A Rowlett man who cyberstalked his ex-girlfriend and shot and stabbed her to death in the midst of a custody dispute pleaded guilty last week to two violent federal crimes, according to the Department of Justice.
Andrew Charles Beard, 35, pleaded guilty on June 22. He was charged with cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death and with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Beard faces up to two life sentences for the crimes. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham said Beard admitted in a plea that he stalked and murdered his ex-girlfriend, 24-year-old Alyssa Ann Burkett, in a parking lot in Carrollton on Oct. 2, 2020, in an attempt to gain custody of their then 1-year-old daughter.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The DOJ said Beard admitted to placing a GPS tracking device in Burkett's car and following her to her apartment complex where he shot her in the head. Burkett survived the initial attack and was able to escape to a nearby parking lot but Beard ultimately tracked her down and then stabbed her 13 times in her upper body.
Burkett's mother and coworkers told responding officers she feared her ex and that she believed he was tracking her and that she was worried he would kill her. Burkett's boyfriend told police that Beard seemed "overly obsessed" with Burkett and their child.
"This was a brutal, bloody crime," said Meacham. "Ms. Burkett's daughter is now suffering twin tragedies: Her mother is deceased, and her father is an admitted murderer. We pray for strength for this child and the rest of her family in the days, weeks, and years to come."
The Carrollton Police Department on Thursday thanked the DOJ for helping bring justice to the slain woman and her family.
