Prosecutor says North Liberty man’s motive for killing Palo woman in 2022 is money

VINTON — A prosecutor said Tuesday that authorities don’t always know the motive in a murder case, but the “cold blooded” killing of a Palo woman — who was “suffocated to death with a pillow in her own bed” last July — isn’t one of those.

Tacoa Talley, who is on trial this week in Benton County, and his girlfriend, Samantha Bevans, killed Bevans’ stepmother, Jodie Bevans, to steal money from her safe, which they believed held thousands, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Monty Platz said in his opening statement.

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The couple also provided evidence of their crime 24 hours later by making a Snapchat video about their “accomplishments,” he said.

Talley, 38, of North Liberty, is charged with first-degree murder. He is accused of helping Samantha Bevans, 34, of Palo, who is also charged with first-degree murder, of killing Jodie Bevans, 58, on July 14, 2022.

The trial is expected to last five days. A Benton County jury was selected Monday. Samantha Bevans will be tried separately Sept. 25.

At some point, Jodie and her husband, Mike Bevans, had a falling out with Talley, who was dating Samantha Bevans. Whatever happened between Talley and Jodie, it resulted in him being banned from her home, Platz said.

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They parted ways and she hadn’t seen him again until 2022, Platz said.

Samantha Bevans was having problems with drugs and “lost” her kids, he said. Jodie and Mike asked her to live with them — but she had to stay off drugs and Talley couldn’t be with her in their home.

But Samantha saw this as an “opportunity to take,” Platz said.

Eventually some valuables went missing from the home after Talley was spotted in the house but fled, he said, and then Samantha was kicked out.

Jodie Bevans was worried they’d return. The Bevanses had a safe in the master bedroom, where they kept thousands. But after the incident, most of the money was deposited in a bank. They also decided to install security cameras in the home, but never activated them to record. They only wanted to scare away Talley and Samantha Bevans, Platz said.

A few weeks later, Jodie and Mike Bevans and their family had planned a camping trip to Sugar Bottoms near Solon. A witness for the prosecution, Jason Wells, told investigators that Samantha knew about the trip and she and Talley planned to kill Jodie at the camp site. But “plan B” was to kill her at the house if she had to stay behind because of work.

Platz said if not for this witness, authorities might not have caught the couple. Wells met Samantha a few days before at a gas station and she offered him money to take her and Talley to Iowa City. She said her vehicle wasn’t working.

Wells took Samantha to her parents’ home and she went inside to unlock her bedroom window so they could break in later, Platz said. Wells didn’t think anything “nefarious” was going on at that time. But later when he did, he didn’t know how to get away: The couple had taken control of his car keys and his dog, Bowzer, as leverage, Platz said.

Talley and Samantha drove Wells’ car to the house after learning Jodie would be home alone. Wells stayed behind at a Motel 6 in Cedar Rapids, where they checked in earlier.

Talley and Samantha entered the house through the window about 11 p.m. July 14, 2022, Platz said. They unscrewed the security camera in the kitchen and took a hammer into the master bedroom.

Platz said Samantha held a pillow over Jodie’s head and Talley held down her body as she struggled. An autopsy showed bruising to her body consistent with that. She was likely fighting them as they cut her ability to breathe, he noted, and blood was coming out of nose and mouth. Suffocation isn’t a “bloodless” crime, he said.

The couple found only a few hundred dollars in the safe, Platz said.

The couple went back to the motel and Samantha told Wells to burn their clothes. They gave Wells some money.

They then all went to a Bettendorf casino and hotel. Wells decided to escape from the couple, who had his keys and ID, with just his dog and call police.

Platz told jurors that Wells was credible because he told investigators details of the murder that weren’t released to the public, and authorities had phone records of all three to show locations and times confirming what Wells told investigators.

Nichole Watt, one of Talley’s lawyer, in her brief opening, said the prosecution made some “confident sounding claims,” but they all hinge on Wells ---- who was left alone several times, she pointed out.

Watt told jurors it was their job to question everything, and then at the end of the trial the defense would ask them to find Talley not guilty.

The prosecution continues its case Wednesday.

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