A man locked in a battle for custody over his one-year-old daughter disguised himself in makeup before shooting and stabbing his ex-girlfriend in a brutal attack in Dallas, Texas.
Alyssa Burkett, 24, and Andrew Beard, 36, had been to court multiple times over the course of a year as the pair clashed over the custody of their daughter.
Burkett grew concerned that her ex was trying to manipulate court proceedings and feared she was going to lose her daughter.
In one instance, she even warned she was “scared for my life and my daughter’s life” after being framed for selling drugs and carrying guns.
But on September 30, 2020, Burkett finally won the awarded custody of her daughter. Days later on October 2, a tragic incident unfolded as Beard sought revenge.
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Beard had cyberstalked Burkett using a GPS tracking device on her car.
He followed her to an apartment leasing office in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton where she worked, plea papers revealed.
Beard was reportedly donning a blackface disguise made using make-up to conceal his identity, according to officials.
He approached Burkett while she was sitting behind the wheel of her car and shot her in the head with a shotgun before running back to a black SUV he bought specifically for the crime.
Burkett somehow survived the initial gunshot and managed to stagger injured and bloodied out of the car and tried to enter a building for help.
Beard spotted that Burkett was still alive and raced out of the SUV and back to Burkett.
He went up behind and grabbed her, stabbing her 13 times through the upper body with a sharp object, according to officials.
She tragically died in the parking lot as Burkett fled the scene. Beard was later arrested while driving home in a white pickup truck three hours later.
Investigators found evidence indicating that Beard disguised his race by using two bottles of liquid foundation makeup.
He also used partially burned wipes with brown residue, a burned metal cylinder with a brush container, and a dark prosthetic beard with makeup inside.
Authorities later seized three phones, including a prepaid burner.
They reportedly found an internet search for “what is the best way to remove gunpowder residue from hands” on one of the devices.
Burkett’s mother and co-workers told officers that she had been terrified of Beard and suspected that he was tracking her.
Her new boyfriend told police Beard appeared “overly obsessed” with her and their daughter and feared he would kill her.
In one instance, she wrote in a post that she was “scared for my life and my daughter’s life” after she was accused of selling drugs from the trunk of her car.
Officers were following up on a tip-off and discovered drugs including cocaine and marijuana along with a pistol and ammunition, in the back of her vehicle. The serial number was scratched off the gun so it it was untraceable.
Burkett was shocked and protested her innocence, claiming someone must have planted the illegal possessions in her car. Officers investigated her allegation and she was never charged.
Police later found a script Beard had written and used when phoning in the false allegation about Burkett’s false drug dealing antics.
Somehow, Beard managed to raise the $1million (£795,000) bond required and was placed under house arrest, but he was soon jailed again for possessing an unregulated silencer for a weapon.
He was later sentenced to 43 years behind bars in May after pleading guilty.
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