The Bellaire Socialite

5 strange things Yvonne Stern said on 20/20

With a trial starting next week, 20/20 and Chris Cuomo traveled to Bellaire to tell the story of the strange murder-for-hire case of Yvonne Stern, who survived three attempts on her life, and her husband Jeffrey Stern, who has been charged with soliticitation of murder in the plot.

The case of a prominent society couple, a mistress and a gaggle of incompetent would-be hitmen would be strange enough, but Yvonne Stern's decision to forgive her husband and stand by him even as he's on trial has created a national sensation.

Stern sat down with Cuomo for a lengthy interview, and some of her answers just seemed so . . . sad.

The full episode is available here, but here are the five biggest head-scratchers:

5. "There was never an indication of any sort that would've given me that clue that he was having an affair. And I'm not a naïve woman."

Right, you're just a woman who found out your husband had a lengthy affair and still believes everything he tells you. Perhaps 'naïve' isn't the word we're looking for.

4. "He was a victim, too, of her trickery."

I believe the proper way to absolve a man of guilt in having an affair is to use the phrase "feminine wiles."

3."Is this the plot of a mastermind? My husband is brilliant, he's smart, he's talented. He would never be capable of doing such a terrible job. [If he wanted me dead,] I would've been dead."

On one hand, I see your point. On the other, maybe this is not the best way to compliment your husband.

2. "I even questioned, 'Do you have him on tape? Do you have him on video?'"

Yvonne Stern apparently believes that unless someone commits a crime while on camera, it's impossible that they did it. To be fair, this is also the current legal thinking in Florida.

1. "I kept thinking, 'Why? Why did I live? Why did I survive this?' I know why. I survived to be the voice for my husband."

Oh, honey.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”