"20/20" Explores the Twisted Plot Behind the Murder of Kelley Clayton and the Witness Who Saw It All

The two-hour event features an exclusive interview with hitman Michael Beard.
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ABC News has announced a deep-dive investigative special into the chilling 2015 murder of Kelley Clayton, a case that rocked a small New York community and centered on a heartbreakingly young witness.

What’s Happening:

  • The award-winning newsmagazine 20/20 returns to the investigation of a former semi-pro hockey player's dark secrets.
  • Thomas Clayton's 911 call seemed to paint a picture of a grieving husband returning from a late-night poker game to find his wife, Kelley, murdered in their home.
  • The investigation hinged on the testimony of the couple's 7-year-old daughter, Charlie, who was the sole witness to the brutal crime.
  • "Nightline" co-anchor Byron Pitts interviewed Michael Beard, the man convicted of being the hitman in the plot, who claims innocence for the first time.
  • The program features police body camera footage and the emotional, shocking interview between authorities and young Charlie Clayton.
  • Clips include Kelley’s mother, her sister, the friends Thomas was with that night, and the legal teams that brought the case to trial.
  • This two-hour 20/20 event airs Friday, Feb. 6 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC and will be available for streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

The Mechanics of a Murder-for-Hire Plot

  • The Clayton case is a grim case study in the forensic and psychological profiling used to dismantle contract killings.
  • In many modern murder-for-hire cases, investigators rely on burner phone triangulation and deleted metadata.
  • In the Clayton case, the discrepancy between the suspect's location and his digital trail provided the leverage needed for the Chemung County District Attorney's office.
  • Most murder-for-hire plots fail because of the inherent instability of the relationship between the solicitor and the perpetrator.
  • For the interview with 7-year-old Charlie Clayton, investigators had to use specialized techniques to minimize trauma while ensuring the testimony could withstand the rigors of a high-stakes criminal trial.

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Daniel Kaplan
Daniel loves theme parks — specifically how the narrative of theme park attractions differs from film or books — and loves debating what constitutes a "good" theme park attraction story.
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