CARROLLTON, TX — A Texas man received 43 years in federal prison while his fiancée was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for orchestrating the 2020 murder of his ex-girlfriend during a bitter custody dispute over their 1-year-old daughter.
Andrew Charles Beard pleaded guilty to killing 24-year-old Alyssa Ann Burkett outside the Greentree Apartments leasing office where she worked on Oct. 2, 2020. Holly Ann Elkins was convicted in April 2024 after prosecutors said she helped plan the elaborate murder scheme designed to secure sole custody of Beard’s child by eliminating Burkett. The case exposed how a domestic custody battle escalated into federal stalking charges when the couple used GPS tracking, false police reports and ultimately deadly violence against Burkett.
Investigators said Beard shot Burkett through her car window at approximately 9 a.m., then stabbed her 44 times with a hunting knife while disguised in blackface makeup. Maintenance supervisor Darin Ickeler witnessed the attack from about 15 feet away. “I see a black SUV starting to back out of the parking spot,” Ickeler told investigators. The blast destroyed Burkett’s left eye and part of her face, but she survived the initial gunshot and tried to reach her coworkers for help. “She gets out of her car. She walks up to this landing to try to get help because she knows her coworkers are here,” said Sgt. Michael Harding, a lead detective. Blood handprint smears on the building’s windows showed Burkett’s desperate attempts to get assistance as Beard pursued her with the knife.
Det. Jeremy Chevallier of the Carrollton Police Department called it “one of the most brutal scenes that I’ve been to in 32 years law enforcement. You can see the rage.” Coworkers initially stayed inside, fearing an active shooter situation, but emerged after the attacker fled. A colleague called 911 reporting: “Someone came up and just shot my assistant manager.” Emergency responders arrived quickly, but Burkett died from her wounds. Burkett’s mother, Teresa Collard, immediately identified Beard as the likely perpetrator when police interviewed her. “I know he did this … he is an evil person,” Collard told officers through tears, according to police bodycam footage. Within hours, police stopped Beard’s pickup truck for an alleged traffic violation, finding him with Elkins and the couple’s daughter Willow in the backseat.
The murder came after months of escalating harassment that began when Beard and Burkett’s brief relationship from a dating app resulted in Willow’s birth on July 23, 2019. Despite reaching a custody agreement in March 2020, Beard renewed his demands for primary custody after meeting Elkins in spring 2020. Prosecutors said the couple began stalking Burkett using a GPS tracker on her car and monitoring her activities. In September 2020, one month before the murder, someone calling himself “Frank Marrow” reported to 911 that Burkett was selling drugs from her car trunk at work. Police discovered planted drugs, a pistol and cash exactly where the caller described, but quickly determined Burkett had been framed. “She knew that, you know, whatever was coming next was going to be serious,” said Burkett’s roommate Shelbie Wright, recounting how Burkett texted her: “he is going to try to get someone to kill me next.”
Federal prosecutors built their case around evidence found during searches of Beard’s home, including an envelope with Burkett’s license plate number and details matching the false drug report. Voice analysis linked Beard to the “Frank Marrow” 911 call. U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said the sentences ensure Beard and Elkins “will never terrorize their family again.” The case moved to federal court because prosecutors charged the couple with conspiracy to stalk and stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death, crimes that cross state lines and involve federal jurisdiction. Beard was sentenced in May 2023 after pleading guilty, while Elkins was arrested in Miami in July 2023 following her June indictment. The jury in Elkins’ trial deliberated approximately 90 minutes after seven days of testimony before convicting her in April 2024.
Burkett’s family described a devoted mother who returned to college and worked as an assistant property manager to provide for Willow. “Everything she did at that point in her life was for Willow. She wanted to be successful for Willow,” said her sister Madison Grimes. The 22-year-old had initially been terrified about the unexpected pregnancy but embraced motherhood completely. “Willow clung to her every second, every day. And I think that tells you a lot about the mother Alyssa was,” Grimes said. Friends said Burkett became increasingly fearful as Beard’s behavior escalated, sending texts asking family members to “come over while I walk inside” and “lock the door behind you.” Burkett had recorded a video found after her death where she said: “This past year, I have been going through a custody battle. A very ugly one. I have a 1-year-old child. It’s taken a toll on my mental and physical health.”
The case highlighted how domestic disputes can escalate when stalking technology and deception converge with custody battles. Burkett’s mother described her daughter’s final months as “hell,” saying Alyssa lived constantly watching over her shoulder. Both defendants are now serving their sentences in federal prison, with Elkins’ two consecutive life terms effectively ensuring she will never be released. The murder left Willow without her mother and fundamentally changed the custody arrangement Beard had fought so violently to control.
