Country Songwriter Casey Beathard on Faith and Forgiveness After Son's Murder

Country music songwriter Casey Beathard has spoken about how his faith has been instrumental in navigating the grief and finding compassion following the stabbing death of his son, Clay.

In the Fox Nation special "Chords of Faith," Beathard shared that his trust in God enabled him to forgive Michael Mosley, the man convicted of killing his son. "It was just going to kill me to carry all this weight, all this stuff," Beathard said. "You know, I realized in the wake of this whole process that the more you dig into the Word of God, that he could be trusted with justice. And vengeance, you know, it's not mine, because that was just gonna weigh on me. Vengeance was God, it helped me [be] free and let me let it go."

Beathard expressed his sympathy for Mosley, noting the young man "wasn't loved growing up" and his own sadness that Mosley would spend his life in prison. "His parents weren't there, and I think he was looking for love and found love in the wrong, wrong, wrong places," Beathard stated.

Clay Beathard, 22, a quarterback for the Long Island University Sharks football team, and his friend Paul Trapeni III, 21, were killed in December 2019 outside a Nashville bar. Authorities reported that Mosley used a knife during an altercation, leading to their deaths. Mosley was convicted of first-degree murder in March 2022 and received two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years.

The Fox Nation special also delves into Beathard's successful music career. After playing college football, he moved to Nashville in 1991 and worked at the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluebird Café before securing a songwriting contract. He has written numerous hit songs for artists such as Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, and George Strait. Kenny Chesney remarked on the show, "Casey's one of the best songwriters this town's ever known. [He] changed my life."

Church praised Beathard's ability to write relatable music, stating he is "probably better than anyone at incorporating what we all experience in everyday life."

Beathard's resilience has also been a source of inspiration for his children. His eldest son, C.J. Beathard, an NFL quarterback, commended his parents for their strength. "It was hard on us, but for the parents, it's tough," C.J. said. "And to see the way my mom and dad handled that was very inspiring for us all as siblings."

"Chords of Faith" is available for streaming on Fox Nation.