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Ryan Reynolds
Wondery plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad free right now. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app today. True crime fans know the feeling when a story pulls you in. You can feel like part of the investigation. And with Audible, there's a lot to uncover. Listeners might like after you've gone by Margo Hunt. This Audible original is a gripping thriller that follows one woman as she tries to solve her best friend's murder in the French Quarter of New Orleans. As an Audible member, you can choose one title a month to keep from the entire catalog, including the latest bestsellers and new releases. New members can try audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com 48 hours or text 48 hours to 500500 audible.com 48 hours. Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. At Mint Mobile, we like to do the opposite of what big wireless does. They charge you a lot, we charge you a little. So naturally, when they announced they'd be raising their prices due to inflation, we decided to deflate our prices due to not hating you. That's right. We're cutting the price of mint unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch. $45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees. Extra Speed slower above 40 gigabytes. C details. What was lost when Alyssa was taken? What was lost with her murder? My daughter Willow's mother. Everything. How do you keep Alyssa alive for her daughter Willow? Show her pictures. This is your mom. This is your mom. Every Mother's Day, we visit the grave. We take flowers, we take cards. You know, we talk about her all the time. What does this say? Mother of Willow Ann. I hope that when she learns what happened, she doesn't let it tear her apart. October 2, 2020. Any crime scene is going to be inside that tape. It's inside that tape. All right? I remember my phone was continuously ringing, ringing. And I finally answer it because it's my supervisor and she's frantic and she's telling me, you've got to get to Green Tree Apartments. I heard that pop. And I turn around, I knew it was a gunshot. And she says, something has happened to Alyssa. What? What happened to her? We're going to start having family members show up here. I pull up police, fire trucks, ambulance everywhere. She got shot in the car, okay? She can see her handprints. Who are you? I'm Detective Harding. I remember asking that officer. I said, she didn't make it. Did she. And he said, no, she didn't. And I just lost it. At that point. When you learned that your sister was dead, did you have a suspect in mind? I knew immediately it was Andrew Beard. I knew that the only person I could think that would want her dead was Andrew Beard. She even said, I think he's the kind of person that's gonna try to kill me. And he did. And he did. Oh, my God. It was one of the most brutal scenes that I've been to in 32 years. Law enforcement, you could see the rage. Don't touch anything. What does it tell you when it's this vicious about the killer? It's personal. She apparently has had a history with baby daddy. Within an hour of getting to the crime scene, we knew that we needed to look for Andrew Beard. Andrew Beard is the suspect? Yes. He cannot get away with this. He cannot get away with this. At first, this seemed like an open and shut case. But as it turned out, Andrew Beard was only half the story. Peter Van Sant reports the plot to eliminate Alyssa Burkett. In the months after Alyssa Burkett was murdered, she appeared to her mother, Teresa Collard, in a dream. I see her across the room, and in my dream I knew she was gone, but I was hysterically happy that I was seeing her. And I was thinking, you're back. She came to me and said, no, I'm not back and I don't want to come back and I never want to be there again. I was puzzled, why don't you want to come back? And she said, because I was always afraid there. Although 24 year old Alyssa Burkett had been afraid for months, the attack at this apartment complex where she worked in Carrollton, Texas, north of Dallas, came as a surprise. So when you arrive here, what do you see? According to one of the lead detectives, Michael Harding, Alyssa pulled into her usual parking space at around 9am Alyssa's car was actually parked right here where this green van is, right here. And the assailant's vehicle had parked right next to her in this spot. Were you here when everything happened? Yes, I was sitting at my desk. Witnesses say the assailant exited his vehicle, a black Ford Expedition suv, with a gun in his hand. She had the window up and he shot right through the window. Maintenance supervisor Darren Eichler, about 15ft away. It's horrible. Heard the gun blast and turned around. What do you see? I see a black SUV starting to back out of the parking spot. Investigators believe the shooter thought Alyssa was dead. The blast had destroyed her left eye and Part of her face. But Alyssa Burkett was still alive. She gets out of her car and she walks up to this landing to try to get help because she knows her coworkers are here. The shooter, described by some as a black man, got out of the vehicle and began sprinting toward Alyssa, this time with a new weapon in his hand. Something more personal. A large hunting knife. Did you see him holding the knife? Uh, yeah, in the hand after he starts to stab her. She's still fighting on this window right here. There was a blood handprint smear where Alyssa was trying to get anyone to come out and help her. But fearing it was an active shooter situation, they stayed inside. We're just getting our day started. And the attacker launched into a rabid killing frenzy, plunging his knife into flesh and bone again and again. Incredibly, Alyssa was still breathing when her assailant fled. Once the suspect left, her coworkers came out to try to render aid. One of her colleagues made this call to 911. What is the address of the emergency? Someone came up and just shot my assistant manager. Where is the shooter? I don't have enough information. I need. He's gone. He left in his car. He literally left a second ago. Fire department pulled up first. They come up. I get out of the way and let them do their thing. They start working on her right here. You know where she was headed immediately? Yeah. And it was too late. She was gone. Alyssa had been stabbed and slashed a total of 44 times. Alyssa's mother, Teresa, immediately gave the police a name. And it wasn't a black man. It was Andrew Beard. I know he did this. He's an evil person. Teresa told detectives that Andrew Beard and Alyssa were in the throes of an ugly custody battle over their one year old daughter, Willowann. A battle that began when Alyssa was still pregnant, says her friend Brandy Reagan. He initiated by asking her if he could have full custody of the baby after the baby was born. And what did Alyssa have to say to his idea of him getting full custody? You better be effing kidding me. Alyssa and Andrew were worlds apart from the beginning. He was almost nine years older, established with a good job at a tool company, a nice house, even had a plane. She was 22, loved eating turkey legs at state fairs, and was still figuring life out after meeting on a dating app. They had a fling. Nothing serious. But then she found out she was pregnant, says her friend and roommate, Shelby Wright. I'll never forget. She's just standing there hysterically crying and upset. She couldn't even speak, and she hands me a pregnancy test that said positive. And I honestly had no words for her. But as the pregnancy progressed, Alyssa's fears turned to excitement, says Shelby, especially when she learned it was a girl. On July 23, 2019, Alyssa gave birth to a baby girl she named Willow. And when you saw them together, Alyssa and Willow, what was that experience like? Amazing. Motherhood looked great on her. Yes. Just looking at the two of them, you could tell that their relationship was, I mean, everything. I always love how she's looking at her. In this picture, Madison Grimes is Alyssa's younger sister. Willow clung to her every second, every day. And I think that tells you a lot about the mother Alyssa was. Alyssa went back to college and got a good job as an assistant property manager. I think everything she did at that point in her life was for Willow. She wanted to be successful for Willow. She didn't want Willow to grow up and struggle. She just wanted Willow to have an easy life. Andrew, who had joint custody, had Willow a few days every week. But he kept pushing for primary custody, dragging Alyssa in and out of court hearings, emptying her bank account. She was terrified. Willow at this point, was the most important thing in her life. And when she, you know, looked at the bigger picture, Andrew, he made more money than her. You know, he had a house. He had all of the nice things that she didn't have. So she was afraid that, you know, he wanted Willow and he was going to get her. Andrew's mother, Lisette Bowers, says her son was acting out of love, not malice. My son, Andrew Beard, is a loving, warm individual who always operated from his heart, from his core center. When he had Willow, she was constantly strapped to the front of him. He was reading to her. He wanted her to see the whole world every day. He just felt that he could provide her more stability. In March 2020, when Willow was eight months old, things seemed to change for the better. The feuding parents found common ground, finally reaching an agreement on visitation and child support. And so things seemed to calm down. Things calmed down, yeah. But a gathering storm was about to come barreling in Carrollton Police Department church. Warren, if you're in there, come out your hands up. Americans agree that everyone should be able to make their own health care decisions. You and only you should control your health care decisions. But the truth is, attacks on reproductive healthcare, including abortion, are only intensifying. That's why your gift to Planned Parenthood is so important right now. No matter the battle, no matter the stakes, no matter what Planned Parenthood is there. Protect our rights, Protect our healthcare. Make your gift to planned parenthood@plannedparenthood.org this message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest. With your guardrails in place, with Greenlight, you can send money to kids instantly. Set up chores automate allowance, and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Sign up for greenlight today@greenlight.com wondery that's greenlight.com wondery in the spring of 2020, it looked like the bitter custody battle between Alyssa and Andrew had finally come to an end. Alyssa had a new guy named Ben, and Andrew fell hard for a woman named Holly Elkins, someone his mom, Lisette, was thrilled about. I adored her from minute one. She just has this charm and energy. I warmed to her very quickly. Alyssa was happy that he started dating someone else, I guess hopeful that Holly would help this situation, that Holly would be supportive of the mother that's involved. Holly sent this text to Alyssa. Look forward to having a super healthy relationship with you and Ben. Alyssa responded, I hope your influence helps, because I'd love nothing more for us all to have a healthy relationship. Despite Holly's message, Andrew suddenly became hostile with Alyssa. He was once again demanding primary custody of Willow, dragging Alyssa back into court. He was always very short, very rude, very hateful. It just totally changed the way that they communicated together. Alyssa couldn't shake this uneasy feeling that she was being watched and began telling family and friends that Andrew always seemed to know what she was doing. He knew where she was. He knew where Willow was. He knew just other places that she had been. I remember one night she was out with one of her friends, and they were at a bar in downtown Dallas. And she's like, text me, oh, my gosh, Andrew is here. And in my mind, I'm like, the odds of that happening are slim to none, you know, she didn't know how he was tracking her. She just knew that she was being trapped. How would you describe what she went through? Hell. I mean, every day you feel like you're having to watch over your shoulder. That's how I felt. She lived. Hi, everyone. My name's Alyssa. Madison found this video after Alyssa's death. It was never posted. This past year, I have been going through a custody battle, a very ugly one. I have A one year old child. It's taken a toll on my mental and physical health. With that being said, I've become a lot stronger in the process. And I guess just my message is, no matter what you're going through, stick it out. You can do it and stay strong. But she would continue to be tested. In September 2020, one month before her murder, it reached a whole new level. A man who said his name was Frank Morrow called 911 and reported that Alyssa was selling drugs out of the trunk of her car at work. I saw what I thought looked like someone just selling some drugs out of their trunk. And I could smell it and I could see it and. Okay, what kind of vehicle is it? The little Toyota Corolla. I have a license plate, if that help. Okay, great. What was your last name? Borrow. Acting on this tip, Carrollton police officers descended on the Greentree apartment's leasing office and confronted Alyssa. She gave them the keys to her car, and they opened the trunk. Inside, they discovered drugs, a pistol, and some cash, exactly where the caller said they would be. So your daughter suddenly now looks like a drug dealer and a dangerous one as well. She's armed, Yes. I mean, is Alyssa worried that she's going to get arrested, lose her job? Yes, all of the above. She's worried about her job. She thinks, yeah, she's going to be arrested now he's going to use this in court. So she's for sure going to lose Willow. After questioning Alyssa, it was clear to police that she knew nothing about the drugs and pistol in the trunk of her car. They concluded those items had been planted. The caller had tried to frame her. Alyssa knew in her gut that caller was Andrew Beard. Later that day, she texted her roommate, Shelby. Alyssa messaged me and said, he is going to try to get someone to kill me next. And when you read those words, my heart dropped. That wasn't who she was. She wasn't a fearful person. Showing and asking for help shows me that she was genuinely scared. She knew that, you know, whatever was coming next was going to be serious. The once fearless young woman had become scared for her life. These are some of the texts she sent to her sister, Madison. Come over while I walk inside. Lock the door behind you. Do you see anyone around you? And Alyssa wasn't the only one who was terrified. It kept progressing. Each thing that he would do just kept getting worse. And after this point, framing her and she didn't get arrested, I thought, well, what else is there to do besides kill her? One month after the drugs and gun were planted in Alyssa Burkett's car. She was dead. I knew that it was him when the drugs didn't work in the car for him to get the baby. Once we talked to Alyssa's mom, we had an idea who we were looking for. And who is that person? That person was Andrew Beard. Oh, my God. And to Theresa's horror, he had visitation with Willow that day. The baby was with him? Yes. I want my grandbaby away from him. My first thoughts were, if he's gonna kill Willow. Within hours of the murder, the police pulled over Andrew Beard's F150 pickup truck for an alleged traffic violation. Andrew and his fiance, Holly Elkins, were asked to get out of the vehicle. The daughter's in a car seat in the backseat. 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 you. 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 F150 pickup and instructed him not to return home. Andrew, Holly, and Willow went to a hotel. He has a garage card. And that night, a search of Andrew's house turned up critical evidence. This 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. 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 car. It's like you discovered the screenplay to this phony call to 911. I was kind of shocked. I was like, did he. He kept this. So we found this GPS tracker box also in plain view, says another lead detective, 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 F150 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 F150. It was a foundation called Java. Yeah, it'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 through the neighborhood. He is doing the Bigfoot run from this vehicle. What'd you find? When you guys process 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. Just 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 fiance Holly Elkins, and mother Lizette. When we were at the Airbnb, he got a call he was going to be arrested. Just three days after Alyssa was killed, Willow was sent back to Teresa, and Andrew Beard turned himself into 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. I get that. I can't believe that my fiance 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, I 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 Lisette, 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. Lizette was overjoyed. Holly, as Lisette would soon discover, not so much. They've told us he's coming home tomorrow. And Holly says, I'm going. She holds, holding her suitcase, and she goes, I'm going. I'm leaving. I'm going home. But the day before Ann gets home, why are you choosing now during this scary, scary time for 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. Andrew 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 cyberstalking 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. I'm going to plead guilty. So I immediately said, well, Andrew, you're not going to. 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, so 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? What do you make of Holly Elkins interview with detectives? See more evidence from the case@48hours.com. Etsy knows these aren't the sounds of holiday gifting. Oh. Or ah. Okay, thank you. Well, they're not the sounds you're hoping for. You want squeals of delight like this. Ooh. And spontaneously written songs of joy. I am so happy. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. To get those, make everyone on your list feel heard with gifts like personalized jewelry, custom artwork, vintage pieces, and home decor. For original gifts that say I get you, etsy has it 48 hours listeners are no strangers to stories that can make you question your safety. But when it comes to protecting your home, there's something you can do. There's SimpliSafe offering reliable, round the clock home security. Their vigilant monitoring services are always ready to respond immediately to any intrusion, providing you with peace of mind. With standout features like SimpliSafe's live guard protection, agents can actively monitor your home, confront intruders in real time, and notify you that help is on the way, adding a powerful layer of deterrence. Protect your home this summer with 20% off any new Simplisafe system. When you sign up for Fast protect monitoring, visit simplisafe.com 48 hours Again that simplisafe.com 48 hours there's no safe like Simplisafe. Holly Elkins left Texas and returned to her home State of Michigan 2 1/2 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. Never 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, stephanie says. From the time she was a teenager, Paulie 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. Back in Texas, investigators were just beginning to learn more about the fiance 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 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, and no one's helping me. The Holly Elkins seemingly torn apart by Alyssa's death. I just feel bad to not. I just feel bad to not help something that I think is very sad that happened was giving the performance of her life. I'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 moment. All things that she wasn't. And Baby mama was my sister's contact name. And 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. She 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, Holly would have been with me. If it was Friday. The more Andrew talked, the clearer Holly's role became, says Detective Chevalier. What portrait did he paint of Holly 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. Holly Elkins even tried to get Alyssa's mom, Teresa, arrested. The incident started when Teresa and Alyssa drove by Holly and Andrew's home. Theresa 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 the grandmother, Holly told them Teresa assaulted her when she grabbed Will Willow from her lap. She literally attacked me from behind or from behind side. I 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. 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. The 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 gotta up the game. And upping the game meant getting rid 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 gonna do now in order to prove that basically you're 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 your 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 and 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 25, 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. If 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. But it didn't work out for her. Hey prime members, have you heard? 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I thought we were never going to see that happen. I felt relief. Holly, who pleaded not guilty, was charged with conspiracy to stalk and stalking using a dangerous weapon resulting in death. The FBI had built a compelling case against her, says Detective Chevalier. Holly'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, as a different person Essentially, you're gonna wear this dark makeup. That was her plan. That was how it's gonna 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, he 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, Andrew 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. US 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. What if these two had never come together, Holly and Andrew? Would Andrew have committed this murder? I. 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 deliberately. When they come back to that courtroom, what is the verdict? Guilty. 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's getting the justice she deserved. But at that point, it's over. Our 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, like 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. It 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? Willow Tree? Yep. 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. Teresa is in the process of adopting Willow. You've probably heard of the NCIS from the hit TV series, but we're about to take you inside. It's real life work. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS early and ad free on the 48 Hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder wherever you get your podcasts. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery plus and the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a Quick survey@wondery.com Survey in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harbored a deep dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pit can once they reach the age of 10. That would still average. It just happens to all of them. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it. People will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wandering+ join Wondering+ in the Wandering app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Did you know that after World War II, the US government quietly brought former Nazi scientists to America in a covert operation to advance military technology? Or that in the 1950s the US army conducted a secret experiment by releasing bacteria over San Francisco to test how a biological attack might spread without alerting the public? These might sound like conspiracy theories, but they're not. They're well documented government operations that have been hidden away in classified files for decades. I'm Luke lamanna, a Marine Corps recon vet and I've always had a thing for digging into the unknown. It's what led me to start my new podcast, Declassified Mysteries. In it I explore hidden truths and reveal some eye opening events like covert experiments and secret operations that those in power try to keep buried. Follow redacted Declassified mysteries with me, Luke lamanna on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts to listen ad free. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App.