A white man tried to disguise himself in blackface amid a twisted plot with his fiance to kill his ex-girlfriend, who he shared a daughter with.
The murder plot orchestrated by Andrew Charles Beard and his fiance, Holly Elkins, against his ex, Alyssa Burkett, was unraveled during Saturday's (November 16) episode of 48 Hours. According to prosecutors, Elkins "dreamt of a life" with Beard where she could raise Willow Ann, his daughter with Burkett, as her own and devised a plan to take the ex-girlfriend out of the picture.
The couple spent months terrorizing and stalking Burkett, 24, before her October 2, 2020 murder. On the day of her killing, Beard, who wore dark makeup and fake facial hair, followed Burkett in a newly purchased SUV to her job at Greentree Apartments, where he opened fire in the parking lot.
Burkett initially survived the shooting and attempted to enter the building where her co-workers were. However, Beard followed after her and stabbed her 44 times with a large hunting knife.
Beard fled the scene as Burkett's co-workers called 911 for help. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Due to Beard's blackface disguise, two witnesses initially described the killer as a Black man. However, Burkett's mother later informed police that her daughter was in a custody battle with Beard over their daughter, and she believed he and Elkins were "evil" enough to commit the murder, per 48 Hours.
Police pulled over Beard and Elkins for an alleged traffic violation hours after the attack. After searching the vehicle, police found a mountain of evidence, including makeup used in the blackface disguise.
Beard was sentenced to 43 years in prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to cyberstalking resulting in death and using a firearm in a violent crime. Elkins was handed down two life sentences for orchestrating Burkett's murder.
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