Tonight, the daughter of Craigslist killer Richard Beasley will speak out about her father on a new episode of Monster In My Family. During the episode, Tonya will talk face-to-face with the son of one of her father’s victims.
Read on to learn more about Tonya, Richard Beasley’s daughter.
1. Her Parents Had Been Divorced for Years at the Time of the Murders
(Facebook/TonyaBeasley)
According to Crime Watch Daily, Tonya was close with her father growing up. At the time of the murders, her mother, Tina, had been divorced from Richard for years, and neither Tonya nor her mother knew where he was living when they were questioned by police.
Being interviewed for Monster In My Family, Tonya says, “It’s hard to picture my dad who comes off as so loving and caring as committing something so horrible.” She does, however, recall stories of her father manipulating others as a young boy– Tonya remembers being told by her father to “befriend Christians”, as they would help her get out of trouble when necessary.
Tonya says her relationship with her father dissolved after a breakup. During her freshman year of high school, she was dating a boy who she eventually realized was using drugs, and his drug usage led to their break up. Months later, Richard asked Tonya to help him delete voicemails on his phone, and she came across a voicemail from her ex. Tonya realized that her father had her boyfriend dealing the drugs that caused their split in the first place.
2. She Is Currently in a Relationship With a Man Named Jonathon Harter
(Facebook/TonyaBeasley)
According to her Facebook page, Tonya is currently in a relationship with a man named Jonathon Harter, who is a tool and die maker at the Luk USA Shaeffler Corporation. Harter’s Facebook page reveals that he attended high school in Malvern, Ohio, and studied at Stark State College.
Craigslist murder trial: judge sentences Richard Beasley to death | US news | The Guardian @EBJunkies @ewadd1067 http://t.co/urzKefl3Ie
Tonya currently lives in Massillon, Ohio, according to Facebook, and attended R.G. Drage Public High School.
3. Her Father Was Given the Death Penalty for Murdering Three Men
In 2013, Richard Beasley was given the death penalty for murdering three men: David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron, Ohio, and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio. He also attempted to murder Scott Davis, 49, but Davis escaped after being shot. Richard Beasley managed to lure his victims to a remote area of Ohio with a Craigslist ad that offered $300 a week and a free trailer on 688 acres of land.
16-year-old Brogan Rafferty accompanied the murderer on each of his killing sprees. The teenager was introduced as Beasley’s nephew, but in reality was a local juvenile, and a good friend of Beasley. Rafferty, too young to receive the death sentence, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In his confession to the police, Rafferty said, “I heard a ‘pop’ and I turn around and Mr. Kern is on his knees kind of holding the side of his head, and Beasley is saying to him ‘Are you all right? Beasley shot him again. I think he shot him three times in the head. The gentleman was still breathing, so Beasley went up and got the gun close to him and he shot him again. And I said ‘He’s still alive,’ and he said ‘His brain’s dead, there’s no way, he’s got four bullets in his head and I put one between his eyes.”
4. She Was 17 at The Time of the Murders
(Facebook/TonyaBeasley)
At the time of the murders, Tonya was just 17, and after hearing Rafferty’s statement, police turned to her for questioning. Speaking with Crime Watch Daily, Tonya recalls what it was like being interviewed by authorities. “They kept asking me, ‘Does your dad know anybody with a lot of land that would be remote enough for him to hide out at?’ At the time I didn’t realize they were looking for land because they found his Craigslist ad that mentioned a giant plot of land to take care of.”
5. She Feels Guilt In Her Relationship With Her Father
(Facebook/TonyaBeasley)
Tonya admits that she felt guilty about her father’s actions because she is the one who created the Craigslist account and taught him how to use the Internet to navigate the technology. “… of course I showed him all of these things. He had said he wanted to sell a few of his old things that he could no longer use, and I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it would just help him make some side money.”
Tonya says that when police came to her first-ever job, asking to speak with her, they mentioned the word “bodies” and her stomach instantly dropped. “If I hadn’t helped him make that account, would these people still be alive?”
