The Craigslist Killer

 Conman, Richard Beasley, solicited men online to work on his farm and kill them. His daughter, who lives with the guilt of teaching her father how to post ads on Craigslist, meets a victims son.

“Monster in My Family,” a riveting new non-fiction series that delves into the world of infamous serial killers as the family members of the killers come out of the shadows to reach out to the families of the victims.

Tonya Beasley: He killed people. He manipulated people. He committed multiple crimes. Newsman: Investigators say the victims were lured through a bogus ad promising work on a farm in southeast Ohio. It was this psychotic, evil plot, targeting guys out there like my dad. Just as soon as I spun around, I heard "click." - ( gun clicks ) - And that's when I got shot. Tonya Beasley: It's hard to picture someone, who comes off as so loving and caring, committing something so evil. Newsman: Authorities identified the killer as this man, Richard Beasley. Looking at him, it was just like looking at the devil. I have killed nobody. He had everybody fooled. He murdered our son for $5.00. My name is Tonya Beasley, and I'm the daughter of the serial killer, Richard Beasley. Your dad killed my dad. I need someone to point the finger at. Melissa Moore: Killers devastate everyone around them. I know. I'm Melissa Moore, and my father murdered eight women. My story encouraged other family members of killers to come out of the shadows. It's now my mission to help them on their journey to reach out to the families of the victims and express their sorrow for the crimes. This is the intimate horror of having a "Monster in my Family." Richard Beasley grew up in the Midwestern heartland, in Akron, Ohio. He drifted through life, until his love of motorcycles led him to a community he could call his own. He found a wife, became a father, and ultimately used his persuasive social skills to become a street preacher, serving the down and out. No one, including his own daughter, suspected the self-proclaimed "Man of God" was also the sadistic "Craigslist Killer" who preyed on transient men looking for a stable home. I never imagined he would kill people and it's hard to picture my dad, who comes off as so loving and caring, committing something so evil. Melissa Moore: In 2011, Beasley and his teenage accomplice, Brogan Rafferty, murdered three men and attempted to kill another. Today, Rafferty is serving a life sentence in an Ohio prison. In public testimony at his trial, he portrayed his mentor to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. I trusted Rich. I thought he was a great guy. He was like the father that I never had. Melissa Moore: Nick Kern is the son of Timothy Kern, one of Richard Beasley's victims. My dad was a kindhearted guy, really easy to get along with. Can't do anything without thinking, "Man, I wish he was here to experience this with me." this is my worst nightmare. Melissa Moore: It's been five years since these murders rocked Ohio. Now Tonya's hoping to express her sorrow to the son of a man her father killed. Tonya Beasley: I'm nervous about meeting Nick. The more I hear, you know, about his father, the more anger I'm gonna feel that my dad did this. Melissa Moore: I'm on my way to meet with Tonya Beasley whose case really hits home to me, because we're both daughters of serial killers. Family members of killers are often reluctant to speak publicly, but Tonya reached out to me to share what she knows about her father's crimes. - You can come on in. - Oh, thank you. I really appreciate you being open to meeting with me and to tell me your story. You know, it's really rare that I meet another daughter of a serial killer. I mean, we're in a really small club, you know, a club you don't want to be in. Right. At the time I wasn't 18. I didn't want my name out there. I didn't want anybody to know, because I was extremely ashamed. A girl posted on her social media site "Oh, my god, I can't believe a serial killer's daughter went to my school. I was in so much danger." You know, I know people don't automatically start evil, that there's a side of them that was once good. Tell me about your dad. So my dad was born in kind of a rough household. His dad was very verbally and physically abusive. He was an alcoholic. So instead of focusing on his home life, my dad applied himself towards school. Melissa Moore: As a teenager, smooth-talking Richard finds he has a gift for persuading others. I once heard a story about how in high school he was talking about a Christian friend of his, saying that those are the people you want to have as friends because they can vouch for you if you ever need it or get in trouble. He was using the people around him to make himself look better, even back then. Melissa Moore: In the 1970s, Akron's industrial base dramatically shrinks. After graduating from high school, Richard can't wait to escape. He moved out to Texas, where he thought he could start a new life, but instead just started a life of crime. In Texas, he was finding jobs that weren't to his satisfaction, and as a result he started committing a series of crimes. In 1985, Beasley was convicted of six counts of burglary, and he wound up serving five years and got out in 1990. Melissa Moore: Richard returns to Ohio, and tries to stay on the straight and narrow. His passion for motorbikes leads him to the love of his life. Tonya Beasley: In 1992, my parents met at a local bike event. Within a few months they were married, and then a few months after that, I came along. Was he a good dad? The memories I have with him being home, he really was. Okay, be careful. Tonya Beasley: He would take me out to the movies. We actually had an old Nintendo 64 and he would plug his controller in and leave mine unplugged, and make me think that I was the one winning the games. Melissa Moore: How did your dad support the family? How did he support you and your mom? Tonya Beasley: My mom was under the impression that he was working for a friend's business, doing some type of machining. But he was actually burglarizing homes and illegally dealing weapons. How did she learn about his criminal activity? Um, pretty much when he was arrested. In 1996, Beasley was sentenced in federal court to a seven year prison stint. Melissa Moore: The arrest is too much for Tonya's mom to take, and the couple divorce. But Richard is still a big part of Tonya's life. I actually had to see him once a month, so I still had contact with him. It was court-ordered. Even with your dad in prison, it was court-ordered - for you to visit him? - Correct. And then, as I got older, it became more uncomfortable for me. Eventually it got to the point where every time before I was supposed to go see him, I would become physically ill. Melissa Moore: While Tonya finds prison painful, Richard discovers salvation behind bars. He studied the bible. He memorized verses. He came out there with the intent of redefining, rediscovering and reinventing himself. I was 12 years old when he got out. He held me and cried and hugged me for the longest time. It was like all these worries about who he was or how life was gonna be, it didn't matter, because he was finally home. He had found God and he wanted to spread the word. He actually became a chaplain for a local ministry. He worked a lot with recovering addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes. On Fridays we would go to the local soup kitchen and we would serve the meal, and if the meal wasn't sponsored, we would actually buy the food ourselves. My father literally looked like a saint. Back when he was Chaplain Rich, I think the community embraced him. They thought the change was real. They believed he was sincere. He was very excited to introduce me to his best friend and his family, the Raffertys, and it was really cool. I got to meet Brogan. He was close with my father, so I was like his family too. He became my spiritual mentor and a counselor of sorts. Melissa Moore: Just as Richard Beasley appears to be getting his life back together, misfortune strikes. Unfortunately there was a bad accident. He suffered some back injuries that would afflict his life forever. His whole demeanor sort of changed. He was just kind of distant. Melissa Moore: Tonya still tries to support her dad, but it becomes harder when he begins self-medicating. After the car crash, Beasley was prescribed pain meds. It quickly just became an addiction. Instead of him just saying, "I don't want to talk about that," or "I don't agree with that," he would go on rants and tangents. It was a complete personality change. Melissa Moore: Beasley pulls away from his family, but to everyone's surprise, he grows closer to his best friend's son, Brogan Rafferty. Tonya Beasley: I was slowly just becoming less important to my dad, and Brogan becoming more important. At one point I got so upset that I told my dad's mom, my grandma, that he doesn't even need a daughter anymore because he has a son now. Melissa Moore: Then Richard receives an unexpected windfall. He gets a settlement from his back injury claims, and decides to take that money and open up a halfway house, basically, for drug addicts and prostitutes. As a minister, he would go into the courts and he would talk to the judges and tell them, "I'm here to help these folks. I'm going to bring them to my halfway house. I'm gonna change them. Don't worry, judge. I got this." He was so involved in it that they never suspected anything he was doing on the side. He realized that he could make more money selling drugs, and also at the same time feeding his own addiction. He'll sell 'em at the high schools, he'll sell them to prostitutes who just got out of prison. He would sell drugs to anybody who would buy them. My father had everybody fooled. Melissa Moore: In 2003, Richard Beasley is running a group home dedicated to helping other former inmates get back on their feet. His family believes he's turned his life around, after finding God while incarcerated. One thing that made my dad's ministry so successful was that he was so likable, and he was relatable to people who have a criminal past. Melissa Moore: But unbeknownst to the community, the preacher's halfway house is actually a front. It went from him helping all men, to him helping women. And at first I thought they were his girlfriends, but then I realized there was a little bit more to it. Phil Trexler: They're all former prostitutes, they're all drug addicts. And Richard realizes he has the ability to control these women with their drug addiction. He'll feed them the drugs and then he'll sell the women on the streets. So how did you become aware that your dad was actually a drug dealer? My freshman year of high school, I was dating my first boyfriend. Super excited, you know, introduced him to my dad. They got along really well, but then, after being with him for about eight months, I started to notice that he was clearly using drugs and drinking, and ultimately it caused us to break up. A few months later, of course, my dad, being non-technologically savvy, he asked me to go through his phone and delete his voicemails. One of the voicemails was of my ex-boyfriend, and clearly, they were talking. He had my boyfriend dealing the drugs that caused the breakup in the first place. And for him to be the cause of it just completely tore me apart. Our relationship kind of started to dissolve. Melissa Moore: With his family on the back burner, Richard focuses on his new criminal enterprise, selling drugs and women, but the preacher's con game is about to come to a screeching halt. He was using them. He was keeping them addicted, selling them as prostitutes. They finally had enough. Some of the women contacted police, and his gig was up. Melissa Moore: In February 2011, Richard is charged with multiple drug offenses. After he got picked up for the drugs and his bail got approved, he left me a really weird voicemail. It was kind of staticky, didn't sound like he had good service, and it was saying how to contact him. And I had no desire to contact him, so I just deleted it. I didn't think anything of it. At the same time, authorities in Texas get a wind of this arrest, they now issue a parole violation. He's now a wanted man in Texas. He was looking at a return to prison, and it's a place he did not want to go. Melissa Moore: To avoid prison time, Richard devises a horrific plan. But to carry it out, he'll need the help of his teenage friend, Brogan Rafferty. Brogan and my dad were close, and I knew that he would do a lot for my dad, but I never realized how deep their connection was. Rich was in the street ministry, he was the first person that I would call. If I was having trouble with my mother, I could go to him, any problems that I was having. Here is a tall, strapping, strong, 16-year-old boy, who is easily coerced, eager to please, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. And so together, Beasley would be the brains, Brogan would be the brawn, and they'd go out looking for a mark to get a new identity. Someone who looked like Richard, who was the same age, someone who was kind of like off the grid. He found that person in Ralph Geiger. Ralph Geiger was a man who was down on his luck. I believe Richard Beasley just found Ralph Geiger on the street at this homeless shelter. Melissa Moore: Beasley befriends Geiger, and makes him an offer he can't refuse. He says he needs someone to guard a friend's farm in the Ohio hillside. All Geiger has to do is watch over the property and feed a few cows. In return, he'll have a free room, and a weekly stipend of $300. Geiger is expecting, you know, his whole life to change. He was excited about this job opportunity. In early august, 2011, Richard Beasley and Brogan Rafferty traveled with Ralph Geiger to this alleged farm. Melissa Moore: According to Brogan, Beasley drives them to a wooded field in southern Ohio. I was going down there just to help him get this gentleman set up on the job. The sun was out, it was a beautiful day. After arriving at the property, they entered a thick, wooded area. Brogan Rafferty: And I looked up. Beasley pulled the pistol out from wherever he had it and shot Mr. Geiger in the back of the head. I didn't think it was real. I felt like I had animal fear. That was the morning that he murdered a man in front of me. Melissa Moore: Richard and Brogan buried the body in a shallow grave. They then returned to Akron, where Beasley continues with his twisted plan. Jason Mackie: He dyed his hair, changed his beard and mustache to match that of Geiger's. He was just living his life as Ralph Geiger. He went and got work under Geiger's name. He got an apartment under Geiger's name. Melissa Moore: Posing as Ralph Geiger, Beasley lands a job at a manufacturing facility in town, but the gig is short-lived. His back, or his laziness, kept him from continuing in this job. The only way to get money was resorting back to his old ways, which was get-money-quick schemes. So he thought, "maybe I can find some other dupes who can provide property as well." Melissa Moore: To find his next mark, Beasley turns to his daughter with a seemingly innocent request. Tonya Beasley: My dad was completely baffled by the internet and the computer. He asked him to make him a Craigslist account or help him set one up, because he had furniture that he needed to sell to make more money that he needed for renovations for the house. Melissa Moore: But Richard has a devious plan in mind. The ad on Craigslist listed a 688 acre cattle farm that was looking for a caretaker. It would include a mobile home to live in and $300 a week. He advertised it as a job of a lifetime. Phil Trexler: To somebody who's desperate, it sounds like a perfect opportunity. Melissa Moore: The fake farm in Richard's ad attracts dozens of applicants, but Richard's next target needs to be more than just an ID card. He wants valuables to sell. He's asking, you know, "what kind of things do you have? Do you have tools? Do you have TVs? Do you have a car?" Jason Mackie: Beasley was looking for very specific victims, in their late 40s, loners, people he could trick into coming here and after they were killed, nobody would miss them. Melissa Moore: Beasley finds an ideal prospect from Virginia. He lays a trap for David Pauley. Melissa Moore: in 2011, Tonya Beasley is unaware her father is now a cold-blooded killer. But their relationship is strained after Tonya learned Richard is dealing drugs. - Did you confront your dad? - I didn't. I guess I just didn't want to think it was real. And of course, as our relationship is falling apart, I'm still hearing about him from people who go to my school, from people who buy his drugs, and it was really hard, 'cause you don't know who you can trust, or who's in your life for the right reasons at that point. Melissa Moore: In fact, Beasley has already killed one man and stolen his identity, and now, he's ready to strike again. This time, Beasley pretends to hire David Pauley from Virginia. Phil Mackie: David had traveled here with a truck and a U-haul trailer. He had recently been divorced, and brought all his worldly possessions with him when he met Beasley at a restaurant. Melissa Moore: Brogan Rafferty poses as Richard's nephew, and the trio drive to a remote wooded area under the guise of taking David Pauley to the farm so he can settle in. David thinks he's about to embark on his new life, until the outing takes a terrifying turn. The plan was as always, take him to the farm land, shoot him... bury him, take his stuff and go back to Akron. Richard Beasley sold a lot of David Pauley's personal items. Melissa Moore: But selling Pauley's possessions isn't enough to keep Beasley afloat for long. Two weeks after Pauley's murder, he homes in on a third victim, a job applicant from South Carolina. Scott Davis. Scott Davis: I was 48 years old. My mom, she was getting ill, and I decided to come up here and help her out. So what I decided to do was get on the internet and see if I could find a job before I got up in the state of Ohio, be ready to roll. Melissa Moore: After two weeks of email and phone correspondence, Beasley tells Scott he has the job. Richard takes a particular interest in what he'll be bringing with him to Ohio. Scott Davis: He said, "Well, it's already furnished. You won't need nothing but your electronics." I brought my stereos and my TVs and my computers. He said, "If you've got any guns, bring your guns, any vehicles." I packed my Harley, all my landscaping equipment, my mowers, my tractors, pretty valuable stuff. I went ahead and got on the road, and I just-- I drove and drove and drove and I made it to Marietta. On November 6th, I met Richard Beasley and his nephew for breakfast. I didn't see no red flags whatsoever. Melissa Moore: After breakfast, Scott parks his trailer in a lot next to the restaurant. The three men pile into Richard's car, and head deep into the woods. He told his nephew, he said, "Pull over here where I got that deer last week." Me and Richard started walking toward the woods. I'm looking around, seeing what's going on. You know, he said he killed a deer, I figured there'd be a skin somewhere or something. We started getting deeper and deeper into the woods, and I said to myself, "Something's wrong." - And at this point, I heard... - ( gun clicks ) and I spun around, I brought my arm up, and that's when I got shot. At this point, all I'm thinking is, "they're trying to kill you." I knew at this point that I was in big trouble. I was very concerned about being hunted. Melissa Moore: Fearing for his life, Scott buries himself in a creek bed. Scott Davis: I was down in there for seven hours. You gotta realize, this is November. I mean, it's cold. And you know, the blood that I lost. I'm weak. I said I was gonna lay there and die. I felt something warm come over me, and it said "Get up." And I said, "I can't. I just can't do it." And it just came over me again. I got warm. It said, "Get up." And I got up. I got up. Melissa Moore: Scott waits until nightfall before he ventures out for help. He walks seven miles, bleeding from his elbow. He finally finds a farmhouse that takes him in and calls the police. Jason Mackie: Scott, of course, at that point, had been in the woods, probably hypothermic. Lost a lot of blood. And he had told the officers about the Craigslist ad, but it didn't seem to be plausible at the time to law enforcement. Scott Davis: And the sheriff did not believe me. He said that I was there to make a dope deal. I said, "Sir, I am not a dope dealer. All the information you're gonna need about this job, it's all in my briefcase, in the front seat of my truck. Please go to my truck." Melissa Moore: When investigators read copies of the email exchanges between he and Beasley, they realize Scott's been telling the truth. Scott's bizarre story is picked up by news outlets, and it catches one woman's attention hundreds of miles away in Bath, Maine. Five days after the shooting, we received a call from a woman named Deb Bruce. She had a brother, David Pauley, who went missing. David had, in fact, responded to the same Craigslist ad. Phil Trexler: With the help of Scott Davis, the police went back to the area where, you know, he was shot, and they used cadaver dogs, and they found David Pauley's body. And that's when this thing all blew up. Newsman: Investigators say the Craigslist killer lured the victims by posting a phony job ad. Of course it was all over local news stations, so I had heard of the murder, but I didn't put two and two together. Melissa Moore: Investigators worked to trace the computer IP address associated with the Craigslist ad, but as detectives close in, Richard Beasley is already zeroing in on his next victim. Because Scott Davis was alive, this really ramped up the pressure on Beasley. He needed to make a new mark and get out of town. Just a week later, he lined up his next victim. Melissa Moore: The race is on. Can detectives locate Richard Beasley before he kills again? Melissa Moore: November, 2011. Investigators are on the hunt for a man dubbed "The Craigslist Killer" before he can claim his next victim. But Richard Beasley's murderous actions are still unknown to those who know him best. Tonya Beasley: Once I heard he got caught for the prostitution and drugs, I just kind of quit talking to him. That's when our relationship kind of started to dissolve. Melissa Moore: Having failed to kill Scott Davis, Beasley moves fast to find a new target to rob and kill. He sets his sights on Timothy Kern, a divorced father with three young sons who, like Beasley, lives in Akron. My dad was a DJ at a club for ten years. Whenever he went out in public, he would give anybody the time of day just to talk to 'em. Melissa Moore: Though Tim and his wife divorce while Nick is young, he uses his earnings as a club DJ to support his family. But in 2001, all that changes. He was laid off. It really hit him hard. It seemed like after he lost that job, it was a journey on "how am I gonna make enough money to put a roof over my head and also feed my kids?" Melissa Moore: Tim lands some odd jobs, but nothing seems to stick. He wasn't being able to buy food for himself or anything for himself, really. Pretty much just enough to make rent and then to feed us. Melissa Moore: Tim desperately searches online for job leads, and applies to Richard Beasley's enticing ad. The Craigslist ad to him was like a dream come true. It was everything he needed in that exact moment in time. Melissa Moore: Tim's elated when Richard tells him the job could be his. He asked him to take him to this job interview at this restaurant, because his car couldn't make it there. I took him to this interview, and he seemed pretty nervous about going in. I was just like, "Man, he really wants this job." and I was like, "I know you got this." Melissa Moore: Richard Beasley hires Tim Kern, and asks him to relocate to the farm the following week. Beasley has no idea that detectives are already on his trail. They've uncovered video footage of Scott Davis's meeting with the two men he says tried to kill him. We were able to identify Richard Beasley as the prime suspect in this case. Melissa Moore: But tracking Beasley down proves difficult. He's no longer living in his defunct halfway house. As detectives hunt Beasley, Beasley lays a trap to kill Tim Kern. Arrangements had been made that he would meet with Beasley and Rafferty and proceed towards the farm. While going down the road, Beasley questions Kern about his financial situation, what type of items he's brought with him. Timothy tells Beasley that he has about $5.00 in his pocket, pack of cigarettes, and his one garbage bag full of clothing. Melissa Moore: But the possibility that survivor Scott Davis has already led police to the farm leaves Richard needing a new hunting ground, so he takes them to a wooded area behind an abandoned mall. Beasley told Kern, "Hey, I was out here shooting squirrels the other day and lost my watch. Come help me find it." Timothy's looking around. Beasley comes up behind him and shoots him in the back of the head. ( gunshot ) They bury him there, in the wooded area behind this mall, knowing the only thing they have to gain is about $5.00, and a pack of cigarettes. I'm on my way to meet with Nick Kern. He's the son of Richard Beasley's last victim. Since the murder of his father, Nick has avoided all media. He's now ready to speak on his dad's life and who he was, so that people know that he wasn't just a headline. If he's willing to meet with Tonya, it could be a positive step for both of them. You know, I've been in contact with Tonya. How would you feel about meeting with Tonya? I don't know what it would do for me, emotionally or mentally. It's not easy to talk about someone you miss, but I'd love to learn about your dad. Well, he was a great father, first of all, and a great person. He really was my best friend. He found a way to make us happy and have a good time. He got me into baseball, and he was actually my coach for two years. One of my favorite memories was this one time his car broke down, and I was supposed to see him that day, and like, I was kind of sad that I couldn't see him. And all of a sudden, I see someone riding up on a bike, and it was my dad. I was like, "Oh, my gosh." So he got a bike to see you. Yeah, he jumped on the bike and rode all the way to our house, and that was like-- probably like a two hour drive on a bike. It was amazing. I'll never forget that moment. When was the last time you saw your dad? The night before he was gonna leave for the job. He was feeling kinda like cold feet, and he started crying, and all he did was just hug me. Melissa Moore: When Nick doesn't hear from his dad over the next few days, he knows something isn't right. We didn't go one day without talking. Everybody else had hope, but I lost mine. That's when we called the police. Melissa Moore: Nick has no idea that law enforcement is already searching for his father's killer, Richard Beasley. Jason Mackey: We were able to track the IP address to a residence in Akron. There was a man there who owns the house who says he'd been renting a room to a man, but it wasn't Richard Beasley. In that room we find different stuff with Ralph Geiger's name on it, but at that point in the investigation, we'd never heard of Ralph Geiger. Melissa Moore: The landlord tells detectives he hasn't seen his tenant for days. To suss Beasley out, investigators question all of Richard's friends and family, including his daughter, Tonya. Tonya Beasley: I was working at my very first job. A man came up and flashed a badge and said that he needed to talk to me about my dad. My dad was using Craigslist to kill people. My heart dropped when I heard the word "bodies." I created that account. I gave him a way and an idea of how to murder these people. Melissa Moore: In 2011, Tonya Beasley learns her father, self-proclaimed street preacher Richard Beasley, has been using Craigslist to lure victims to their deaths. Tonya Beasley: I created that account. I gave him a way and an idea of how to murder these people. If I hadn't helped him make that account, would these people still be alive? Melissa Moore: Beasley killed and buried his final victim, Tim Kern, behind an abandoned shopping mall in Akron, Ohio. Today, Tonya has agreed to take me to the very same Rolling Acres mall, a place where she and her father often spent time together. This is actually the only place I have real family memories with him, but now, everything that happened here, those memories are just tainted. This is where my dad killed Tim Kern, right out back here. So when you found out the details of Timothy Kern, what did you think about your dad? At first I thought maybe the drugs had altered his mind about money or about getting caught, but then, after that point I realized he was just a very, very bad person. Melissa Moore: Investigators track the computer that created the Craigslist ad to an apartment rented under the name of Beasley's first victim, Ralph Geiger. The landlord hasn't seen him for days, but he does have an important clue, Beasley's cell phone number. We were able to use triangulation to track the actual phone itself. Melissa Moore: Authorities assemble a SWAT team to bring Beasley in. Within minutes he was located walking down a street and taken into custody. Melissa Moore: Richard quickly lawyers up, so detectives go after the teenager seen with Beasley in surveillance footage, Brogan Rafferty. Brogan talked about digging the graves. That's where I learned about the deaths of Ralph Geiger, and Timothy Kern, and ultimately those confessions by Brogan led us to Timothy Kern's body. Nick Kern: Soon as they told me that that body was found, the whole entire world was collapsing on me, and I had to fight back and I was ready to go. I just wanted to lose it. Melissa Moore: Brogan contends it was always Beasley who pulled the trigger. There was so much evidence that Beasley was the killer. Beasley had actually-- one of the firearms used in the crimes, he had actually taken it to a repair shop and had work done to it. Melissa Moore: At his trial, Brogan attempts to make amends to the victims' relatives. And I think of what they must've gone through, and I think that, if I've been through hell and back, as I believe I have, they must be living it. Melissa Moore: Brogan receives a life sentence without the possibility for parole. At his trial, Beasley maintains a defiant stance. Stuck a gun at the back of his head, - just as you'd done with Scott Davis... - Absolutely not. - pulled the trigger... - Wrong. And shot him in the back of the head. You're a liar. I did not do that. It did not happen. He's an animal. Nothing but an animal. I told you before, he murdered our son for $5.00. Melissa Moore: in April 2013, Richard Beasley is sentenced to death for the murders of David Pauley, Ralph Geiger and Timothy Kern. I'm sure you know the ten commandments. You've broken all of them, but three come to mind, you're a liar, a thief and a murderer. Once I found out my dad killed Tim Kern, it kind of hit home for me, because it was someone that was-- the same town I'm from, someone who I knew of. I knew of his sons. Is there any hesitation, any fears that you have with meeting with Nick? I guess just bringing up memories from him that could be hurtful. I know it's gonna be hard hearing that my dad took someone that was loved so much. Tonya, I really appreciate your openness, and willingness to meet with Nick today. What are you feeling right now? I am worried about that. New facts might bring up new feelings or new emotions, making the situation more painful instead of helping at all. - Hello. - Hi. - Hey, it's good to see you. - You too. - How are you doing? - Kinda anxious. Kinda like, just wondering what to expect. Well, I have Tonya inside already. She's waiting to meet with you. Are you ready to go meet her? - Absolutely. - Okay. Nick, this is Tonya. - Hi. - Tonya, Nick. - Nice to meet you. - Nice to see you. Nick, what are your feelings about meeting with Tonya today? Had to, you know, think about what I'm gonna say or how I'm gonna act towards you. I need someone to point the finger at. And I just recently found out that you existed. I never, like, even thought he had a family, you know what I mean? 'cause in my head, if you know what it's like to have a family, you won't perform these acts. I guess, for the longest time, I just felt... guilty, because one of the last times that I actually spoke with my father, he had asked me to make him a Craigslist account. Maybe, had I not... even had the connection that we did have, or the desire to help him do even small things like that, then maybe it wouldn't have happened. And among that personal guilt is also the fear. I don't want anyone to blame me, especially you, or the other families, and, um... that's kind of why I wanted to sit down with you today. Your dad killed my dad for almost no reason. He was my father and my-- you know, my best friend. I mean, my dad had no material possessions, his car didn't run. He had $5.00 in his pocket. It was almost like the thrill of it. Why, why, why him? Your dad killed my dad for almost no reason. It was almost like the thrill of it. The last five years, I would take two steps forward-- you know, felt like I was doing well, and then something else would surface, in the news, more, like, gritty details about the crime, and it would put me two steps back. And there's been, like, a battle between do I want to know more, or do I not? Yeah. Nick, do you want to tell Tonya a little bit about your dad? He really taught me everything that I have with me today. Right before his passing is when our relationship was really at, you know, its peak. Like, we were super, super close. So for him to take this job in the first place was a huge-- just, huge step in his life. He didn't want to leave his children and be far away from them and not be able to talk to them, because that was kind of like the relationship we had. It was kind of like, if we went eight hours without talking, it was strange. And that's just not right, 'cause then you never got to do that again. It's just hard, like, when you're hearing these things, because-- well, your dad is gone because of my dad, - and then-- - That's why I'm here today, just to let people know, like, he's not just that person that was victimized. He's, you know, a great person and really, like, the world lost such a great soul, you know what I mean? And I just want to let you know I don't see him like that. He's not, you know, just a headline. But I mean, I am... very sorry for what my dad did, and how his actions have affected you and your family and the other families. Nick Kern: I really, really feel, like, your emotion and, you know, all this is coming out, and, you know, years of... worrying and years of beating yourself up and probably feeling lost. And I just wanted to say that, like, anyone could have showed him how to use Craigslist. The guilt you're feeling, you know, you shouldn't feel any guilt in that aspect. I don't judge you for that. I don't think it has any relation to what he did. I feel bad for people as well that didn't experience the kind of relationship me and my dad had together. And I do feel sorry for you in that aspect. I'm sure your life is lacking a father figure now and it always has, and this has probably made it-- this has probably really made it worse for you. I truly, really appreciate you coming here and giving me your condolences. It means a lot to me. Just because you guys share the same DNA, the same last name, doesn't mean you have to adopt some of that guilt, because my dad actually isn't my biological father. He took me in and made me feel like he was the only dad that I ever was destined to have. You're just another person in this world to me that deserves to be happy and deserves to live a normal life. And I feel like us sitting down and talking is actually a pretty huge step for both of us. So I just want to let you know that I admire that you had the strength to say that to me. - Thank you. - I'm sure that took a lot for you. Tonya Beasley: Yeah, and I appreciate you, you know, willing to tell me about your dad and who he was and... bring some insight to the whole situation, and, um... he was a very honorable man. I know that you both have walked your own personal hell, and I want you both to know how proud I am of both of you, because even though you're so young and it's only been five years, how far along you both have come. So I appreciate both of you being here. Great, thank you both. Oh, of course. And thank you. Tonya Beasley: After meeting Nick, I'm finally feeling less guilty but I'm still Richard Beasley's daughter. And as much as I hate him, part of me still just really wants a dad, and if we can't create new memories, I'm still constantly hung up on the old ones. And it's really hard to get past. Nick Kern: I honestly feel like I'm walking away from this with a whole new perspective. I'm only seeking positivity. I'm not seeking a reason to be mad at the world anymore. It's more, what can I take from this to help myself and help my community?