Betsy Gray (Kaylah Zander) is the hidden main villainess from the 2019 Hallmark film, Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man, the second film of the Chronicle Mysteries series (airdate February 24, 2019). She worked at a law firm for Tara and Mike Thurman, the former of whom was murdered three years prior to the film's events.
Events[]
Mike Thurman was accused of killing his wife, and was arrested for the murder, only to be acquitted. The discovery of Tara's remains re-opened the case, and regarding Betsy, she was interviewed by Alex McPherson regarding the couple and accusations of an affair between Mike and Betsy. Betsy denied the affair, stating that she and Mike were just friends, while also adding she had since become engaged. She also claimed that Tara became obsessed with the belief that they were seeing each other to the point where she stalked Betsy and even keyed her car.
The investigation's progression revealed the couple's efforts to put away a Philadelphia-based mobster, leading Alex and Drew Godfrey to believe that Tara was killed by a hitman. Regarding Betsy, she refused to talk more about the case, having still retained emotional effect over how she was portrayed. In the film's climax, however, Betsy visited Alex in her office and revealed that she did lie about her and Mike; they were seeing each other. In addition, Betsy stated that Mike had wanted to get rid of Tara, but during the conversation, Alex noticed a medallion on Betsy's purse, which matched Tara's missing medallion. Betsy took notice of Alex's investigation, and afterwards, she pulled out a gun from her purse and pointed it at her, revealing herself as Tara's killer.
Reveal[]
As it turned out, while Betsy was dating Mike, she had hopes that he would leave Tara, believing that Tara cared more about her work than her husband. She began her plan by portraying Tara as a deranged villainess, doing so by vandalizing her own car and staging a break-in to her own house. On the morning of March 4, Betsy tracked Tara to a nearby gym and ordered her at gunpoint to drive to an isolated forest. After they arrived, the evil Betsy shot Tara to death following a struggle, and when Mike was accused, the villainess sent text messages using Tara's phone, doing so to clear Mike by making others believe that Tara was alive. Mike ended up acquitted anyway, but he dumped Betsy afterwards. When the body was found, Betsy planted the phone in Mike's house.
The psychotic villainess revealed everything to Alex, and stated that at first, she wasn't intending on framing Mike. However, she decided to set him up because she had moved on and she was done lusting after someone who didn't want her, and it was at that moment that Alex subdued Betsy with her glass writing board before escaping. Betsy chased Alex with her gun in hand, only for Alex to disarm the villainess and take her down, right before Drew entered and held Betsy at gunpoint. Betsy was arrested for Tara's murder, and while Alex detailed the events on her radio podcast, Betsy was shown being fingerprinted in prison.
Quotes[]
- "I thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life with him. And it was working; the more threats came in, the more time he spent with me. He was getting closer. And then he got arrested, and he dumped me--for my own good." (Betsy Gray revealing her motivation for killing Tara Thurman)
- "Mike had to see. Even after she left him, he wouldn't let her go. Tara had no passion. She didn't deserve Mike. She paid no attention; it was all about work. Even that (the medallion)--she fought harder to get a piece of evidence, than she did for her own husband. So I kept it, and now it reminds me: never take your eyes off the prize. And I haven't. I finally figured it out. I've changed. I wouldn't chase after somebody who didn't want me now. I have a man who loves me and wants to marry me." (Betsy voicing her bitterness towards Tara, and revealing her motivation for setting up Mike Thurman)