"Even the mighty oak was yesterday's acorn that stood it's ground"
The Actual Cause of Death
Steven Beard died of natural causes. The Travis County Medical Examiner (M.E.) was adamant that Steven died of Pulmonary Embolism (blood clot or clots). The autopsy showed Steven's gunshot wound as mostly healed. Sepsis had developed in the hospital after Steven was re-admitted because his body began to break down. The sepsis was not related to the gunshot wound.
Bayardo
(the State's M.E.) told the jury that it was a clot(s) and
Steven
"probably got the clot from inactivity after the shooting."
This was
incorrect. Steven's personal physician along with family and
friends,
all testified that Steven never walked anywhere. Even on
vacations,
Steven toured by limousine or he didn't
go. Bayardo
Testimony
Dr. Petty (the defense M.E. and Bayardo's
mentor) testified about
clot's in Steven's lungs. He had several slides of old and
new clots
that Steven's body was riddled with. Dr. Petty said that
Steven
suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(C.O.P.D.). Dr.
Petty also reviewed all of Steven's medical records from both
before and
after the shooting. Even Steven's personal physician
testified for the
defense that Steven had suffered from pulmonary problems since
the
1980's. Bayardo didn't review any of Steven's medical records
because
he did not feel that they were necessary or needed in determining
the
cause of death. Bayardo had been previously reprimanded for
this in
other unrelated cases. A medical examiner is not to
opine who did what-
they are to remain neutral. Dr. Petty
Testimony
Even prior to the
shooting, Steven sat all of the time. Steven never
walked anywhere because of
his C.O.P.D. Steven was obese because his
blood clots kept him sedentary.
Steven was also a confirmed alcoholic.
Alcohol became Steven's blood
thinner. Steven could sleep better at
night by thinning out his blood clots
with alcohol. Weeks before the
shooting on September 12 and 15, 1999,
Steven was found on the floor and
slumped over a table (Celeste called 911
summoning help both times).
Celeste insisted that he be
admitted into the hospital because of her
concern for his well-being. These
two incidents mean that Steven
survived two moving blood clots just
weeks before the shooting.
C.O.P.D. is very hard for a physician to diagnose while the patient
is alive, but not after an autopsy. It was this disease that
sent Steven home from HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital after the
shooting because his gunshot wound was almost completely
healed. A blood clot in
Steven's leg made it
difficult for Steven to walk. It was documented in his
medical records that he was walking at the beginning of his
rehabilitation, but then toward the end, he refused to
walk.
HealthSouth
sent him home because Medicare won't pay if there is no
progress. Celeste tried to encourage him to walk. He
told her that his legs hurt and he couldn't move them.
HealthSouth said Steven
was lazy and that once he was home, he would have no choice but to
move around. When a person's blood is not circulating, the
feet and legs feel like lead.
Steven
was discharged by HealthSouth less than 24 hours before Celeste
forced Brackenridge Hospital to re-admit him because he was not
ambulatory and he was in debilitating pain. Dr. Satterwhite
(the Infectious Disease Specialist for the defense) told
the jurors about the blood clots ready to obstruct Steven's
lungs. If the blood clots passed to a safe spot where vital
passageways were not obstructed, then Steven lived. The clot
stuck because it was too large or sticky, causing Steven's
death. Steven was always going to die from Pulmonary
Embolism. It was the realistic chain of events for
Steven's body. Steven's lungs proved beyond a reasonable doubt
that he could have dropped dead at any time because of his
C.O.P.D. It was the natural condition of Steven's body and
nothing to do with the shooting. Every professional knew this
fact. Dr.
Satterwhite Testimony
It is the jury's mistake that they did not take these facts and apply them correctly. The juror's just wanted to go home. One juror said it all, "Oh, God, let's just get this damned thing over with!"
(If you want a quick overview, go to the end of The Trial section and click on the closing arguments of Celeste's Counsel.)
