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Andrew Beard, A Texas Man Accused Of Killing His Ex-Girlfriend, Is Back Behind Bars For Having A Silencer

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — He's accused of murdering the mother of his child in the parking lot of her job, now a North Texas man is back behind bars facing more charges for having gun paraphernalia.

U.S. Attorney officials confirm that on October 29 Andrew Charles Beard was arrested and charged with possessing an unlicensed firearm silencer. He made his initial appearance before a magistrate on Friday morning.

Andrew Charles Beard
Andrew Charles Beard. (credit: Carrollton Police Department)

Beard, 33, is accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend, Alyssa Burkett, and stabbing her several times outside of her job. The two were in the midst of a bitter custody dispute when the murder happened. Investigators believe that in addition to the stabbing Burkett was also shot in the head. She died at the scene.

Records show that two days before her murder Burkett was awarded custody of their child.

Beard was released on house arrest and was required to wear a GPS ankle monitor after posting $1,000,000 bond on October 21.

"Given the brutality of his alleged crimes, it's unthinkable that Mr. Beard bonded out of county jail," said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. "I am proud that our federal law enforcement partners acted quickly so that we could file federal charges. It is our fervent hope that justice will be swift, and that Mr. Beard will be kept behind bars — state or federal — before he can inflict more harm."

After the murder, investigators recovered a black Spy Bot box and tracking device underneath Burkett's vehicle. They found a similar tracking device on her boyfriend's vehicle.

During a search of Beard's residence, investigators found a matching Spy Bot battery and a third tracking device. They also uncovered a .22 caliber revolver and a homemade gun silencer zipped into a baggie inside a toolbox in the garage.

ATF analysis revealed the metal cylinder met the federal definition of a firearm silencer.

Beard silencer
(credit: U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas)

A search of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record did not pull up any silencers registered to Beard, and the homemade silencer recovered from his home lacked the serial number required for registration.

Federal law prohibits possession of an unregistered silencer, defined as any device designed to silence, muffle, or diminish the report of a potable firearm.

If convicted for having the unlicensed silencer Beard faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

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