On the morning of Oct. 2, 2020, 24-year-old Alyssa Burkett pulled into her parking spot at the Greentree Apartments leasing office in Carrollton, Texas, where she worked. What happened next would expose a murder plot involving the father of her child and his fiancée.
A man in a black Ford Expedition parked beside Burkett's car, got out, and shot her through the driver's side window, according to police reports. The bullet struck her in the head, but Burkett survived the initial blast. She staggered from her vehicle, bloodied, and pressed a bloody handprint against the office window in a desperate attempt to get help.
The assailant saw Burkett fleeing and chased her. He stabbed and slashed her 44 times before fleeing the scene in his black SUV, authorities said.
Background
Andrew Beard was the father of Burkett's 1-year-old daughter, Willow. When Burkett's mother, Teresa Collard, arrived at the crime scene, she immediately gave detectives Beard's name as a person of interest, according to Carrollton Police Sgt. Michael Harding.
Hours after the murder, officers stopped Beard in his white Ford F-150 pickup truck. His fiancée, Holly Elkins, and baby Willow were with him. Officers told Beard he could leave but could not return home, and they seized his vehicle.
Later that night, police searched Beard's residence and discovered a GPS tracker battery and charging stations matching a tracking device detectives had found under Burkett's car earlier that day. Investigators also uncovered what they believed to be an unregistered gun silencer.
The next day, Oct. 3, detectives searched Beard's truck and found a backpack containing two bottles of dark brown makeup and a pair of men's hiking boots that had been cut into pieces and were soaking in bleach, according to police records.
Police located the black Ford SUV used in the murder abandoned less than a mile from Beard's house. When detectives searched it, they discovered part of the assailant's disguise: a fake beard smeared with dark brown makeup.
The Investigation
On Oct. 5, 2020, three days after Burkett was killed, Beard learned there was a warrant for his arrest and turned himself in to the Carrollton Police Department. He was initially charged with murder.
Beard spent two weeks behind bars before he was released on bond. Carrollton Police Det. Jeremy Chevallier said he was concerned about baby Willow's safety and reached out to federal authorities to take the case under federal firearm laws, citing the unregistered silencer found during the search of Beard's home.
Eight days after Beard bonded out, he was rearrested and ultimately charged with cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death. On July 15, 2022, Beard pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and using a dangerous weapon resulting in death.
One month later, as part of his plea deal, Beard spoke to the FBI about Elkins' involvement in Burkett's murder. According to recorded statements, Beard told investigators that Elkins had orchestrated the murder plot.
"It was…'this is how you're gonna do this,' it was, '... you're gonna wear this dark makeup …' That was her plan…that's how it's gonna be done," Beard told the FBI, according to court documents.
The Charges
After speaking with Beard, the FBI spent approximately a year building a case against Elkins. Investigators uncovered internet searches and a Walgreens receipt connecting her to the crime.
Most damaging were text messages between Elkins and Beard that federal prosecutors said revealed premeditation. In a message sent one week before Burkett's murder, Elkins allegedly wrote: "I hope you handle it I'm not coming home to b*****".
On June 21, 2023, nearly three years after Burkett's death, Elkins was indicted on three charges: conspiracy to stalk, stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
Elkins was arrested at Miami International Airport by federal agents after returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic. Her case proceeded to trial at the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas.
Key Takeaways
- Alyssa Burkett, 24, was shot and stabbed 44 times outside her Carrollton, Texas, workplace on Oct. 2, 2020
- Investigators found evidence that Andrew Beard had purchased a black SUV specifically for the murder, along with a fake beard disguise smeared with dark makeup
- Text messages showed Holly Elkins sent Beard a message reading "I hope you handle it" one week before Burkett was killed
- Beard pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison on May 24, 2023
- Elkins' trial began April 9, 2024; the jury deliberated for about an hour-and-a-half before finding her guilty on all counts on April 17, 2024
What's Next
Holly Elkins was sentenced to two consecutive life terms on Aug. 15, 2024. The case remains closed with both conspirators now serving lengthy federal sentences.