After a 15-year legal battle, a Nevada jury has convicted Thomas Randolph, 68, for the second time for the murder of his sixth wife and the alleged hitman he hired to kill her. The jury reached its verdict on Thursday, finding Randolph guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, following five hours of deliberation.
Randolph, who is wheelchair-bound and uses headphones for hearing impairment, showed no emotion as the verdict was announced. Colleen Beyer, the daughter of Randolph’s sixth wife, Sharon Causse, expressed relief and satisfaction at the verdict, describing the past 15 years as a “twisted nightmare.”
On May 8, 2008, Randolph called 911, claiming that a masked intruder had shot Causse. He further claimed that he had shot the intruder, who he later identified as his friend and handyman, Michael Miller, 38. However, prosecutors used phone records to reveal Randolph’s extensive relationship with Miller, including hundreds of phone calls between the two.
Prosecutors alleged that Randolph had arranged for Miller to kill his wife to collect over $300,000 in insurance money. They pointed to the insurance policies Randolph had taken out on his wife’s life in the two years leading up to her death.
However, Randolph’s previous conviction and death sentence were overturned by the Nevada Supreme Court in 2020. The court argued that the Clark County District Court should not have allowed jurors to hear evidence from Randolph’s 1986 Utah arrest for the death of his second wife, Becky Gault, a case in which he was acquitted.
Four of Randolph’s six wives have died. His fifth wife, Leona Stapleton, died of cancer, and his fourth wife, Francis Randolph, died during heart surgery in 2004. Another man testified that Randolph had offered to pay him to kill Francis, suggesting staging her death as a burglary.
The prosecution focused on inconsistencies in Randolph’s story and the lack of evidence in the hallway where the alleged shooting took place. They also pointed out that the trajectory of the bullets that killed Miller did not match Randolph’s account.
Despite the defense’s argument that Randolph was unfairly targeted due to his previous arrest in Utah, Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner told jurors that Randolph was not a victim but a villain. Randolph’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 12.