Beth Bennett (Lauren Holly) was the hidden villainess of the 2015 Lifetime film The Stepchild (airdate March 12, 2016).
She was the wife of Bill Bennett and the stepmother of his daughter Ashley. Unbeknownst to Ashley and her father, however, Beth had begun an affair with a teenage boy named Michael--who was also Ashley's boyfriend. After Bill walked in on the two having sex, Beth had Michael kill Bill and tie her up to make it look like a home invasion gone bad. Afterwards, while Ashley was being treated in a mental hospital, Beth started dating Bill's business partner John, wanting to sell the company.
When Ashley began to suspect John of being her father's killer, Beth conspired (along with some help from Michael) to keep her from discovering the truth, gaslighting the traumatized Ashley to make it look like she was still unstable and having Michael kill Bill's co-worker Linda when she tried to warn Ashley of Beth's true nature. Beth's villainous reveal came after Ashley escaped from the psychiatric hospital she was committed to and after Beth had (offscreen) knocked out John when he began to uncover Beth's secret.
When Ashley arrived at the house, Michael appeared and locked the front door before Beth pulled out a gun, revealing that she had Bill killed so he wouldn't have divorced her and thus stopped her from getting access to his wealth. Beth then double-crossed Michael and shot him in the head, killing him. After a brief chase around the house, Beth attempted to strangle Ashley to death, but was stopped when John regained consciousness and shot the villainess dead.
Trivia[]
- Lauren Holly previously portrayed evil therapist Dr. Rachel Thorne in the Lifetime film Do No Harm.
- Lauren Holly also played business villainess Elise in After the Ball.