EDWARDS CO.—Edwards County judge David Frankland and prosecutor Mike Valentine have done it again: they’ve made short work of a serious criminal case and obtained a conviction in a bench trial.
Shady Leroy Beatty (yes, that’s his real name), 50, is now not only a convicted sex offender, but is also a convicted murderer, this following a two-day bench trial conducted in front of Frankland at the courthouse in Albion.
Beatty killed his ex-wife, Cynthia Markman, in an altercation this past July brought to you first right here on Disclosure. He had been jailed since that time and, represented by public defender Jerry Crisel—who really would rather just make sure he abides by the minimum of court standards and get his clients in and out of the courtroom as quickly as possible—there wasn’t much by way of argument during the trial that he strangled, beat, and stomped on his ex (who really was a sweet girl and the daughter of long-time friends of ours; it was indeed a tragedy that it occurred at all, but the level of brutality inflicted upon Cynthia was an atrocity. Testimony at the trial reportedly was that the investigators had never seen such a heinous beating).
Beatty apparently didn’t give much of a shit about what he’d done, as testimony showed that when he called 911, state police got the call and on a playback in court, revealed Beatty told them “I think I killed my ex-old lady.” Upon being questioned by dispatch briefly, Beatty advised that he would “go peacefully” with responding officers, but told the dispatcher “you just as well bring a hearse too.”
Frankland found Beatty guilty of all charges: Three counts of First-Degree Murder and a single count of Aggravated Domestic Battery. He is set for sentencing on the charges December 12….and Edwards and surrounding counties are the better off for having another dirtbag out of their midst thanks to the team of Frankland and Valentine. We commend them for their efforts.
Shady Leroy Beatty, convict once more