Suvechha Sarkar
When 24-year-old Alyssa Ann Burkett was brutally murdered in Carrollton, Texas, it left her family and the community completely shocked. Behind this tragic incident was her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, Andrew Charles Beard, who was blinded by a bitter custody battle. However, detectives soon uncovered that his fiancée, Holly Ann Elkins, was also behind the horrifying conspiracy. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Plot to Eliminate Alyssa Burkett’ explores the disturbing events that led to the harrowing crime and features accounts from the investigators and their loved ones.
Andrew Beard Carried Out the Murder After Meticulously Planning It Over Time
Andrew Charles Beard was born sometime in 1988 and became the happiest part of his parents’ lives. Always being a driven individual, he steadily bagged a great job at a tool company, bought an incredible house for himself, and even owned a plane. Everything changed when he met 22-year-old Alyssa Ann Burkett through a dating app. The duo had a fling and went their separate ways until the latter discovered she was pregnant. After their daughter, Willow Ann, was born on July 23, 2019, Andrew took up her joint custody. However, he began pushing for primary custody, leading to a long string of legal battles. Things started to improve by March 2020 when he and Alyssa finally reached an agreement.
During that time, Andrew met Holly Ann Elkins and fell in love with her. Holly was born in 1991 and possessed an incredible charm and aura. She soon became a favorite of his mother, Lizette, and contacted Alyssa, expressing how she wanted a healthy relationship with her. Although everything seemed perfect, things soon turned dark when Andrew again became hostile toward Alyssa and demanded primary custody of Willow. He reportedly started following her using a GPS tracker and even went to the extent of planting drugs in her car. Andrew then called 911 under the name of Frank Marrow to report the same, but ultimately, the officials concluded that Alyssa was not involved.
On October 2, 2020, Andrew parked his black SUV next to Alyssa’s in front of her office in Carrollton, Texas. As soon as she pulled into her parking spot around 9 am, he reportedly exited from his vehicle and shot Alyssa through the window of her car. When she sought help, he stabbed her multiple times with a large knife and fled from the scene. He abandoned the car less than a mile away from the murder location. Based on the information from her family members, police soon started searching his home and found the black SUV on October 3, 2020. Based on the DNA evidence, a fake beard, and a foundation found in the car, an arrest warrant was issued for him. He ultimately turned himself in after three days of the crime and was charged with the murder of Alyssa Burkett.
Holly Elkins Was Proven to be the Mastermind Behind the Conspiracy of the Killing
Holly Elkins was brought in for questioning, and she reportedly claimed that Andrew had an alibi. After two weeks behind bars, Andrew was released on bond. However, his fiancée returned to her home in Michigan during that time. Following the discovery of an unregistered silencer in his home, Andrew was again arrested and charged with stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. As he decided to plead guilty and cut a deal with the officials, he reportedly informed them that Alyssa’s murder was planned out beforehand, along with Holly. Andrew and Holly’s text messages soon turned out to be proof of her dislike toward Alyssa.
Holly reportedly instructed Andrew on where and how to commit the crime and gave him the idea of taking a disguise. Another instance came up where she had falsely accused Alyssa’s mother, Teresa Collard, of assaulting her. It was allegedly an attempt to ensure Andrew received custody of his daughter. In her text messages, she reportedly tried to manipulate Andrew into committing the crime. Based on these pieces of evidence, Holly Elkins was finally arrested by federal agents at the Miami airport in July 2023. She was charged with conspiracy to stalk, stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
Andrew and Holly Are Currently Serving Their Respective Sentences in Prison
Andrew Beard pleaded guilty in June 2022 to the charges of Cyber Stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Following this, the trial of Andrew commenced, and the prosecution presented a compelling case against him, pointing out how he was driven by a custody dispute and meticulously planned and executed Alyssa’s murder. The evidence, like surveillance footage, GPS tracking data, and items recovered from his car and residence, highlighted that the crime was premeditated. In May 2023, he was ultimately sentenced to 43 years in prison on these charges, with his earliest release date being February 6, 2058. As of writing, Andrew is serving his time at the United States Penitentiary – Tucson, located in Tucson, Arizona.
After Holly was arrested, she pleaded not guilty to her charges. When her case finally went on trial in April 2024, the prosecution presented several pieces of evidence, such as the text messages, her presence with Andrew while he bought the murder weapons, and her instructions on how to kill her. They mainly highlighted the fact that she orchestrated the entire crime. After a week-long trial, the case went to the jury, and after just 90 minutes of deliberation, they convicted her on April 17, 2024. Ultimately, she was sentenced to two consecutive life terms on the charges of conspiracy to stalk, stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence on August 15, 2024. At present, Holly is serving her life sentence at Federal Medical Center, Carswell, located in Fort Worth, Texas.
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