I hope you handle it
Plot to Eliminate Alyssa Burkett 41:42
Afterwards Alyssa Burkett When she was murdered, detectives quickly learned that the prime suspect was the father of her child. Andrew Beard. However, as the investigation progressed, they would realize that Beard was not the only person involved in the murder plot.
Take a look inside the investigation.
October 2, 2020 | 9am
On the morning of October 2, 2020, Alyssa Burkett was parked outside the Greentree Apartments leasing office when a man in a black Ford Expedition pulled up next to her. He got out of his SUV and shot Burkett through the driver’s side window. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Shortly after 24-year-old Alyssa Burkett pulled into her workplace parking lot in Carrollton, Texas, a gunman shot her in the head through her car window and fled.
In the window of the Greentree Apartments rental office
Burkett survived the shooting, got out of his car and tried to call for help. His bloody hand left a mark on the office window.
The attacker saw Burkett running and chased after him. He stabbed Alyssa 44 times, wounding her, and left the scene in his black SUV.
Andrew Beard (left) and Alyssa Burkett with their daughter Willow. / Credit: Lizatte Bowers/Alyssa Burkett, Facebook
When Burkett’s mother, Teresa Collard, arrived at the scene, she immediately gave detectives a name: Andrew Beard. Beard was the father of Burkett’s 1-year-old child, Willow.
October 2, 2020 | 12:00
Andrew Beard (right) is seen with an officer in resized police body camera footage during a stop for an alleged traffic violation on the day Alyssa Burkett was killed. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Hours after the murder, police officers stopped Beard in his white Ford F-150 pickup truck. His fiancée Holly Elkins and baby Willow were also with him. Beard was told he could leave the scene but was unable to return home. Police also seized his pickup truck.
October 2, 2020 | 9pm
A tracking device was found in Alyssa Burkett’s car. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Later that night, police searched Beard’s home and found a GPS tracker battery and charging stations that matched the tracker detectives found under Burkett’s car earlier that day.
Gun silencer found in Andrew Beard’s home. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Investigators also discovered a gun silencer they believed to be unregistered.
October 3, 2020 | 12:00
During a search of Andrew Beard’s pickup truck, dark-colored makeup bottles and a pair of cut-off hiking boots were found. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
The next day, detectives searched Beard’s white F-150 pickup truck and found a backpack. Inside were two bottles of dark brown make-up and a pair of men’s hiking boots, torn to shreds and soaked in bleach.
October 3, 2020
Police learned that Andrew Beard purchased the black SUV specifically to commit the murder. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Later that night, police found the black Ford SUV in which the gunman drove to the scene. It was found abandoned less than a mile from Beard’s home.
During a search of Andrew Beard’s SUV, Carrollton Police found part of his disguise: a fake beard. / Credit: Carrolton Police Department
When detectives searched the SUV, they found a fake beard stained with dark brown makeup.
October 5, 2020
Three days after Alyssa Burkett’s murder, Beard surrendered to police in Carrolton, Texas. / Credit: Carrolton Police Department
Beard turned himself in to the Carrollton Police Department when he learned a warrant had been issued for his arrest. He was accused of murder.
October 6, 2020
Beard’s fiancée, Holly Elkins, voluntarily went to speak with detectives at the Carrollton Police Department.
Holly Elkins interviews Carrollton Police detectives Jeremy Chevallier and Michael Harding. / Credit: Carrolton Police Department
During the interview, Elkins told investigators that Beard was at the house with him the morning of the murder. She also described herself as the “clingy girlfriend on stage 5” and said Beard would have known if she had left the house that morning.
October 6, 2020 | 13:30
Some of Holly Elkins’ internet searches. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Investigators said after his interview, Elkins conducted the following internet searches:
“Can’t I be taken to court if I have a psychiatrist’s note?”
“Patients will go to court”
“Contact psychiatrist in Dallas”
“If I have a mental problem, won’t I be summoned to prison?”
29 October 2020
Beard spent two weeks behind bars before being released on bail. Carrollton Police Detective. Jeremy Chevallier said he was concerned for baby Willow’s safety, so he appealed to the federal government to handle the case under federal firearms laws.
Because detectives found an unregistered silencer while searching Beard’s home, the federal government agreed to take on the case.
Andrew Beard was rearrested and charged with cyberstalking resulting in death by use of a dangerous weapon. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
Beard was rearrested eight days after leaving and was eventually charged with cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death.
July 15, 2022
In June 2022, Beard pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and use of a dangerous weapon resulting in death.
A year and nine months after Alyssa Burkett was murdered, Andrew Beard spoke to the FBI as part of a plea deal. / Credit: FBI
A month later, he spoke to the FBI as part of his plea agreement. Elkins also had a lot to say about his role in Burkett’s murder.
“……’this is how you’re going to do it,’ it was, ‘…you’re going to do this dark makeup…’ That was his plan…this is how it’s going to be done,” Beard told the FBI.
May 24, 2023
Beard was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison.
June 21, 2023
After speaking with Beard, the FBI spent nearly a year building a case against Elkins.
Investigators searched online and found a Walgreens receipt linking him to the crime.
Text messages between Holly Elkins and Andrew Beard. / Credit: Carrollton Police Department
They also investigated text messages between Elkins and Beard. In a text message sent to Beard a week before Burkett’s murder, Elkins wrote, “I hope you work it out, I’m not coming home to s***.”
Three charges were filed against Elkins: stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
July 6, 2023
Holly Elkins was arrested by federal agents almost three years after Alyssa Burkett’s death. / Credit: Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
Elkins was arrested by federal agents at the Miami airport after returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic.
9 – 16 April 2024
Andrew Beard and Holly Elkins with Beard’s daughter Willow, whom he shares with Alyssa Burkett. / Credit: Lizette Bowers
Elkins’ trial began at the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas. Six days later the case went to the jury.
April 17, 2024
Holly Elkins / Credit: Stephen Green
The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half before finding Elkins guilty on all counts. On August 15, 2024, Elkins was sentenced to two life sentences.
