tom was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He was handed two death sentences. He appealed the conviction, arguing that prosecutors should not have introduced evidence concerning his former marriages during the trial. In July 2020, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned his convictions and ordered a new trial, although he remained behind bars while the case proceeded.
Tom’s second trial began in August 2023, and he was again found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. In April 2024, he was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison. Following subsequent appeals, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed his sentence in August 2026. Tom is now being held at Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada. He is 71 years old and is not eligible for parole until 2069.
Read More: Colleen Beyer: What Happened to Sharon Randolph’s Daughter?
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