The Plot to Kill Alyssa Burkett

23:04Andrew and his fiancée, Holly Elkins, 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 Harding. He was very calm. He wasn't amped up. 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 And that night, a search of Andrew's house turned up critical evidence.

24:01This was found inside the living room 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 Morrow 911 call. Frank Morrow, the caller who had reported Alyssa was selling drugs out of her car. Alyssa's license plate number, the color and model of the vehicle, Frank Morrow. Everything that he needed to make that 911 call was on this back of the cell phone. It's like you discovered the screenplay to this fully called a 911. I was kind of shocked. I was like, he kept this? So we found this GPS tractor box.

24:44Also in plain view, says another lead detective, Jeremy Chevalier, charging stations and batteries that matched 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 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.

25:26It'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 the morning of the murder. That's Andrew Beard, captured on a home security camera, fleeing through the neighborhood.

26:07He is doing the Bigfoot run from this vehicle. What'd you find when you guys processed 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. It is. Exactly, yes. He purchased 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 fiancée Holly Elkins and mother Lizette. When we were at the Airbnb, he got a call.

26:50He was going to be arrested. Just three days after Alyssa was killed, Willow was sent back to Teresa. And Andrew Beard turned himself in to the police. Andrew Beard, come over here. 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 that. And there are so many emotional roadblocks for you to try to believe that.

27:33I get that. I can't believe that my fiancé would do something like that to a woman or to anybody but a woman. Detective Chevalier 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.

28:15I 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. I find it hard to believe. The interview ended with Holly standing by her man. She and Andrew's mom, Lizette, continued living together in an Airbnb. They became extremely close and bonded over their shared belief that Andrew was innocent, says Lizette. We stayed so close. We were just connected at the hip and made agreements to never go anywhere without one another. Finally, after two weeks behind bars, Andrew was released on bond.

29:04Lizette was overjoyed. Holly, as Lizette would soon discover, not so much. They've told us he's coming home tomorrow, and Holly says, I'm going. She's holding her suitcase, and she goes, I'm going, I'm leaving. I'm going home. But the day before Andrew gets home, why are you choosing now? during this scary, scary time in his life. She'd already ordered her Uber and never came back. Detective Chevalier 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.

29:51Andrew Beard was rearrested eight days after he bonded out. Ultimately, at that point, our goal was to get him back into custody. Andrew was ultimately charged with cyber-stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death. One year and eight months after Alyssa's murder, Andrew called his mother with unimaginable news. He said, you know, Mom, I'm going to plead guilty. So I immediately said, well, Andrew, 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.

30:34So 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 gotten punched in the stomach. And I have to tell myself, I have to tell myself that that was a moment, a heinous, awful, out-of-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 Holly did?

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35:05Holly Elkins left Texas and returned to her home state of Michigan two and a half weeks after the murder of Alyssa Burkett. She gave no hint of what she'd left behind, says her best friend from childhood, Stephanie Goddard. Did she ever mention the name Alyssa Burkett to you? Never. Never? Never. Not once. She didn't talk about Andrew Beard either? Not even once. Nope. Stephanie, who met up with Holly about seven months after she returned to Michigan, says her old friend appeared to be starting life anew. A new condo, a new Lexus, a new man. She had this boyfriend with her, so everything just seemed really normal.

35:51Stephanie says from the time she was a teenager, Holly 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.

36:15Back in Texas, investigators were just beginning to learn more about the fiancé who had skipped town after the murder. One year and nine months after Alyssa was killed, Andrew Beard spoke to the FBI as part of a plea deal. I'm assuming, absolutely, it does look planned out, because it was. The process was planned out. It quickly became clear to investigators that this Holly Elkins... I'm trying to help. I know it's helping me. The Holly Elkins seemingly torn apart by Alyssa's death... I just feel bad to not help something that I think is very sad that happened. was giving the performance of her life.

36:55I've literally cried myself to nauseam every single night over this. What did you learn about her true feelings about Alyssa? She hated Alyssa 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 learned that Holly had some derogatory words about Alyssa. What did she call her? Ugly, fat, a bad mom, all things that she wasn't, and baby mama was my sister's contact name in Holly's phone. See baby mama. Derogatory word that any woman finds despicable. What the heck's all that? Jealousy. Holly wanted something Alyssa had, and she didn't, says Madison.

37:53She wanted Willow. Why was she so obsessed with Willow? That was her life. She wanted 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, Hawley would have been the one. The more Andrew talked, the clearer Hawley's role became, says Detective Chevalier. What portrait did he paint of Hawley Elkins? That she was the one running the show. 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 the planning of drugs was Elkins.

38:36Holly Elkins even tried to get Alyssa's mom, Teresa, arrested. The incident started when Teresa and Alyssa drove by Holly and Andrew'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. Holly told them Teresa assaulted her when she grabbed Willow from her lap. She literally attacked me from behind, or from behind side.

39:21I 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 a... No, no, no. Oh, you have some on your stomach? 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 Chevalier.

40:02The 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 got to up the game. And up in the game meant getting rid of of Alyssa. Holly 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 you're basically 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.

40:49Your 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, 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.

41:46If 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. 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 Alyssa, Andrew told investigators Holly begged for details about the crime. Her request was that he describe the murder to her while they were in bed together. It's one of the most degrading things I've ever heard. In May of 2023, Andrew Beard was 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.

42:28But it didn't work out for her.

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43:52No minimum balance required. Checking account ranking based on the J.D. Power survey published October 20, 2025. For more information on APY rates, MyPay, SpotMe, and Travel Perks, go to chime.com slash My summer schedule tends to fill up fast. I spend more time outside and I tend to make more spur-of-the-moment plans, which means I have less time to run errands. Instacart can make it easy to get groceries and household essentials from thousands of stores in just a few taps, which means you won't have to worry about running that last-minute errand. With delivery via Instacart available in as fast as 30 minutes, it's a simple way to stay stocked without disrupting the day.

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45:13These are the photos of the grave we always decorated for every holiday. In July of 2023. Valentine's Day. And then Christmas. Almost three 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. Hawley, who pleaded not guilty, was charged with conspiracy to stalk and stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death.

46:04The FBI had built a compelling case against her, says Detective Chevalier. Hawley'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, you're going to dress up 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 the one who chased Alyssa down like a hunter tracking a wounded animal.

46:51He 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 Hanson was that he did it out of mercy. That he knew that she was still alive and he was somehow doing her a favor by killing her. Andrew may have committed the murder alone, but according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, he didn't plan it alone. In April 2024, Holly 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.

47:40Andrew Beard is a monster, but he was Holly Elkins' monster. I don't want or need a lawyer because I don't have anything to hide. U.S. 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.

48:29What if these two had never come together, Holly and Andrew? Would Andrew have committed this murder? I don't think they would have. I 100 % believe that if Holly and Andrew had never met, that Alyssa Burkett 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. Hawley 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 heartbroken at the same time. I'm so happy that Alyssa is giving the justice she deserved, but at that point it's over.

49:23Our fight is over. Two families are left to grapple with the wreckage Holly Elkins and Andrew Beard left behind. Lizette 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. 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 Alyssa's things out of her car.

50:17It 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?

51:09A little tree? Yeah. And when that time comes, her family 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 her.

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