Andrea Todd

Andrea Todd (Beth Toussaint) is the main villainess from Matlock 's fifth season opener, "The Mother" (airdate September 18, 1990). She is the daughter of legal secretary Phyllis Todd, who worked Frank Larson.

Andrea, a law student, was engaging in an affair with Larson, who promised her a lucrative job in due time. However, when she saw Larson with another woman, Andrea confronted Larson in his office, with Larson later stating that he can't promote a woman he used to sleep with. In a fit of rage, Andrea grabbed a brass bookend and bludgeoned Larson to death with a blow to the head. After the murder, Andrea tossed the weapon into a dumpster and later went home to her mother; after which she confessed to the affair with Larson, as well as the murder. Not wanting her daughter's life ruined, Phyllis covered up for Andrea and hired Ben Matlock as her own lawyer, taking the fall for Andrea.

After overhearing that a search for the murder weapon was ongoing, the evil Andrea rushed to the alley and searched for the bookend in the dumpster. She was approached by a homeless woman who demanded $20 for her help to find the weapon, but after she showed the bookend to her after taking it out of her cart, she demanded an extra $50, which the villainess paid her. Unbeknownst to Andrea, the homeless woman was actually Michelle in disguise, and it was an orchestrated trap by her and Conrad to catch Andrea.

Andrea was later on the witness stand interrogated by Matlock, and during her testimony, Andrea claimed she was at home having pizza delivered to her on the night of the murder. However, Matlock had instilled the delivery boy into the courtroom, stating that he encountered Phyllis that night, not Andrea. Realizing that her daughter could be implicated, Phyllis attempted to confess to killing Larson, but Andrea stopped her mother and truthfully admitted to the murder. Andrea was later arrested (off-screen).