5 chilling details about Alyssa Burkett case on 20/20

In Carrollton, Texas, Alyssa Burkett, a 24-year-old assistant office manager and devoted mother to her one-year-old daughter, Willow, pulled into the parking lot of the Greentree Apartments for work on October 2, 2020.

A man in a black SUV shot her through her car window, and when she stumbled out seeking safety, he chased her down and stabbed her repeatedly. The brutality left investigators stunned, with one detective calling it the worst scene in his 33-year career.

At the heart of the case was a bitter custody battle between Burkett and her ex-fiancé, Andrew Beard, the father of Willow. Beard, who had begun a new relationship with Holly Elkins earlier that year, soon surrendered to police, but the investigation revealed a deeper plot.

Evidence pointed to Elkins as the driving force behind the murder, fueled by jealousy and a desire to eliminate obstacles in their custody fight. Surveillance footage, text messages, and physical evidence pieced together a story of stalking, deception, and cold calculation.

This harrowing tale is explored in depth in the ABC News 20/20 season 48 episode 10, titled Ride or Die, which aired on December 17, 2025, on ABC.

ABC’s 20/20: 5 chilling details about the Alyssa Burkett case

1. The killer's racist disguise to mislead investigators

Another terrible aspect of Alyssa Burkett's death was the disguise that the killer, Andrew Beard, used when carrying out the crime. On the 2nd of October, 2020, Beard put on a black rain suit, together with make-up that was colored dark, and a beard, to look like a black individual.

This was meant to confuse witnesses and the police in the process of carrying out the crime in the Greentree Apartments car park. This was also made worse by the fact that the initial descriptions of the suspect, who was white and Alyssa Burkett's ex-fiancée, were those of a black individual, as per the U.S. Department.

Later analysis also discovered the makeup and beard evidence in the abandoned SUV that led back to Beard, confirming the use of racial concealment. Not only had the use of a disguise caused a longer delay in the search for the fugitive, but the fact that he went through such lengths to deceive people made the level even more cruel.

He had met Burkett through the Internet and had a daughter with the woman, and they had been caught up in a custody battle that had heightened the animosity, according to Diaz.

2. The overkill: A shooting followed by 44 stabs and slashes

The sheer ferocity of the attack on Alyssa Burkett stands out as a key detail in this case. After Beard shot Burkett in the head through her car window with a shotgun, she miraculously exited her vehicle and ran toward the office building for help.

However, Beard chased her down, exiting his SUV to stab and slash her 44 times with a hunting knife before fleeing. The wounds covered her body, leaving a trail of blood across the parking lot that investigators followed to reconstruct the final moments, as per Fernandez.

Carrollton Police Detective Jeremy Chevallier, with over three decades of experience, described the crime scene as the most gruesome he had ever seen, with the volume of violence suggesting deep personal rage.

Autopsy reports confirmed the headshot alone was nearly fatal, making the subsequent stabbings unnecessary for death but indicative of intent to ensure she could not survive or identify him, as per ABC News.

3. Texts demanding proof of the murder from afar

Text messages exchanged between Andrew Beard and his fiancée, Holly Elkins, revealed a chilling level of detachment and control in the plot against Alyssa Burkett. While Beard carried out the attack on October 2, 2020, Elkins was out of town and sent messages like,

 "I need to know you're my ride or die," and "I'm not coming home unless I know you did this." 

These words, presented in court, showed Elkins withholding her return until Beard confirmed the killing, treating it as a test of loyalty, as per the U.S. Department of Justice. Elkins, who began dating Beard in early 2020 shortly after his split from Burkett, had grown jealous of the custody ties to Willow.

The messages were recovered from Beard's phone during the investigation, painting a picture of Elkins as the orchestrator who pushed for action. Beard later told investigators that Elkins' pressure influenced his decision, though he pulled the trigger. This digital trail was pivotal in her 2024 conviction for conspiracy and stalking resulting in death, as per Diaz.

4. A months-long campaign of stalking and false accusations

Before the deadly ambush, Andrew Beard and Holly Elkins were also engaged in the harassment of Alyssa Burkett. This harassment took place over a period of months in the year 2020. This harassment took the form of installing a GPS tracker on Burkett's car so that she could be tracked, filing a false police report against Burkett for assault, and planting narcotics and a gun in Burkett's car so that she would be arrested.

Elkins also scratched herself in an attempt to make it look as if Burkett had attacked her so that she could gain an advantage for Beard in the child-custody battle, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.

This cyberstalking and hacking were done in an attempt to damage Burkett’s reputation as an unfit mother during the fight over Willow. Examiner records indicate that Elkins did all of this activity remotely through her cell phone, directing messages and celebrations of "victories," such as tipping off authorities anonymously.

Burkett did go to the authorities about some of this activity, but it was not until Beard’s final surrender on October 3, 2020, that the extent of the problem came into view, as per Fernandez.

5. The abandoned SUV loaded with damning evidence

Only a day later, a black Ford Expedition SUV was found abandoned near the residence of suspect Andrew Beard and proved to be a virtual cabinet of curiosity for the evidence that could link the suspect to the murder. The car contained traces of Burkett's blood on the steering wheel, dark makeup spots, and the fake beard worn by the perpetrator.

This car matched the description that the attacker used, a sport utility vehicle, and so Beard readily surrendered when he knew the car was found near his place, as per Diaz. This discovery kicked the case wide open, moving the attention away from the random act of violence toward a planned hit.

Forensic analysis proved the blood and shotgun residues, but the alterations proved there was planning involved. Beard admitted the use of the SUV within his guilty plea back in 2022. The evidence also led back to Elkins through her car access and involvement in the conspiracy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Watch 20/20 season 48 streaming on ABC.