Another Wild Twist

Bellaire socialite vindicated? Mocked for standing by her man, Stern sees allcharges dropped against husband

Maybe Yvonne Stern was right all along. After husband Jeffery Stern was arrested and charged with conspiring with his mistress to hire a series of hit men to kill her, Yvonne, who survived a gunshot wound to her abdomen, defied public criticism to stand by her man.

It's been an explosive summer for those following the "Bellaire socialite" case, but in the end this legal circus ended with a whimper and not a boom. On Tuesday Harris Country prosecutors dismissed all charges against Stern in advance of his murder for hire trial, which was scheduled to begin on Friday.

As the trial approached more and more damaging information about Gaiser came to light that raised serious questions about her credibility.

"They determined there was not enough credible evidence to go forward," Stern's attorney Paul Nugent told the Houston Chronicle.

Mistress Michelle Gaiser was supposed to be the star witness tying Stern to the attacks, pleading guilty and receiving a reduced sentence of 25 years in exchange for testimony against her lover. But as the trial approached more and more damaging information about Gaiser came to light that raised serious questions about her credibility.

There were allegations that Gaiser had attempted to hire a hit man to kill someone else before her relationship with Stern, and that she is an illegal immigrant. Then in June, Nugent held a press conference accusing Gaiser of trying to orchestrate a hit on Stern himself from her prison cell, complete with handwritten instructions.

"This has been a case in which the evidence has continuously evolved," first assistant district attorney Jim Leitner said in a statement. "Ultimately we have come to the conclusion that, at this point, the available evidence is not sufficient to justify taking this case to trial."

So ends Houston's most gloriously lurid murder case in this decade. Are you surprised?

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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.”