Andrew Charles Beard, left, Alyssa Ann Burkett (Beard photo via Carrollton Police Department; Burkett photo from obituary)
A man who dressed in blackface ambushed his ex-girlfriend where she worked, shot her in the head with a shotgun and when she wasn’t dead straight away killed her stabbed 13 times, was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison in a case sparked amid a bitter custody battle.
Andrew Charles Beard, 36, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges of cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and discharging a firearm in a violent crime in the 2020 murder of Alyssa Ann Burkett, 24 years old.
“This case is a sobering reminder of the brutal violence some women endure at the hands of their intimate partners. The victim, in this case, fought valiantly to the end. We hope today’s sentencing brings some peace to his family,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said in a press release.
His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
In plea documents, Beard admitted to harassing and murdering 24-year-old Burkett outside an apartment rental office in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, Texas on October 2, 2020, to gain custody of their young daughter, authorities announced.
Burkett was so scared that Beard would kill her that she posted on a fundraising page about their custody battle to raise money for legal fees about a month before his death.
“At this point, I fear for my life and my daughter’s life,” she wrote, according to Fox Dallas affiliate KDFW.
Beard admitted to following and tracking her from a GPS device on his car. He bought a black SUV for the occasion and dressed up, officials said.
He shot her in the head with a shotgun as she sat behind the wheel of her car before running towards the SUV, authorities said.
Burkett, seriously injured and bloodied by the shotgun blast, managed to get out of her car and attempted to enter a building to get help.
Realizing she was still alive, Beard got out of the SUV, ran towards her, grabbed her from behind and stabbed her 13 times in the upper body with a sharp object, officials said.
She died in the parking lot as he fled.
Two witnesses described the killer as a black man, the Dallas Morning News reported.
But Beard was the suspect. Burkett’s mother and co-workers told officers she feared Beard, believed he was following her, and feared he would kill her. Burkett’s boyfriend told police Beard seemed “too obsessed” with her and their daughter.
Beard was arrested as he left his home in a white van three hours later. Authorities seized three phones, including a prepaid phone. On a phone, authorities said they found an internet search for “what’s the best way to get gunpowder residue off your hands.”
In his vehicle, investigators found a pair of men’s hiking boots cut into pieces and soaked in bleach. At his home, authorities found a battery that matched the GPS trackers affixed to Burkett’s vehicle.
Authorities also found a script Beard had used to phone in a false drug bust against Burkett a month earlier. Beard admitted to calling the fake tip on September 2, 2020, after he planted drugs and a gun in his car. He identified himself as “Frank Marrow”, claimed Burkett was selling drugs from the trunk of his car and told police to check the spare tire thoroughly, officials said. A search of the tire revealed drugs and a gun with an erased serial number.
When questioned by police, Burkett vehemently denied selling drugs and told officers she believed Beard planted them, authorities said.
The day after the murder, police found the black SUV Beard was driving to and from the murder scene abandoned near Beard’s home, authorities said.
Investigators also found evidence showing he had disguised his race – two bottles of liquid foundation, partially burnt wipes with brown residue, a burnt metal cylinder consistent with a makeup brush, and a dark prosthetic beard with visible make-up inside.
The fake beard contained DNA matching Beard, authorities said. Dried blood recovered from the vehicle contained DNA matching Burkett, officials said.
Burkett was a loving mother with a good understanding of life and a bright future, according to her obituary.
“Alyssa was strong-willed, ambitious, fiercely determined and driven. She had many friends, and she was a natural leader among them. Alyssa was well-loved by her friends and family. Her presence will be deeply missed by all who saw her. have known and loved.
Alberto Luperon of Law&Crime contributed to this report.
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