PA - Rebekah Byler, 23, mother & six months pregnant, murdered, Crawford County, 26 Feb 2024 *Arrest*

[Songbird1973]

Thank you for posting these marked photos. Very helpful for understanding some of the articles. Based on my reading of some of the articles, I believe Rebekah was found inside more toward the back of the living room and her husband first saw her bonnet on the floor just inside the front door. Again, my reading of the articles indicate she had a “scalping type wound” to her head and her throat was cut in multiple places.

This is my theory about what may have happened. SC comes to the front door and lets himself in. Rebekah is either in the dining room with the kids and hears someone enter the house so she steps into the living room to see who it is. Or she is already in the living room. SC immediately moves toward her and she starts yelling at him and he is yelling at her as he continues to move toward her. SC has a gun and gives her instructions to sit down and be quiet.

SC then starts talking to her about why he is there. He smokes a cigarette while talking to her and maybe drinks that Mountain Dew. Perhaps 15 or twenty minutes go by and SC is not getting what he wants from her and becomes extremely agitated. SC believes she has the information he wants. Rebekah is really terrified and tries to make a run for the front door. SC is behind her and slightly to one side or the other, immediately shoots the gun intending just to scare her into giving him the information. But, the bullet strikes her head and pushes through the scalp, causing the scalping type wound, and as the bullet passes across the top of her scalp, the bonnet is taken off and lands a few feet to one side of front door.

The force of the bullet knocks Rebekah to the floor but doesn’t kill her. SC then realizes he has a serious problem and in a split second decides he has to kill her so slashes her throat.

THIS IS JUST MY THEORY BASED ONLY ON WHAT I HAVE READ. (BBM)

Slain pregnant Amish woman was found with throat cut in rural Pennsylvania home: court documents

Husband of slain pregnant Amish woman in Pa. testifies his young children told him of the killing

I hope Rebekah is resting in peace with her unborn child and that Andy and the two toddlers are able to get some healing assisted their relatives and the community.

I think these are some very good theories. Some addition opinions of my own:

Many news articles say that Rebekah was laying "a short way inside the front door." So possibly even blocking it.

SC may have entered or exited the front door. But he could also have entered and/or exited the side door going into the laundry room. It's possible Rebekah may have been at the clothesline outside when SC arrived and he followed her back into the laundry room; the door may have been open as Rebekah prepared to go outside (or just gotten back inside); or SC could have seen Rebekah through the window of the door and knocked, or opened it himself. Then he might have followed/chased her from the laundry room into the dining room. Then at some point he killed her near the front doors in the living room. Then SC either went out the front door or went back through the house and laundry room to exit the side door.

LAUNDRY/PANTRY/MUD room, as seen from the entrance doorway at the side of the covered porch. "Inside door" leading to the dining room is at the back on the left.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/21845-Fish-Flats-Rd_Spartansburg_PA_16434_M46398-17184

DOOR TO LAUNDRY ROOM. KITCHEN. DINING ROOM.

https://ap.rdcpix.com/abedd9d100ca4cf009437417a1fd5fa3l-m1439592804od-w1024_h768_x2.webp?w=640&q=75

VIEW FROM THE LAUNDRY ROOM DOOR INTO LIVING ROOM. Red "X" is the FRONT DOOR entry rug.

https://ap.rdcpix.com/abedd9d100ca4cf009437417a1fd5fa3l-m3538810378od-w1024_h768_x2.webp?w=640&q=75

I think it's likely that when Andy came home, he entered through the laundry room door. (Most rural homeowners wouldn't use their front door if a side/back one was available.) My theory is that Andy's children met him in the laundry room, and told him someone hurt/killed their mom. Then Andy opened the door into the dining room, peered around it towards the living room, then immediately retreated after he saw Rebekah's bonnet on the floor (perhaps in the space where they walked between the swing and the wall), then saw at least part of Rebekah's body (depending on how close she was to the front door.)

 

[Songbird1973]

Nicols: Byler homicide case will continue to trial

MEADVILLE — A Corry man, Shawn C. Cranston, 52, is now facing trial for criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and trespassing charges related to the murder

www.thecorryjournal.com

This article has very interesting details from witness testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Video evidence:
Cranston took the red jeep through the car wash and vacuumed his floor mats and shoes around 1:40 p.m.
And at 2 pm, he is seen in his backyard removing stuff from the red jeep. Smoke is seen coming from an area off screen.

Shoe prints matching the type of shoe SC is seen wearing that day we're found in the Byler home. SCs shoes were found hidden in a camper in the area where smoke was seen.

Both his phone location and a GPS tracker on the red jeep place SC at the Byler home that morning.

A distinctive black glove found in SC's trash matched an identical partial glove found in the Byler home.

SC changed some of the tires on the red jeep several days after the murder, using old rotten tires he bought from a neighbor.

 

[Yemelyan]

I could be totally off base here, which I have been known to be, but I think we will eventually find out that the motive here was more sinister than the adoption thing that has been put out by SC family members.

Maybe I'm being influenced by the murder of Sasha Krause and subsequent trial of her killer Mark Gooch, which I followed closely.

 

[Joe Friday]

Nicols: Byler homicide case will continue to trial

MEADVILLE — A Corry man, Shawn C. Cranston, 52, is now facing trial for criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and trespassing charges related to the murder

www.thecorryjournal.com

This article has very interesting details from witness testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Video evidence:
Cranston took the red jeep through the car wash and vacuumed his floor mats and shoes around 1:40 p.m.
And at 2 pm, he is seen in his backyard removing stuff from the red jeep. Smoke is seen coming from an area off screen.

Shoe prints matching the type of shoe SC is seen wearing that day we're found in the Byler home. SCs shoes were found hidden in a camper in the area where smoke was seen.

Both his phone location and a GPS tracker on the red jeep place SC at the Byler home that morning.

A distinctive black glove found in SC's trash matched an identical partial glove found in the Byler home.

SC changed some of the tires on the red jeep several days after the murder, using old rotten tires he bought from a neighbor.

SC is defiantly not the sharpest tool in the shed. How many mistakes can one criminal make?

JMO

 

[Lyanna]

I think if she was Mennonite, and not Amish, we'd have seen an actual photograph of her by now.

The motive here could simply have been SA....maybe he was just driving by and saw her outside hanging laundry or something. And if there was no SA, maybe she convinced him not to because she's pregnant or because of children being in the home, but he had to make sure she couldn't ID him so he shot her.

We saw photos of Linda Stoltzfoos
Very sad

moo

 

[Hereshecomes75]

I've been thinking about the "scalping type" wounds to Rebekah's head. We know from the clothes on the line that Rebekah had been up and about the morning she was killed, and by that time would have had her head covering/bonnet on. So how did she have knife wounds on her head if it was mostly covered with a bonnet?

In the AP article on the preliminary hearing, Andy is quoted as saying that after arriving home, “I walked in and saw her cap laying inside the door.” Her bonnet shouldn't have "fallen" off; it was likely held in place by a few bobby pins on the sides, or straight pins through her hair bun. (The bonnet probably had ties as well, but, depending on the Byler's "district", likely weren't tied under her chin.) So two possible options:
1. Rebekah's bonnet was yanked off, then her head was cut.
2. Rebekah's scalp was cut in the process of slicing her bonnet and hair off.

In the image below from after the preliminary hearing, I'm assuming Rebekah's bonnet seen by Andy on the floor of their home was the same as these Amish ladies. The white bonnets on their heads, that is. The black bonnets they are holding would be worn on top of the white ones for traveling? Religious services? Going to town? I'm not familiar with that district's customs. But not worn in the homes that I have ever heard.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1jYT9O.img?w=768&h=512&m=6&x=288&y=983&s=1420&d=266

My thoughts on the wound are that he might have yanked her covering off and, if it were attached with straight pins to her tightly pulled-back hair, that pieces of her scalp could have been ripped off with it.

 

[Songbird1973]

We saw photos of Linda Stoltzfoos
Very sad

moo

Sometimes ex-Amish family members take photos of their Amish relatives. Linda had an ex-Amish aunt who likely took the picture we later saw of Linda. It's was released to the public because Linda was missing. There could be photos of Rebekah in existence too, but there was no need to release any of her. She wasn't missing.

 

[LNL]

Nicols: Byler homicide case will continue to trial

MEADVILLE — A Corry man, Shawn C. Cranston, 52, is now facing trial for criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and trespassing charges related to the murder

www.thecorryjournal.com

This article has very interesting details from witness testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Video evidence:
Cranston took the red jeep through the car wash and vacuumed his floor mats and shoes around 1:40 p.m.
And at 2 pm, he is seen in his backyard removing stuff from the red jeep. Smoke is seen coming from an area off screen.

Shoe prints matching the type of shoe SC is seen wearing that day we're found in the Byler home. SCs shoes were found hidden in a camper in the area where smoke was seen.

Both his phone location and a GPS tracker on the red jeep place SC at the Byler home that morning.

A distinctive black glove found in SC's trash matched an identical partial glove found in the Byler home.

SC changed some of the tires on the red jeep several days after the murder, using old rotten tires he bought from a neighbor.

This is just so sad. Kids witnessing the murder, husband finding her...just awful. I'm glad LE has been able to gather a lot of evidence.

Thanks for posting the article.

 

[RetLawyer]

My thoughts on the wound are that he might have yanked her covering off and, if it were attached with straight pins to her tightly pulled-back hair, that pieces of her scalp could have been ripped off with it.

Don’t know if you saw an earlier post of mine, but a bullet can cause a grazing wound that can look like a scalping wound on a head. I think SC shot first and the bullet “grazed” her head causing the scalping type wound and removing her bonnet. The bullet knocked her on the floor, maybe unconscious but probably did not kill her. He then killed her with the stabs to her neck. JMO.

 

[Joe Friday]

Don’t know if you saw an earlier post of mine, but a bullet can cause a grazing wound that can look like a scalping wound on a head. I think SC shot first and the bullet “grazed” her head causing the scalping type wound and removing her bonnet. The bullet knocked her on the floor, maybe unconscious but probably did not kill her. He then killed her with the stabs to her neck. JMO.

Unless there was more than one gunshot wound I don' think the ME would have listed the cause of death being multiple sharp force injury wounds to the neck and a gunshot wound to the head, if the wound made by the bullet was a grazing wound.

JMO

 

[vls12345]

Nicols: Byler homicide case will continue to trial

MEADVILLE — A Corry man, Shawn C. Cranston, 52, is now facing trial for criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and trespassing charges related to the murder

www.thecorryjournal.com

This article has very interesting details from witness testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Video evidence:
Cranston took the red jeep through the car wash and vacuumed his floor mats and shoes around 1:40 p.m.
And at 2 pm, he is seen in his backyard removing stuff from the red jeep. Smoke is seen coming from an area off screen.

Shoe prints matching the type of shoe SC is seen wearing that day we're found in the Byler home. SCs shoes were found hidden in a camper in the area where smoke was seen.

Both his phone location and a GPS tracker on the red jeep place SC at the Byler home that morning.

A distinctive black glove found in SC's trash matched an identical partial glove found in the Byler home.

SC changed some of the tires on the red jeep several days after the murder, using old rotten tires he bought from a neighbor.

Thanks for posting the article.

Since they were identified as black nitrile gloves, it makes me wonder if he went in wearing gloves, planned in advance? Was he trying not to leave fingerprints (while leaving a wealth of other evidence)?

And the female driving having to coax the children from the house. I wonder if they were in hiding the entire time since Cranston showed up?

I would really like to know a motive. I know SC's foster daughter suggested the grandson fostering situation but, after reading more details from the hearing, I feel like there was something different going on. It's a really heinous crime.

MOO.

 

[Joe Friday]

I think the fragment of a black nitrile glove found at the crime scene shows premeditation and an attempt to avoid leaving fingerprints and DNA, which also means to me that SC went there with the intention of commuting this crime.

I never put much weight in the story from the supposed 'foster' daughter of SC going to the home because of an adapted grandchild, I think if her story was true we would have heard of her testimony during the preliminary hearing as to motive. According to the article posted up thread, motive was not touched upon during the hearing.

Also in the article above SC must have shown up well armed. Using a knife and gun, but according to the defense attorney no weapons have been presented as evidence and no motive was divulged by the prosecution.

JMO

 

[RetLawyer]

Everyone wants to know motive and we will likely hear one at trial, if there is a trial. However, motive is not an element of the crimes and the prosecution does not have to prove motive. It does help with convincing a jury so the story of the crime holds together.

I’m not convinced SC went there to kill her, period. I think he was ready to kill her if he needed to. I think he went there to get information from her because the Bylers who lived in that house before Andy and Rebekah were the adopters of SC’s grandson. I think he believed that Andy and Rebekah were related to those Bylers, which they aren’t. I don’t think SC knows where the Bylers now live but he believed Andy and Rebekah did.

SC went there that day to get that information. Rebekah didn’t have it; he didn’t believe her; tried to scare her into giving it to him by pointing the gun at her. He was extremely agitated, enraged and either intentionally shot her or accidentally. It caused the wound to her head; he panicked and decided he had to finish killing her by the stabs to her throat.

That’s my theory at this point. MOO.

 

[Joe Friday]

Apparently SC goes around wearing a gun in a holster and dressed in black from head to toe. Strange. I wonder if he had a permit to carry?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Later in the hearing, Clara Wengerd, who is Amish, testified that Cranston, who had provided taxi service with his son, John Cranston, and driven her family twice, “just showed up” at her home in Sparta Township between 3:30 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11.

Wengerd testified that Cranston arrived in a red Jeep.

“He just showed up, and he was all in black,” Wengerd said. “Black hat, pants, sport coat and sunglasses, and he was wearing a gun in a holster on his hip.”

Wengerd added that Cranston’s visit was to ask about church.

“He was there for five or 10 minutes and said he wanted to go to church, wanted to know when our church was,” Wengerd said. “He said if he wasn’t there [church] by 8 a.m., he wouldn’t be going.”

Cranston never attended the Amish church.

Cranston was no stranger to Sparta Township

Shawn Cranston, 52, the Corry man arrested March 1 for the murder of Rebekah Byler, may have been on the Byler property three weeks before the murder.

www.thecorryjournal.com

 

[YourM0m]

Apparently SC goes around wearing a gun in a holster and dressed in black from head to toe. Strange. I wonder if he had a permit to carry?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Later in the hearing, Clara Wengerd, who is Amish, testified that Cranston, who had provided taxi service with his son, John Cranston, and driven her family twice, “just showed up” at her home in Sparta Township between 3:30 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11.

Wengerd testified that Cranston arrived in a red Jeep.

“He just showed up, and he was all in black,” Wengerd said. “Black hat, pants, sport coat and sunglasses, and he was wearing a gun in a holster on his hip.”

Wengerd added that Cranston’s visit was to ask about church.

“He was there for five or 10 minutes and said he wanted to go to church, wanted to know when our church was,” Wengerd said. “He said if he wasn’t there [church] by 8 a.m., he wouldn’t be going.”

Cranston never attended the Amish church.

Cranston was no stranger to Sparta Township

Shawn Cranston, 52, the Corry man arrested March 1 for the murder of Rebekah Byler, may have been on the Byler property three weeks before the murder.

www.thecorryjournal.com

This is totally 100% pure speculation of course. All these questions about their church service, I wonder if he was contemplating a mass shooting? Just a thought that popped in my head.

 

[vls12345]

This is totally 100% pure speculation of course. All these questions about their church service, I wonder if he was contemplating a mass shooting? Just a thought that popped in my head.

I am having exactly the same thought. (Think: Dylan Roof.)

 

[Joe Friday]

I would imagine the smoke coming from the back yard was the black clothing being burnt.

SC saved his shoes, which were found hidden in a camper on his property. I would think he would have saved his gun and holster also. I wonder if the holster was ever found. If not I'm betting the gun and holster are hidden somewhere.

Maybe LE can or has used the GPS from the vehicle and cell phone to trace the places where SC went after the murder to possibly locate the weapon.

JMO

 

[Hereshecomes75]

The questions about attending church services are weird. If the lady who was asked about services was Old Order Amish, her service would be at someone’s home, not at a church building. As such, “English” people don’t just show up to Amish services, the way you could visit a regular church. Wonder what he was planning.

 

[Joe Friday]

The questions about attending church services are weird. If the lady who was asked about services was Old Order Amish, her service would be at someone’s home, not at a church building. As such, “English” people don’t just show up to Amish services, the way you could visit a regular church. Wonder what he was planning.

Just an excuse to see who was there, would be my guess. Same reason SC showed up at Rebekah and Andy house in the middle of the night with the excuse of wanting to buy the house, would be back the next day, but never showed up.

It was also said SC and his son were drivers for the Amish and no stranger to the Sparta Township. SC and his son, John, had driven (provided taxi service) the family of the lady he had asked about church, twice in the past.

I wonder if SC worked for or ran an actual taxi service.

JMO


Later in the hearing, Clara Wengerd, who is Amish, testified that Cranston, who had provided taxi service with his son, John Cranston, and driven her family twice, “just showed up” at her home in Sparta Township between 3:30 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11.https://www.thecorryjournal.com/news/article_3e2e2a8c-e575-11ee-8a0f-cb56ffe2b9aa.html

 

[RetLawyer]

I would also think that given SC’s contacts in Sparta, he would have asked about who lived in the Byler’shome, etc, including if they are related to the Bylers who lived there previously. Or, perhaps, he knew Andy and Rebekah lived there and just assumed they were related to the previous Bylers. Perhaps he was just so angry with any Amish in that house, because they had been permitted to adopt his grandson that he was ready to kill anyone who lived there. I suspect that SC made many assumptions about events over the years that created a deep hatred and resentment that for some reason pushed him to kill Rebekah. MOO