Tyler / Arthur Paul Beal Case--Funny Police Officers

[Axl Rose]

We appreciate the info Steph.

"I don't remember you"

[juststeph]

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

I appreciate the information. I think the reason we are all so curious about Paul is because we did not have ANY of this information previously. I agree with the above poster who mentioned that his case is getting resurrected because of the Amazon Prime streaming of his UM segment...

Thanks for the additional insight into his mother. I always felt really bad for her because I sensed she truly loved Paul and wanted to take care of him. Obviously I didn't have all the information at hand...

If nothing else she loved her boy and she felt a lot of guilt because for the first time ever she called his bluff and didn't report him as a missing person. I think that his original plan was to fake amnesia and within the week his family would come get him. He wasn't counting on the fact that he had made fools of everyone that had ever supported him and they didn't want to be tricked again.

[juststeph]

Originally Posted by cdr369

Thank you for posting. Unfortunately it's difficult to hide things, especially with the internet. And even if his name was squashed on this site, someone else would begin posting about it on Reddit or Websleuth. I guess the important lesson to learn is that people sometimes make stupid mistakes, but that doesn't define them as a person in their entirety.

Also, from the segment, I didn't care for his mother. She seemed so gullible. His acting was obnoxious, and I would really like to see the entire phone "first" phone call between him and his mom, not just the thirty seconds that was aired on UM.

This all happened in 1991 before the internet was a "thing" and who could predict the impact of Netflix and Amazon? At the time I assumed this would fade away and I was only reminded occasionally because people would call me when it was rebroadcast. Then the story got old and stale, everyone knew the backstory and people kinda forgot. I was remarried for several years before my husband knew about the amnesia in the desert act. He thought my sisters were joking and kept waiting for the punchline.

Hopefully the second generation watching those episodes will realize that he is faking.

[MegtheEgg86]

Thanks a lot for posting, Steph (and thank you for your service).

As someone who was also once married to a mama-coddled ding dong, you have my sympathy. I always thought his mom kind of halfway knew he was full of it with that amnesia story, but wasn't going to admit it to herself--especially now that everyone had ended up on national TV.

[James T]

Ridiculous case-can remember watching it as a teenager & thinking it was legit. As an adult watching it back it is so obvious he is lying through his teeth. Feel really sorry for his kids that he ran out on just to escape a pissant charge & the other family members he put through not knowing what had happened to him.

[Appliance]

Originally Posted by juststeph

His mother is an idiot and

Wow, the ex-wife sure is salty and unpleasant. Looking at your post history, I don't know but maybe... move on?
It's been over 25 years.

[lo.reno.ol]

Originally Posted by juststeph

None of this matters anymore. The guy has been stuck in a wheelchair for almost 10 years. But let me count the ways...

1. I was contacted by USM the night that it aired and I gave them all of my contact information including the fact that he had 2 small children. He never inquired about the children.

2. He had 3 phone numbers given to him. One was for his father in Idaho that originally identified him, mine and his mother. Instead of calling the guy that identified him or the woman with his children he chose to call his mother who would be the most likely to believe his story.

3. Replay the "reunion" scene when he gets bailed out of jail and you can see by his body language that he recognizes his mother but holds himself stiff to act like he doesn't.

4. When he went back to Boise to clear up the theft charges he repeatedly made mistakes when interacting with his father.

5. People that he previously knew showed up at his court hearing and he initially made eye contact and started to wave but stopped himself and quickly looked away. He then refused to look in their direction again.

6. He chose to stay west instead of returning to his family in the midwest. His sisters, mother and stepfather lived in Iowa. His children were also in Iowa. A normal person that had lost their memory would have chosen to be around people that might spark their memory.

7. He always swore that he didn't get his memory back but on the one visit that he made to see the children he became excited about Taco John's still being in business because that was his favorite place to eat when he was in high school.

8. He also made numerous mistakes every time that I spoke to him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~*

i totally bought this story always and i just recently watched it while i was making my way through season four. i was always convinced he was telling the truth because of how genuinely emotional he was when interacting with the mom. this time around i was like wait...why would you sob to a stranger if he really didn’t recognize/trust her? he clearly did. i think he was so sad because he felt guilty. also, like the comment above, the body language in the reunion scene was really forced when he first walked in but then it let up. i certainly don’t feel confortable hugging someone like that if i don’t feel close to them. in fact, at one point i swear i saw him mouth “mom”.

i sort of feel for everyone...he just seemed immature and unaware of the consequences his story would bring at the time. unfortunately, the family seems to have really paid the price. hopefully they have all found peace with each other

[Fletch]

I like Steph’s style... cracked me up reading this just now

[Mike82]

Originally Posted by lo.reno.ol

in fact, at one point i swear i saw him mouth “mom”.

i sort of feel for everyone...he just seemed immature and unaware of the consequences his story would bring at the time. unfortunately, the family seems to have really paid the price. hopefully they have all found peace with each other

Obviously he was already made well aware of that fact so I don't see what could be seen as unusual about that. If I ever had amnesia I am going to hug my "mom" and "wife" no matter how awkward it felt just to see if I made a connection.

APB reminds me of a former childhood neighbour. The guy I know is about 40 and is still as immature and unaware of consequences of things as he was at 10. For example, he was once falsely accused of assault by a crazy person (it could have easily been disproven as it was in a public area with cameras) and he just plead guilty to "get it over with" without considering the negative employment reprecussions. He was such an immature father his parents even took legal custody of his son and he acts like an (absent) older brother. I don't even need to post a picture as he looks almost identical to APB.

I honestly don't know what to think of this guy: he doesn't seem bright enough to fool anyone, let alone the UM producers yet we are still debating it all these years later.

[lo.reno.ol]

hahaha, no no—i know he was made aware that it was his mother, i’m just saying he seemed too comfortable with her as she was supposed to be like a stranger to him. that seemed off to me. also, i wouldn’t refer to my mother as “mom” the first time i ever saw her.

but who knows, i guess i can’t say that for sure—i don’t know how i would act in that situation, whether it was real or if i was faking. i’d love to see myself try to do it as well as APB though lol. he’s obviously legendary

if it was real, i would feel very bad for making assumptions. with all this insight into his background though, it all seems kind of fishy (stolen seafood..get it?)

[Guardian]

Originally Posted by James T

Ridiculous case-can remember watching it as a teenager & thinking it was legit. As an adult watching it back it is so obvious he is lying through his teeth. Feel really sorry for his kids that he ran out on just to escape a pissant charge & the other family members he put through not knowing what had happened to him.

I was gonna respond, but this sums up exactly my experience/feelings on the case

[RedBasket]

Originally Posted by Fletch

I like Steph’s style... cracked me up reading this just now

I agree! I just watched this on youtube and totally believe the ex wife and she is not bitter, just telling what she knows! And she should know!

[marahnna]

Originally Posted by juststeph

If nothing else she loved her boy and she felt a lot of guilt because for the first time ever she called his bluff and didn't report him as a missing person. I think that his original plan was to fake amnesia and within the week his family would come get him. He wasn't counting on the fact that he had made fools of everyone that had ever supported him and they didn't want to be tricked again.

Thanks for your input, Steph. I'm sorry a few folks are giving you a hard time and calling you "bitter" and "salty." If my husband put my kids and me through everything you've said Paul put you through, I'd be bitter AF. When I watched the segment, I was probably in my early teens and I hadn't seen jack sh*t yet, you know? So I initially believed him (because who would make up something like that, right? ), but when the show noted that he was arrested for stealing from his employer, I figured the whole thing was a sham. The theft itself and then conning a bunch of people, including his own mother, is pretty damn despicable, but that by itself I think a person could come back from if they seemed truly remorseful and resolved to straighten themselves out. With everything else you've said, though (because who would make up something like that? Kidding.), he'd had a lifelong history of pulling these kinds of stunts and didn't care who he hurt in the process. It's probably very uncharitable of me to say, but it sounds like karma came for him in the end. In the meantime, I hope the ensuing years have been kinder to you and your children. Again, thank you for sharing your history with us, which you of course are under no obligation to do.

[McLargeHuge]

I just saw this one over lunch on Pluto. Oh he just happens to get amnesia and disappear right around the same time he’s wanted for a crime. Something about this guy felt fake the entire time he was on tv. What a shame UM made it out to be real even after it was discovered he was wanted for a crime. They should have shown a bit more skepticism towards him in the update. Well, it was good for a laugh. What a clown this guy was and what a shame he couldn’t be a real man and father for his family. I don’t think he deserved to be in a wheel chair forever but I’m not sad about it.

[Jon]

The detective who was interviewed in the update was exactly right. He wasn't going for any of Arthur's bull****.