Inset left: Stuart Beck (Clearwater Police Department). Inset right: Michael Conrad (obituary). Background: The now-closed Bay Cove Apartments in Clearwater, Fla., where Beck shot and killed Conrad (Google Maps).
A Florida man has been sentenced to decades in prison for fatally shooting his former girlfriend’s new partner during a late-night confrontation.
Stuart Beck, 25, was convicted by a Pinellas County jury in July of second-degree murder in connection with the July 2022 death of 20-year-old Michael Conrad.
This week, Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Philippe Matthey sentenced Beck to 30 years in prison.
The shooting happened in the early morning hours of July 6, 2022, at the Bay Cove Apartments, located at 19135 U.S. Highway 19 North in Clearwater, roughly 20 miles west of Tampa.
Beck and Conrad became involved in a confrontation whose details remained sharply disputed by prosecutors and the defense. What was not disputed was that Beck fired the shot that killed Conrad.
However, Beck’s account of what happened shifted over time, according to a courtroom report from the Tampa Bay Times.
From the time of his arrest through the start of his trial, Beck maintained that the gun discharged accidentally. While testifying, he acknowledged that he intentionally caused the weapon to fire, but said he never intended to kill Conrad.
“I didn’t mean to kill him, but I meant for the gun to go off,” Beck reportedly told jurors.
Beck claimed he acted in self-defense, saying Conrad and two friends had beaten him previously. He testified that he feared for his life during a final struggle in a bedroom.
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“We were basically wrestling for the gun and moving around the general area,” Beck said. He testified that he tried to raise his hand to make Conrad release the weapon, then attempted to strike him with the gun after he began losing his grip. Beck said he believed shooting Conrad was the only way to stop him from taking control of the firearm.
Prosecutors rejected that version of events, focusing on Beck’s actions immediately before the shooting. They said he kicked in the apartment door before entering.
“You cannot break down a door, break into an apartment, point a gun at someone who has nothing on him,” a prosecutor told the jury. “That’s not self-defense, members of the jury, that’s murder. You don’t get so close to somebody and put a pistol up against their chest as an accident.”
The violence appeared to stem from Beck’s anger over his former girlfriend’s relationship with Conrad, although the people involved offered different accounts of the circumstances.
The woman testified that she and Beck had ended their relationship months earlier, though his name remained on the apartment lease. She said she had begun dating Conrad but still spent time with Beck occasionally.
“This is a heat-of-passion shooting; this is a love triangle,” defense attorney Scott Tremblay argued. “This is a manslaughter case at best.”
Beck denied knowing Conrad was inside the apartment when he arrived. Prosecutors countered with testimony from the woman, who said Beck called her and told her he knew Conrad was there after spotting the victim’s truck outside.
The jury ultimately sided largely with the prosecution, convicting Beck of murder while determining that the killing was not premeditated. That finding ruled out a first-degree murder conviction.
At the sentencing hearing, one of Conrad’s aunts described the lasting impact of his death, the Times reported.
“You didn’t just kill him; you killed laughter in our home,” she said. “You killed quiet moments that should have been filled with his voice. You condemned us to a lifetime of grief, and I hope you carry that same burden.”