The Plot to Eliminate Alyssa Burkett | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[Music] what was lost when Alysa was taken what was lost with her murder my daughter
Willow's mother [Music] everything how do you keep Alyssa alive for her daughter Willow show her
pictures this is your mom this is your [Music] mom every Mother's Day we visit the
grave we take flowers we take cards you know we talk about her all the time what
does this say mother of Willow an I hope that when she learns what happens she doesn't let
it tear her apart October 2nd [Music] 2020 any crime scene is going to be inside that tape it's inside that tape
all right I remember my phone was continuously ringing [Music] ringing and I finally answer it cuz it's
my supervisor and she's frantic and she's telling me you've got to get to Green Tree
Apartments when we heard that pop I turned around I knew it was a gunshot and she says something has
happened to Alyssa what what happened to her we're going to start having family member show up here I pull up police
fire trucks ambulance everywhere she got shot in the car okay she can see her handprints who are you I'm detective
Harding I remember asking that officer I said she didn't make it did she and he said no she
didn't and I just lost it at that point when you learned that your sister was dead did you have a suspect in mind I
knew immediately it was Andrew beard I knew that the only person I could think that would want her dead was
Andrew beard she even said I think he's the kind of person that's going to try to kill me and he did and he
did oh my God it was one of the most brutal scenes that I've been to in 32 years law
enforcement you could see the rage don't touch anything okay what does it tell you when it's
this vicious about the killer it's personal uh she apparently has had a history with baby daddy within an hour
of getting to the crime scene we knew that we needed to look for Andrew beard Andrew beard is the suspect yes he can
not get away with this he can not get away with this at first this seemed like an open and shut case but as it turned
out Andrew beard was only half the story [Music] [Music] in the months after Alysa briquette was
murdered she appeared to her Mother Teresa Collard in a dream I see her across the room and in
my dream I knew she was gone but I was hysterically happy that I was seeing her and I was thinking you're
back she came to me and said no I'm not back and I don't want to come back and I
never want to be there [Music] again I was puzzled why don't you want to come back and she said because I was
always afraid there although 24-year-old Alysa Kat had been afraid for months the attack at
this apartment complex where she worked in Carolton Texas north of Dallas came as a
surprise so when you arrive here what do you see according to one of the lead detectives Michael Harding Alyssa pulled
into her usual parking space at around 9:00 a.m. Alyssa's car was actually parked right here where this green van
is right here and the as salance vehicle had parked right next to her in this spot were you here when everything
happened yes I was sing on my desk what Witnesses say the as salent exited his vehicle a black Ford Expedition SUV with
a gun in his hand she had the window up and he shot right through the wind right
through the window maintenance supervisor Darren Iker about 15 ft away it's horrible I mean heard the gun blast
and turned around what do you see uh I see a a black SUV starting to back out of the parking
spot investigators believe the shooter thought Alyssa was dead the blast had destroyed her left eye and part of her
face but Elissa bat was still alive she gets out of her car and she walks up to this Landing to try to get
help cuz she knows her her co-workers are here the shooter described by some as a
black man I like to say he's a black guy got out of the vehicle and began sprinting toward Alysa this time with a
new weapon in his hand something more personal a large hunting knife did you see him holding the knife uh yeah in the
H after he starts to to stab her she's still fighting on this window right here there was a blood handprint smear where
Alyssa was trying to get anyone to come out and help [Music] her but fearing it was an active shooter
situation they stayed inside we just getting our day started and the attacker launched into a rabid killing frenzy
plunging his knife into flesh and Bone again and again incredibly Alyssa was still breathing when her as salent fled
once the suspect left her co-workers came out to try to render Aid one of her colleagues made this call to 911 911
what is the address of the emergency someone came up and just shot my my assistant manager where is the shooter I
don't have enough information I need he's gone he left in his car he literally left a second ago
fire department pulled up first they come up I get out of the way and let them do their thing and they start
working on her right here you she was immediately yeah and it was too late she was gone Alyssa had been stabbed and
slashed a total of 44 times Alyssa's Mother Teresa immediately gave the police a name and it wasn't a
black man it was Andrew beard and now he did this he's an evil person Teresa told
detectives that Andrew beard and Alysa were in the throws of an ugly custody battle over their one-year-old daughter
Willow Anne a battle that began when Alyssa was still pregnant says her friend Brandy Reagan he initiated by
asking her if he could have full custody of the baby after the baby was born and
what did Alyssa have to say to his idea of him getting full custody you better be effing kidding me
Alysa and Andrew were worlds apart from the beginning he was almost 9 years older established with a good job at a
tool company a nice house even had a plane she was 22 loved eating turkey legs at state fairs and was still
figuring life out after meeting on a dating app they had a fling nothing serious but then she found out she was
pregnant says her friend and roommate shall be right I'll never forget she's just standing there hysterically crying
um and upset she couldn't even speak and she hands me a pregnancy test that said
positive and I honestly had no words for her but as the pregnancy progressed Alyssa's fears turned to excitement says
Shelby especially when she learned it was a girl on July 23rd 2019 Alyssa gave birth to a baby girl
she named [Music] Willow and when you saw them together Alyssa and Willow what was that
experience like amazing motherhood looked great on her [Music] yes just looking at the two of them you
could tell that their relationship was I mean everything I always love how she's
looking at her in this picture Madison Grimes is Alyssa's younger sister Willow clung to her every second every day and
I think that tells you a lot about the mother Alissa was Alysa went back to college and got a good job as an
assistant property manager I think everything she did at that point in her life was for Willow she wanted to be
successful for Willow she didn't want Willow to grow up and struggle she just wanted Willow to have an easy
life Andrew who had joint custody had Willow a few days every week but he kept pushing for primary
custody dragging Alysa in and out of court hearings emptying her bank account she was terrified um Willow at this
point was the most important thing in her life and when she you know looked at the bigger picture Andrew he made more
money than her you know he had a house he had all of the nice things that she didn't have so she was afraid that you
know he wanted Willow and he was going to get her Andrew's mother lazette Bowers says her son was acting out of
love not malice my son Andrew beard is a loving warm individual who always operated from his heart from his core
Center when he had Willow she was constantly strapped to the front of him he was reading to her he wanted her to
see the whole world every day he just felt that he could provide her more stability in March 2020 when Willow was
8 months old things seemed to change for the better the feuding parents found Common Ground finally reaching an
agreement on visitation and child support and so things seem to calm down things calm down
yeah but a gathering storm was about to come barreling in Police Department search warrant if
you're in there come out your hands [Music] up in the spring of 2020 it looked like
the bitter custody battle between Alyssa and Andrew had finally come to an end Alyssa had a new guy named Ben and
Andrew fell hard for a woman named Holly Elkins someone his mom lazette was thrilled about a daughter from minute
one she just has this charm and energy I warmed to her very quickly Alyssa was happy that he started
dating someone else I guess hopeful that Holly would help this situation that Holly
would be supportive of the mother that's involved Holly sent this text to Alyssa
look forward to having a super healthy relationship with you and Ben Alyssa responded I hope your influence helps
because I'd love nothing more for us all to have a healthy relationship despite Holly's message
Andrew suddenly became hostile with Alyssa he was once again demanding primary custody of Willow dragging
Alyssa back into court he was always very short very very rude very hateful it just totally changed the way
that they communicated together Alysa couldn't shake this uneasy feeling that she was being watched and began telling
family and friends that Andrew always seemed to know what she was doing he knew where she was he knew where Willow
was he knew just other places that she had been I remember one night she was out with one of her friends and they
were at a bar in Downtown Dallas and she's like text me oh my gosh Andrew is here and in my mind I'm like the odds of
that happening are slim to none you know she didn't know how he was tracking her
she just knew that she was being tracked how would you describe what she went through hell I mean every day you feel
like you're having to watch over your shoulder that's how I felt she lived hi everyone um my name's Alyssa Madison
found this video after Alyssa's death it was never posted past year I have been going through a custody battle a
very ugly one I have a one-year-old child um it's taking a toll on my mental and physical health with that being said
I've become a lot stronger in the process and I guess just my message is um no matter what you're
going through stick it out you can do it and stay strong but she would continue to be tested in September 2020 1 month
before her murder it reached a whole new level a man who said his name was Frank
marrow called 911 and reported that Alysa was selling drugs out of the trunk of her car at work I saw I know I
thought look like someone just selling some drugs out of their truck and I could smell it and I could see it and
okay what kind of vehicle is it it's a little Toyota Corolla I have a license plate it's that help okay great well
your last name Marl acting on this tip Carolton police officers descended on the Green Tree apartment's leasing
office and confronted Alysa she gave them the keys to her car and they opened the
trunk inside they discovered drugs a pistol and some cash exactly where the caller said they would
be so your daughter suddenly now looks like a drug dealer and a dangerous one as well she's armed yes I mean is Alyssa
worried that she's going to get arrested lose her job yes all of the above she's
worried about her job she thinks yeah she's going to be arrested now he's going to use this in court so she's for
sure going to lose Willow after questioning Alysa it was clear to police that she knew nothing
about the drugs and pistol in the trunk of her car they concluded those items had been planted the caller had tried to
frame her Alysa knew in her gut that caller was Andrew beard later that day she texted
her roommate Shelby Alyssa messaged me and said he is going to try to get someone to kill me
next and when you read those words my heart dropped that wasn't who she was she wasn't a fearful person showing and
asking for help shows me that she was genuinely scared she knew that you know whatever was coming next was going to be
serious the once Fearless young woman had become scared for her life these are some of the texts she sent to her sister
Madison come over while I walk inside lock the door behind you do you see anyone around you and Alyssa wasn't the
only one who was terrified it kept progressing each thing that he would do just kept getting worse and after this
point framing her and she didn't get arrested I thought well what else is there to do besides kill
her one month after the drugs and gun were planted in Alysa Brett's car she was dead I knew that it it was him when
when the drugs didn't work in the car for him to get the baby once we talked to Alyssa's mom we had an idea who we
were looking for and who is that person that person was Andrew beard oh my God and to Teresa's horror he had visitation
with Willow that day the baby was with him yes I want my grand baby away from him my first thoughts were if he's going
to kill Willow within hours of the murder the police p pulled over Andrew Beard's
F-150 pickup truck for an alleged traffic violation Andrew and his fiance Holly elans were asked to get out of the
vehicle the daughter's in a car seat in the back seat much of the body cam footage in this program has been resized
so you can see it better they've been pretty Cooperative Andrew seemed unfazed by the whole thing says detective Hardy
he was very calm he wasn't amped up he he didn't seem nervous my part was to just find me
that's all they asked me to do ultimately Andrew and Holly were allowed to go and because he had court-mandated
visitation rights take Willow with them but the police seized his F-150 pickup and instructed him not to return home
Andrew Holly and Willow went to a hotel got garage and that night a search of Andrew's house turned up critical
evidence this was found inside the living game in one of Andrew Beard's backpacks such as this envelope
scribbled with incriminating notes upon reading the notes we realized those were
tied to the Frank marrow 911 call Frank marrow the caller who had reported Alyssa was selling drugs out of her car
alysa's license plate number the color and model of the vehicle Frank marrow everything that he needed to make that
911 call was on this back of this it's like you discovered the screen play to this phy called a 911 that was kind of
shocked I was like he he kept this so we found this GPS tractor box also in plain
view says another lead detective Jeremy chalier charging stations and batteries that match the tracking device
detectives discovered on Alyssa's car after the murder so this is the device that was put on her car
that was all part of his plan to to catch her doing something that he believed that she shouldn't be
doing to gain an advantage in that child custody dispute a search of that Ford F-150
seized at the traffic stop turned up more jaw-dropping evidence so this is one of the makeup vials that were
recovered from inside one of the bags in the F-150 it was a foundation called Java yeah it's really dark very dark and
the purpose of that was what do you believe was to disguise Andrew Beard's face to make him look like an
African-American the police found the knife sheath at the scene but never found the knife or the gun but the day
after the homicide they found something just as important that black SUV they learned Andrew had bought it
specifically to commit the murder and there it was abandoned less than a mile from Andrew's house he drove it to that
location and he fled back to his house Lo the morning of the murder that's Andrew beard captured on a home security
camera fleeing through the neighborhood he is doing the Bigfoot run from this vehicle what' you find when you guys
process the inside of this vehicle we were able to recover multiple spots where blood was recovered that was later
tested to be Alyssa's blood they also found another part of his disguise a fake beard that looks
like a Halloween kind of beard just uh exactly yes he he purchased a a Halloween costume so that's what led us
to get the arrest warrant for Andrew beard Andrew beard who still had Willow had been staying in an Airbnb with his
fiance Holly Elkins and mother Lizette when we were at the Airbnb he got a call he was going to be arrested just 3 days
after Alysa was killed Willow was sent back to Teresa and Andrew beard turned himself into the police Andrew beard he
was charged with murder I was confident they had the wrong man so was Holly Elkins she volunteered to speak to the
police I want to help I really do but I don't have any answers incredulous that the man she planned to marry was capable
of murder so I just told all my friends and family that I'm engaged to the most wonderful man on the planet and now
people want me to believe that he's not and there are so many emotional roadblocks for you to try to believe
that I get that I can't believe that my fiance would do something like that to a
woman or to anybody but a woman detective chalier on the right and detective Harding on the left
interviewed Holly for about an hour hoping to turn her into a witness for the prosecution I'm telling you there's
a side of him that you do not know but she stood by Andrew insisting that he had an alibi he was home with her when
the murder took place there are a few hours that you know he was not in that house you cannot tell me that I feel
that way sir I can tell you that because I know that for a fact that he was out of the house Holly I don't know that for
a fact that's what my problem is Holly remained adamant that she would have known if he had left I am a total stage
five Clinger girlfriend I'm always up his ass ask I find it hard to believe the interview ended with Holly
standing by her man she and Andrew's mom lazette continued living together in an
Airbnb they became extremely close and bonded over their shared belief that Andrew was innocent says lazette we
stayed so close we were just connected at the hip and made agreements to never go anywhere without one another finally
after 2 weeks behind bars Andrew was released on bond lazette was overjoyed Holly as lazette would soon discover not
so much they've told us he's coming home tomorrow and Holly says I'm going she holds is holding her suitcase and she
goes I'm going I'm leaving I'm going home but the day before Andre gets home what why are you choosing
now during this scary scary time for his in his life she'd already ordered her her Uber and never came
back detective chaler says he was so worried about Willow's safety he reached out to the federal government to take
the case under Federal firearm laws because an unregistered silencer was found in Andrew's home the feds agreed
Andrew beard was rearrested 8 days after he bonded out ultimately at that point our goal was was to get him back into
custody Andrew was ultimately charged with cyber stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in
death 1 year and 8 months after Alyssa's murder Andrew called his mother with unimaginable news he said you know Mom
I'm I'm going to plead guilty so I immediately said well Andrew you're not going to you're not going to
plead guilty to anything you didn't do because clearly he didn't murder her in my mind because that's out of character
and not who he is and it was stupidly done and he's not stupid so it never was him but she would learn it was him he
admitted he did it he killed the mother of his child I have physically dropped to my knees sometimes
feeling like I've got punched in the stomach and I have to tell myself I have to tell myself that that
was a a moment a heinous awful outof character broken moment Andrew beard pleaded guilty but
the investigation wasn't over Andrew beard was talking and he had a lot to say how come you waited so long to talk
about what like what Holly did what do you make of Holly Elkin's interview with detectives see more
evidence from the case at 48 [Music] hours.com paully Elkins left Texas and returned to her home state of Michigan 2
and 1/2 weeks after the murder of Alyssa brette she gave no hint of what she'd Left Behind says her best friend from
childhood Stephanie G did she ever mention the name Alyssa brette to you never never never never not once she
didn't talk about Andrew beard either not even once nope Stephanie who met up with Harley about 7 months after she
returned to Michigan says her old friend appeared to be starting life a new a new
condo a new Lexus a new man she had this boyfriend with her so everything just seemed really normal
Stephanie says from the time she was a teenager Polly always had a guy and she knew how to wrap them around her little
finger it was like a cat and mouse thing when you say cat and mouse she was the cat oh absolutely yes she was the cat
she controlled the relationship absolutely she was the one in the driver's seat back in Texas investigators were
just beginning to learn more about the fiance who had skipped town after the murder one year and 9 months after
Alyssa was killed Andrew beard spoke to the FBI as part of a plea deal assuming absolutely it does look planned out cuz
it was the process was planned out it quickly became clear to investigators that this Holly Elkin I'm trying to help
and no one's helping me the Holly elen seemingly torn apart by Alyssa's death I just feel bad to not I just feel bad to
not help something that I think is very sad that happened was giving the performance of her life I've literally
cried myself to nauseum every single night over this what did you learn about her true feelings about Alysa she hated
Alysa with with a burning passion investigators dug back into Andrew and Holly's text messages many of which
Alyssa's family also saw both of you learn that Holly had um some derogatory words about Alyssa what did
she call her ugly fat a bad mom all things that she wasn't and baby mama is was my sister's contact
name and Holly's phone see baby mama derogatory word that any woman finds despicable but what the heck's all that
jealousy Holly wanted something Alissa had and she didn't says Madison she wanted Willow why was she so obsessed
with Willow that was her life she wanted a a perfect family and that was her way
of getting it Alyssa was going to stand in her way of doing that if it was Friday Hol would have been the more
Andrew talked the clearer Holly's role became says detective chaler what portrait did he paint of
Holly Elkins that she was the one running the show uh that she was telling him what he
was going to do when he was going to do it how he was going to do it remember that drug plant if you were to ask me
whose idea was what drugs and and the planning of drugs was was was Elkins Holly Elkins even tried to get Alyssa's
mom Teresa arrested the incident started when Teresa and Alyssa drove by Holly and and 's home Teresa says Holly and
Andrew had failed to return Willow at the appointed time we see Holly on the golf cart with Willow in her lap coming
towards the end of their driveway and I got out of the car and I grabbed Willow went and got back in the car handed
Willow to Alyssa and sped off Holly immediately called the police who arrived with body cams rolling the
grandmother Holly told them Teresa assaulted her when she grabbed Willow from her lap she literally attacked me
from behind or from behind side I was facing the lake Teresa says she never touched Holly but Holly pulled up her
shirt to show Cops scratches she claimed Teresa had inflicted I have oh you have some in your on your
what did you think of those pictures that they were ridiculous that it was so apparent that she had done
that to herself how would they even think someone else did that to her because they're going downwards like
your own hand did it the police agreed concluding the injuries looked like they were
self-inflicted but it only made things more dangerous for Alyssa says detective chalier the things that they were doing
to try to get custody of Willow wasn't working at that point and I think that they decided we we got to up the game
and uh up in the game meant getting rid of of Alysa how began playing her game of cat and mouse it was made very clear
to me that your previous methods aren't working this is what you're going to do now in order to prove that um that that
that you're basically you're worthy worthy of being a man who deserved her love Holly Elkins writes to Andrew I
don't want anyone who is a to some low life or a pushover I want a man who protects his women and child before
anyone and doesn't give two FS otherwise your comment just straightforward manipulation she was
going to make him do what she felt needed to be done no matter what and Andrew told investigators it worked like
I was emotionally drained and at that point I just basically said okay and became submissive to whatever she wanted
me to do that's the task I did a week and a half before the murder Holly left for Mexico but didn't let up on Andrew
here's a text this is one week before the murders this is September 25th 2020 Holly Elkins writes I hope you handle it
I'm not coming home to BS Andrew beard says that's my goal to that Holly texted back well it will be a whole different
conversation if I feel like you are ride or die if not then I don't know what is she
saying to him to me it means that you're either with me or you're not with me uh
you're either going to ride with me and die with me or you're not going to be with me at all after he killed Alysa
Andrew told investigators Holly begged for details about the crime her request was that he described uh the murder to
her while they were in bed together it's one of the most aggrading things I've ever heard in May of 2023 Andrew beard
was sent sentenced to 43 years in federal prison investigators believe Holly Elkins thought the case was over I
think she believed that the further she got away from this the less involved she
was going to be but it didn't work out for [Music] her these are the photos of the grave we
always decorated for every holiday in July of 2023 Valentine's Day and then Christmas almost 3 years after Alyssa's
death happy Mother's Day Holly Elkins was arrested by federal agents at the Miami Airport as she was returning from
a trip to the Dominican Republic the lanterns that was I think one of my favorite things that we did an Arrest A
Long Time Coming for Alyssa's family what is that balloon I thought we were never going to see that happen I felt
relief Holly who pleaded not guilty was charged with conspiracy to stalk and stalking using a dangerous weapon
resulting in death the FBI had built a compelling case against her says detective chaler Holly's phone really
had a lot of stuff on it searching for tracking devices there were indications that they were together whenever the
ammunition and the knife were purchased and they also tied Holly to the makeup Andrew used to disguise himself as a
black man it was um you're going to dress dress up as a as a different person essentially you're going to wear
this dark makeup that was her plan that was how it's going to be done while Andrew seems harmless in this video
never forget that he was was the one who chased Alyssa down like a hunter tracking a wounded animal he furiously
stabbed her with a brutality these detectives had never seen Andrew ends up saying about why he
came back to finish her what did he say his statement to US during the interview
with agent Hansen was that he did it out of Mercy that he knew that she was still
alive and he was somehow doing her favor by by killing her Andrew may have committed the murder
alone but according to the US attorney's office he didn't plan it alone in April
2024 hully Elkins went on trial as a co-conspirator in the courtroom where no cameras were permitted one of the
prosecutors put it like this says detective Harding Andrew beard is a monster but he was Holly Oak's monster I
don't want or need a lawyer because I don't have anything to hide us attorneys painted a picture of a woman who would
stop at nothing to get what she wanted well I feel like the dumbest most manipulated woman on the entire planet
if this is true yes and what she wanted was a little girl named Willow and do you believe Holly Elkins was a puppet
master in all of this 100% I do she orchestrated this whole thing I think Holly is
wicked I think she's wicked to the core that she would ever want this to happen to another woman to a mother to a mother
of the child that she had come to love what if these two had never come together Holly and Andrew would Andrew
have committed this murder I I don't think they would have I don't want 100% believe that if Holly and Andrew had
never met that Alyssa briette would be alive today after a one-week trial the case
went to the jury the jury takes just 90 minutes to deliberate when they come back to that courtroom what is the
verdict guilty Holly was found guilty and sentenced to two life terms much longer
than Andrew for Alyssa's family the verdict was a Bittersweet Victory I was thrilled but heart heart broken at the
same time I'm so happy that Alissa is getting the Justice she deserved but at that
point it's over our fight is over two families are left to Grapple with the wreckage Holly Elkin and Andrew
beard Left Behind lazette Bowers will forever be known as the mother of a murderer he
killed someone and that is beyond awful it's the worst thing anyone can do but that's
not who I love and Teresa and Madison must try to make sense of a world without Alyssa in
it we don't get to live the normal life anymore it was always me and her my best
friend like that was my person and only getting to be with her for 20 years that's not just not
fair after the trial Teresa was allowed to take a things out of her car it was pretty
emotional for all of us actually this was the mirror that she used so she could see Willow from the driver's
seat you know just knowing that was the last place she was sitting when it happened I want mama Willow who was with
Teresa had never cried over her mother until that day she was crying asking me if I could please bring her mom back
just so she could see her one more time and I tried to explain to her that she's
in heaven and then she asked me if she had a phone number in heaven one day Willow will learn the
whole story of what happened to her mother do you know what this is Will Tree yeah and when that time comes her hopes
Willow will see the beauty in Alyssa's life not the tragedy of her death I hope that one day she grows up and she feels
the love that her mom sincerely had for [Music] her you've probably heard of the NCIS
from the hit TV series but we're about to take you inside its real life work listen to 48 Hours NCIS early and AD
free on the 48 Hours Plus subscription on Apple podcast as a kid growing up in Chicago
there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch it was called Candyman but did you know that the movie Candyman
was partly inspired by an actual murder listen to Candyman the true story behind
the bathroom mirror murder wherever you get your podcast [Music] welcome back to postmortem I'm your host
anarie green and today we are discussing the case of Alysa burette who in 2020 was brutally murdered by Andrew beard
her ex-boyfriend and also the father of her young daughter nearly 3 years after Alyssa's death Andrew's fiance Holly
Elkins was arrested in connection with the murder so joining me now to unpack all the twists and turns of this case
our 48 Hours correspondent Peter vancan producer Liza Finley and Gabby demerin thank you so much guys thanks anarie
thanks anarie great to be here again anarie okay as per usual everyone remember if you haven't listened to the
48 Hours episode yet you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed go take a listen and
then come back for this conversation so here we go Alysa brette was murdered in broad daylight outside of her workplace
in Carolton Texas this is just North of Dallas they were Witnesses and even though Andrew beard wore a disguise he
was really quickly identified as a suspect and surrendered to authorities just three days later but what I was
really surprised by is he he picks such a public place to attack her do you have
any insight into why he would do it there in broad daylight well first off it's absolute Madness that he did it
where he did it and his own mother even said this was stupid she wasn't involved
in in in the murder of course but to to have all those eyeballs there where he was spotted his getaway vehicle was
spotted how he killed her was seen But authorities think it's all part of this enormous psychological pressure he was
under from Holly that he had to act that's the power that she had over him that he would have done something this
stupid which uh put authorities WR on top of him so quickly and by the way quick side um I used to live in Carolton
Texas when I was a reporter in Dallas and about a mile and a half from this site so it's really something Carolton
is a great town and I love living there and this is an extraordinary case for uh
for those folks it was unbelievable I mean just to go back to how stupid it was for instance they made up this
decision to have him appear he's a white man as a an African-American man so they
got this makeup you know sort of the Java makeup and he put this on like like it was ridiculous and then he put on a
fake beard that was a Halloween costume and he expected people to to think that he was an African-American man and a lot
of the witness has said you know something about him I don't think he was really yeah yeah yeah and he he wasn't
fooling anybody it was ludicrous and you do wonder I mean one of the things we think about all the time it's like how
did he think that he was going to get away with this there's no way I mean he had a history with this woman of of
tormenting her and stalking her and here he is in the 9 o00 in the morning doing
this Savage murder M you know the thing about Andrew is that he was really willing to talk pretty openly with the
FBI almost right away did you all reach out to him yes so I had originally um sent him an email
he's in prison but there is a system where you can contact incarcerated people through and that's how I was able
to get my message to him and so I'd sent him an email and I said hey would you be
willing to speak with me over the phone and he was he was very polite answered all of my questions and he was very
willing to help and he wanted to do an interview on camera and he was trying to facilitate this with the prison
ultimately they didn't let us in there wow but he wanted to talk on camera he was ready did he Express regret
not to me and I always find some people they just want to talk cuz they also realize
we're the last gasp of the real world from the horrible confinement in prison and and we're a relief to them they
sometimes seize on that and they want to talk to us because after that it's just
bars horrible food violence isolation shame makes a lot of sense yeah of course part of the reason that he was a
suspect sort of early on is because Alyssa and beard had had this contentious uh relationship this custody
battle over their daughter Willow uh but when beard started dating Holly Elkins Alyssa was actually hopeful that maybe
this new woman would create sort of a new more positive environment that all three of them could maybe work together
to support Willow and there were a series of text messages that we actually did see in the hour between Melissa and
Elkins from this period and they seem quite amicable and then something changed drastically between the two of
them do we know why Holly Elkins was just acting and she says they met for the first time they all had a meal
together and they were very friendly and she wrote texts to Alyssa that said um I
really want a super healthy relationship and Alyssa's like yes thank goodness and
her mother was happy and her sister was happy and finally you know somebody that's
going to be able to calm Andrew down but behind the scenes let me tell you behind
the scenes she was up to no good talk about you know sort of a two-faced personality Alyssa had no idea she had
these evil designs to eliminate her and become Willow's mother we have some other texts that didn't make it into the
show and this is an exchange about what Andrew was going through with Holly how she put pressure on him and the murder
took place in October of 2020 this is in June and Holly is texting Andrew and she
says some nasty things about Alyssa she refers to her as BM which is a baby mama
here's some of that exchange Holly writes outside of not wanting some garbage mom pathetic hookup in my life
if I raise Willow with you and we don't work out I lose a child do you get that she's talking now to Andrew the man
she's manipulating to do this this this killing Andrew said I do it would be unbearable you know he was just so
submissive to her right then Holly writes if those things were important to you you would have brought them up to
baby mama on your own Andrew and Andrew writes back in his submissive style I love how serious you were taking it and
was just so wrapped up in how great it's been I didn't give you any acknowledgment of that and Holly writes
back but you chose to be IDK I don't know for lack of a better term submissive to her like let me deal with
some crazy ass courts baby mama situation for the rest of my life to raise Willow who I have no right to and
I lose if anything goes sideways this was part of her badgering of Andrew you're not a man unless you you do this
you are to stand up and defend me these are my desires my wants and he is very submissive oh you know what what's sort
of interesting is we spoke to Holly's best friend growing up and in high school and this is exactly how she
treated boys growing up she was The Catch of the Day you know everybody wanted Holly all the guys she had the
fanciest clothes and the nicest pocketbooks and she wound them around her little finger and got them to do
things for her like pick her up at midnight and take her to get a a hamburger yeah she really she had it
down Gabby in your like correspondence with Andrew beard did he talk about how he felt about Elkins no really but he
would refer to her as Elkins and I thought that that was interesting and he does that in his interview with the FBI
and he refers to Alyssa as brette as well which I thought is kind of cold yeah yeah that's a little odd we saw in
the hour that they had done this whole fake drug bus to try and get Alysa I don't arrested maybe she would lose
custody but that wasn't the only thing they tried Andrew beard said Holly was behind a lot of these schemes she called
911 claiming to be a woman named Amber for instance and uh she wanted to report that there's a car that matched alysa's
car with the same license plate driving recklessly F drunk um and she was afraid
Holly was afraid and they went and checked it out and they didn't find any evidence that
Alissa was even on the road that night and remember they had put a tracker on her car we talked about this where she'd
be out at a club and Andrew would walk in it was like how how did he know I was here she had no idea that this
incredible plot was unfolding where she was the Target and it was escalating so I have to admit uh Elkin's interview
video that we saw I fell for it she looked truly distressed she voluntarily speaks to police she tells them that she
knows nothing about Alyssa's murder um some of the interview was in the hour but we're going to actually play a clip
that was not included in the hour like I know what it's like to lose a mom anybody losing a mom is not okay with me
by any means and I don't care if I if I liked her disliked her or thought anything about her because that is not
okay I didn't always have the best relation ship with my mom either but losing a mom is not okay so one of the
things I thought was interesting about what she says is I know what it's like to lose a mother I would never do
anything like that did she lose her mother yes so about two months before she met Andrew beard she lost her mother
to Suicide it's very clear in this interview she's trying to play on the sympathies of these cops she wants them
to feel badly for her and um knowing what we know now it's honestly crazy that she had come up with a plan to kill
Willow's mother a baby that she'd come to love so much knowing that she had also lost her mother so recently she was
masterful in that I thought the the acting performance right she could be nominated for an Oscar absolutely
convincing one things the the cops told us that she always thought she was the smartest person in the room she thought
she could out would smart everybody welcome back everyone so Elkins was actually arrested nearly 3 years after
Alyssa's murder what was she doing during that time so we don't know much but according to court documents uh we
learned that she had gotten married in February 2023 we don't know to who but she had also made 12 trips to the
Dominican Republic so she was keeping busy she's live in large Andrew was in the rearview mirror Left Behind to to
deal with this situation she had helped create for him and she was obviously not
afraid of getting caught I mean this was an opportunity for her to go disappear somewhere in remote region of the world
and get away with murder but I guess she didn't think she had anything to fear so
what evidence did the FBI uncover that really pointed to elen's involvement in Alyssa's murder because as you point out
Liza she was probably feeling like well I didn't do it I don't know maybe she was thinking it's not illegal to bring
up an idea right right well they had all these very damning texts but they also had some
real evidence that really put her smack in the middle of the plot they found that she had uh bought that makeup that
dark makeup that and ordered him according to his FBI interview to wear it and to to be this Persona she was
there when they bought the the knife when they bought the ammunition I mean really tangible stuff you know 48 hours
viewers know this every modern car has a GPS tracker authorities can see where you went on particular days and if your
car went to a Walmart parking lot they can then check that day on the cameras if you use your credit card anywhere
they're going to find that purchase and so they are able to trip them up on all of these things and another thing is
that there was evidence that Holly was with Andrew when he placed the GPS tracker on Alissa's car in June of 2020
interesting and there was one search on her phone that said creepy stalking music and another search something to
the effect of is it legal to track somebody after the murder she did some searches and she wrote can I not be
brought into court if I have a psychiatrist note she also wrote um vulnerable patients going to court she's
looking into apparently mental illness then she also wrote contact psychiatrist in Dallas suggesting she was mentally
troubled with a bunch of question marks what was that about prosecutors thought that Holly was trying to create a
narrative about herself potentially for her own defense so she was thinking of a
way that she might be able to I'm guessing put the blame on Andrew that I'm I was
mentally uh damaged or mentally ill at the time and he manipulated me right that's just a theory I have no idea but
that's a theory and also what's so weird is is that if it was so obvious that Andrew did this and he was going to get
caught for doing it she would never get Willow and she knew that so really what what was the game what was
it so the 48 iish team was actually in the court room for elen's trial this this is April of 2024 what was it like
in the courtroom so it was very sad um Andrew had pleed so he never got to go to trial so this is the first an only
trial that Alyssa's family was ever going to attend and it was almost four years later after the murder so they
have to relive this whole thing with the anticipation leading up to it the prosecution played Holly's interview in
court as well and you know it's very evident in some places where she's just overacting and lying and you know
knowing what we knew sitting in the courtroom it was very intense being in there so so you in the courtroom and
you're hearing all this evidence crazy evidence about the makeup what did you learn so her defense put on a makeup
artist as their expert and they used um the same bottle of makeup that was found
in Andrew Beard's car that investigators say he used to cover his face uh the morning of the murder they took that
bottle of makeup and they essentially did a makeover on Holly Elkins in front of the jury a demonstration to show that
this makeup could be used to Contour her face it took about 20 minutes the jury is looking at each other like what is
going on everybody in the room is like are they really just like giving Holly alkins a makeover at her own trial and
the judge says something to the effect of like I've been a judge for a very long time this is definitely a first
what was her demeanor like in the court room she very rarely throughout this 7-Day trial looked back into the gallery
to see every body do you know if there was anyone there on her behalf there was a couple there I didn't know if they
were related to her but um like we said she lost her mother and her dad did show
up the very last day I believe wow yeah um Andrew's mom also attended Holly's trial and she was sitting in the same
section with the victim's family and the judge actually ordered her to sit on the
opposite end away from Alyssa's family and Lizette Andrew's mom said to the judge well I'm not here in favor of the
defense making it very clear what her position was yeah this is something that I think was kind of unique Andrew's
mother was not defending her son I mean she acknowledged that he did this horrible thing she is heartbroken about
it was it difficult to convince her to talk Lizette did she want to talk she wanted to talk she needed to talk
sitting across from her this was a very cathartic moment for her she did want to
communicate that my son had been a normal boy he had dreams and I loved him and I never saw this kind of behavior
before and people think too well a personality like Andrew must have come from a bad seed somehow I think she also
wanted the world to know I'm a normal person which makes us ever more Haunting of how this can happen and looking in
the depths of the human psyche how her son could go from this terrific young man to a killer and she just wanted to
talk about it I mean she feels very tainted you know she feels that uh people look at her with disgust and
blame her and uh she wanted us to know that she was a loving mother who had raised a good son in her
mind we meet a lot of families of people who commit murder very rarely do they admit that their loved one actually did
it and take responsibility and feel terrible and most of them they just can't go there they just can't and she
did you know I I admire that I wondered also about did she talk about her relationship with Holly Elkins um
because I thought it was interesting that little part part of the interview where she's talking about how close they
are and she says we vowed that we would never go any place without each other and that actually made me think like but
that's not normal like that's a different kind of attachment you know well they bonded over their belief or
Lizette thought that that uh Holly believed it as well that that Andrew was innocent so they had some they had a
really you know they had a Cause right us against the world yeah lazette you almost felt like she'd gone back in time
and she was the same age like they were dear friends and that was a fascinating Dynamic but it's part of Holly's ability
to manipulate for lazette she felt as though Holly was a member of the family and she came to love her then Holly
abandons Andrew and Vette never hears from her again right the minute he gets out on bond she just disappears The
Charge I thought was interesting because Elkin is ultimately found guilty of conspiracy to stalk and stalking using a
dangerous weapon resulting in death but then she gets two life sentences it just
didn't seem like those charges would result in such a heavy penalty most murder cases are handled on the state
and county level on the federal side they do have a murder charge but it's rarely used they use these other charges
that sound convoluted but they still pack a wallup in terms of uh a sentence and you can be sentenced to Life as a
result of that charge and she got two life sentences I know what about Willow how is she doing Willow is 5 years old
now and Alyssa's Mother Teresa said she's a very loved little girl um it's very clear that they've made a lovely
home for her she has this beautiful princess bedroom all pink and I think you know now that she's growing up
Teresa is worried about how she's going to have to explain what happened to Alyssa to her remember Willow asks her
grandmother does mama have a cell phone in heaven can I call her yes it's heartbreaking I can't imagine ran who
can imagine that uh I have to say Alyssa's mom though is is just the most loving person and so she'll be
surrounded in that and hopefully she can come through the other side of This Disaster well it sounds like she has an
incredible support system um but this is you know this is something that will hang over her for for the rest of her
life it was a really fascinating hour an incredible twist at the end Peter Liza Gabby thank you so much for joining us
today thank you for having us thanks for having us Amar another fascinating talk
thanks so much if you like this series postmortem please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple
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Did a couple orchestrate an elaborate plan to kill a mother?

Watch "The Plot to Eliminate Alyssa Burkett" and then catch up with "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant and producers Liza Finley and Gabby Demirdjian on "Post Mortem" as they discuss how Alyssa Burkett was murdered outside her workplace in Texas. Authorities quickly zeroed in on her ex-boyfriend, Andrew Beard. But nearly three years after the murder, the FBI arrested another unlikely suspect. Join the team as they break down the evidence against Andrew’s former fiancée, Holly. They discuss the damning text messages between them and an unusual expert the defense called at her trial: a make-up artist.

00:00 The Plot to Eliminate Alyssa Burkett 41:54 Listen to a post-mortem on the episode

Listen to "Post Mortem" wherever you get your podcasts: https://cbsn.ws/4isiqoN

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Alysa Burette was murdered by Andrew Beard, influenced by his fiancée Holly Elkins, amid a bitter custody battle.

Key points

Alysa's Tragic Murder. Alysa was brutally murdered, leaving her family devastated and searching for answers.
Andrew Beard's Arrest. Andrew Beard was arrested for Alysa's murder after critical evidence was found.
Custody Battle Escalates. Alysa's custody battle with Andrew Beard intensified, leading to fear and tension.
Framing Allegations. Alysa was framed for drug dealing just before her murder, escalating her fears.
Andrew's Guilty Plea. Andrew Beard pleads guilty to murder, shocking his mother who believed he was innocent.
Holly's Manipulation. Holly Elkins's controlling nature over Andrew Beard is revealed through text messages.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He did this. He's an evil person.

Teresa's conviction about Andrew Beard's guilt in Alysa's murder.

8:02WatchMar 14, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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