The ex-fiancée of a white man who wore blackface before shooting and stabbing the mother of his child is now charged with helping him plot the brutal murder.
Holly Ann Elkins, 32, was federally indicted in June for conspiracy to stalk, stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, the U.S. Department of Justice for the Northern District of Texas announced on Friday.
Authorities arrested Elkins on Friday in Miami, Florida. Prosecutors allege she aided her former fiancé Andrew Beard, of Rowlett, Texas, on his obsessive quest to terrorize and kill his ex-girlfriend Alyssa Ann Burkett.
Elkins and Beard Tried to Get Burkett Arrested by Planting Drugs, Firearm in Her Car
Beard and Burkett had been in the middle of a bitter custody battle over their young daughter. Prosecutors claim Elkins and Beard purchased a GPS tracking device in the summer of 2020 which was later found on Burkett's vehicle.
Elkins allegedly called cops on July 25, 2020, using a fake name to falsely claim seeing the victim's car driving dangerously. On Sept. 2, 2020, Elkins also planted illegal drugs and a gun with an erased serial number in the trunk of the victim's vehicle, prosecutors said. The goal was to have Burkett arrested.
Elkins allegedly texted Beard a photo of the license plate number so he could use it when falsely telling cops under the fake name "Frank Marrow" that Burkett was selling drugs at the apartment complex where she worked.
A search of the spare tire well turned up drugs and a pistol with an obliterated serial number. When questioned by police, Burkett vehemently denied selling drugs. She told officers she believed Beard planted them, authorities said.
Elkins Purchased Make-Up for Beard's Blackface Disguise
Prosecutors allege Elkins directly prepared for the murder and established Beard's alibi. On Sept. 13, 2020, she and Beard bought the vehicle to use in the attack, authorities said.
The next day on Sept. 14, 2020, she allegedly purchased makeup for the killer's disguise.Then on Sept. 19, 2020, the couple together purchased .410 shotgun shells and a knife.
On Oct. 2, 2020, Beard was in blackface when he shot Burkett in the head while she was behind the wheel of her car in her work parking lot. She staggered out in an attempt to get help. Beard stabbed her 13 times. She died at the scene. Beard fled.
Elkins Faked Beard's Alibi
Meanwhile, Elkins was allegedly at Beard's home with Burkett's child, and she later told investigators that Beard was actually at the residence when the murder happened. But authorities discovered the suspect's vehicle abandoned near Beard's home. Investigators also found evidence showing he had disguised his race.
Those pieces of evidence included: two bottles of liquid foundation makeup, partially burned wipes with brown residue, a burned metal cylinder consistent with a makeup brush container, and a dark prosthetic beard with apparent makeup on the inside.
The fake beard contained DNA that matched Beard, authorities said. Dried blood recovered from the vehicle contained DNA that matched Burkett, officials said.
Now, with Beard serving a 43-year federal sentence for cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, prosecutors are going after Elkins for her alleged role in the bloody crime. If convicted, she faces up to two consecutive life sentences in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Dallas Field Office, the Carrollton Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives' Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Tromblay and Andrew Briggs are prosecuting the case.
