Texas man who murdered woman over custody of their child pleads guilty to federal crimes
A Rowlett man who authorities say shot and stabbed to death his ex-girlfriend in October 2020 to gain custody of their daughter has pleaded guilty to violent federal crimes.
Andrew Charles Beard, 35, entered his plea Wednesday in a Dallas federal courtroom to charges of cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
In plea papers, Beard admitted that he stalked and murdered 24-year-old Alyssa Ann Burkett in a Carrollton parking lot on Oct. 2, 2020, in an attempt to gain custody of their young daughter.
Beard faces life sentences on the two charges. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
Burkett’s mother and coworkers told responding police officers that Burkett feared Beard, believing he was tracking her, and worried he would kill her. Her boyfriend told police that Beard had seemed “overly obsessed” with Burkett and their child.
According to federal plea documents, Beard confessed that he called in a fake tip on Sept. 2, 2020, after planting drugs and a gun in her car. Identifying himself as “Frank Marrow,” he claimed Burkett was selling drugs out of the trunk of her car and advised police to check the spare tire well. Officers searched the tire well and found illegal drugs and a pistol. Burkett vehemently denied selling drugs and stated that she believed Beard had planted the evidence in her vehicle.
Beard also later admitted he that he placed a GPS tracking device on Burkett’s car, got into a black SUV he had purchased for the occasion, and followed her to the apartment complex in Carrollton where she worked.
He donned a disguise that included a fake beard, exited his vehicle with a shotgun and shot Burkett in the head as she sat behind the wheel of her car. Believing that he had fatally shot her, Beard ran back to the SUV to drive away, according to court documents.
However, Burkett — critically injured and bloodied from the shotgun blast — staggered out of her car and attempted to enter a nearby building for help.
Realizing that his ex-girlfriend was still alive, Beard exited the SUV, ran up to her and grabbed her from behind, and stabbed her 13 times through the upper body with a sharp object. She died in the parking lot as he raced away from the scene.
Beard was arrested a few hours later and police recovered a prepaid burner cell phone where authorities found an internet search for, “what is the best way to remove gunpowder residue from hands.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 12:20 PM.
