Tracy Lane Beatty

Case record: Tracy Lane Beatty

Personal details

Tracy Lane Beatty was a White male born on 01/23/1961. He was 43 when he was received. He was 42 at the time of the offence.

Beatty had hair described as Black and had a height of 5' 08" and a weight of 162. His eye colour was Blue.

He was from Smith Co. Texas and was a native of Smith Co. Texas. His native county was Smith Co.

Beatty’s native occupation was listed as Laborer.

Prior prison record

Beatty had a TDCJ number of 442312 and was serving a 4 year sentence from Dallas County for Injury to a Child. He was released on Mandatory Supervision and returned with a new conviction, a 15 year sentence from Dallas County for Theft.

Prior conduct and institutional history

Parole records indicated Beatty threatened a parole officer and assaulted his mother, resulting in his parole being revoked before the capital murder offense. Witnesses said Beatty had been arrested 21 times for various offenses.

Witnesses described an incident involving Beatty’s 18-month-old niece in which Beatty shocked her with an electrical cord, burned her with a cigarette, pulled out her hair and struck her in the face.

There were 16 incidents where Beatty threatened or attacked prison employees or showed other acts of violence while in several Texas prisons.

Since 1987, when Beatty was first released from prison on parole, he had been in and out of prison and had his parole revoked four times. Beatty was on parole at the time of the capital murder.

While awaiting the capital murder trial, Beatty was found with a long, sharp metal shank in jail.

Also before the trial began, Beatty was found in contempt of court for refusing Skeen's order to provide the state with a handwriting sample.

Beatty once claimed to be a member of the Arian Circle, a white supremacist prison gang.

Victim details

The victim was Carolyn "Callie" Click, a 62-year-old White female.

The case record identified the victim’s name as Carolyn "Callie" Click and also as Ms. Click.

Timeline

• 07/25/2003 — Beatty strangled his mother, a sixty-two year old white female, placed her in the bathtub for two days, and then buried her in a shallow grave in their backyard.
• 11/25/2003 — Beatty was convicted and sentenced by a Smith County jury; the record stated “Nov. 25, 2003.”
• 03/11 — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his capital murder conviction and death sentence.
• 05/06 — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied habeas corpus relief in a May 6 opinion.
• 08/13/2004 — A Smith County judge set Tracy Lane Beatty’s execution date; the execution date was also the date the death sentence was stated as being on August 13, 2004.
• Wednesday, May 13, 2009 — Beatty returned to a Smith County courtroom and was ordered to be executed on Aug. 13; he had exhausted his state appeals.

The offence

On 07/25/2003 in Smith County, Texas, Beatty strangled his mother. He placed her in the bathtub for two days and then buried her in a shallow grave in their backyard.

During the capital murder trial, the record described the conduct and the basis for the capital murder conviction and death sentence: Beatty killed Ms. Click, stole her car, drained her credit and bank accounts to buy drugs and alcohol, gave away her personal items, and buried her body in a shallow grave behind her mobile home.

A pathologist testified Ms. Click was suffocated, strangled or smothered to death.

The record reported injuries described by a pathologist testimony: broken bones in her neck, cracked ribs, blunt force trauma to her head and a fractured breastbone.

The record also stated that Beatty told family, friends and law enforcement about five different stories before he led authorities to his mother's body and confessed nearly a month after the murder.

Investigation

The record stated that authorities were led to Beatty’s mother’s body by Beatty.

The record also stated that Beatty confessed nearly a month after the murder.

Arrest

Co-defendants were not listed in the record and were stated as “None.”

The record did not state a separate arrest date.

Trial

Beatty was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection by a Smith County jury for killing Carolyn "Callie" Click, 62, stealing her car, draining her credit and bank accounts to buy drugs and alcohol, giving away her personal items and burying her body in a shallow grave behind her mobile home.

The record also described trial-related events involving Beatty:

• Beatty was found with a long, sharp metal shank in jail while awaiting the capital murder trial.
• Beatty was found in contempt of court for refusing Skeen's order to provide the state with a handwriting sample.

The record described neighbour testimony about the relationship between Ms. Click and Beatty:

• “Trial Neighbors testified Ms. Click and Beatty had a rocky relationship and fought almost daily but that the victim offered her son a place to stay after he was paroled from prison in October 2003.”
• “Ms. Click reportedly had kicked her son out of her house the day of her murder.”

The record stated that Beatty admitted his involvement by leading authorities to his mother’s body and confessing nearly a month after the murder.

Sentencing

Beatty was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

The record stated that 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. set his date of execution.

Appeals

The record stated that Beatty exhausted his state appeals when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied him habeas corpus relief in a May 6 opinion.

The record also stated that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his capital murder conviction and death sentence March 11.

Beatty’s lawyers filed a writ of habeas corpus, presenting 10 allegations that challenged the validity of his conviction and sentence. Skeen submitted findings of fact and conclusions of law, and recommendation that relief be denied was followed by the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Defense attorney Jeff Haas told Skeen he would file an appeal in federal court.

Defense attorneys Robert Perkins and Don Davidson also appeared in court for the brief hearing.

District Attorney Matt Bingham and First Assistant DA April Sikes also appeared in court for the brief hearing.

Outcome

A Smith County jury convicted Tracy Lane Beatty and sentenced him to death by lethal injection for the killing of his mother, Carolyn "Callie" Click, along with theft and related conduct described in the record.

The record stated an execution date set by 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. for Aug. 13.

The record stated: “Beatty will pursue federal appears so it is unlikely he will be executed on that date.”

Other details

Beatty had a TDCJ number of 999484.

The record included “Name TDCJ Number Date of Birth Beatty, Tracy 999484 01/23/1961” and other demographic fields.

The record listed “County 11/25/2003 42 Smith Co.” and “Date Received Education Level 08/13/2004 43 10.”

The record listed “Race and Gender of Victim White Female.”

The record described the vehicle theft as “stealing her car” and also referenced “draining her credit and bank accounts to buy drugs and alcohol.”

The record described items given away as “her personal items.”

The record also referenced that Beatty was a fugitive in the characteristics vocabulary context, but no explicit statement of fugitive status was included in the factual narrative beyond being set in the characteristics field.

The record included “Co-defendants None.”