A white Texas man accused of killing the mother of his daughter disguised himself in blackface to commit the act, police say.
Authorities said in a probable cause police affidavit that 33-year-old Andrew Charles Beard wore blackface and a fake beard when he fatally stabbed and shot 24-year-old Alyssa Burkett, the mother of his 1-year-old daughter Willow, in Carrolton, Texas, on Oct. 2.
Beard turned himself in on Monday morning after authorities obtained an arrest warrant for him on a murder charge.
Burkett was shot and repeatedly stabbed shortly after 9 a.m. Friday in front of the apartment complex in suburban Dallas where she worked.
Witnesses said Beard fired a shot at Burkett after she pulled up to work in her vehicle.
Her co-workers were trying to treat her wounds when police arrived. Burkett had been shot in the head and suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso and arms. Witnesses described her attacker as a Black man. Police found dark makeup and a fake beard in vehicles thought to belong to Beard.
Some witnesses say the attacker was wearing a face mask, while two witnesses who saw the side of his face said he was Black.
According to a police affidavit, Burkett’s mother and a co-worker said she had told them she was afraid of Beard and thought he would kill her.
Both Burkett and her current boyfriend found tracking devices on their vehicles. When police searched Beard’s home they found the same type of tracking device in the residence.
“Pretty early on, it was clear to our detectives this was someone who was hunting her. Someone who knew where she was going to be and someone who wanted her dead,” said Carrolton Police Spokesperson Jolene DeVito.
Burkett and Beard had been in a custody battle over their 1-year-old daughter, and Burkett had just been granted custody of the child on Sept. 30. The child was placed in the custody of Texas Child Protective Services after the shooting.
Beard is being help at the Dallas County Jail on murder charges, and his bond has been set at $1 million.
