What professional burglar on the planet is going to dress up in an outfit that screams "Look at me!"? Who said it was a “professional” burglar? This could have been the first time this person ever tried to burglarize a building. As for the outfit screaming “Look at me”, maybe the intent is for it to scream, “Hey look at me in my stereotypically male outfit, with everything so padded out that curves are not present... yep, nothin to see here except a man!” I'm a serious crime buff and you rarely find small town burglars in anything but a ski mask or the occasional clown mask, if they're smart enough to wear anything at all. First, “rarely” doesn’t really help us here. It rarely rains when the forecast is for a 10% chance. But those 10 times out of 100 when it rains anyway, the water is just as wet.
If this person (1) reconned the church to know that cameras were present, and (2) had the SWAT outfit readily available as something already in their closet or someone else’s in the house, then why not?
If this was a burglary, he sure went the distance to load himself down with a lot of cumbersome, half-assed SWAT gear. Is it really a lot? There’s the helmet and the vest. Two things easily removable if needed. The balaclava doesn’t slow you down. The rest - shirt, pants, boots - you would be wearing anyway. Maybe there are knee pads or shin guards, but that doesn’t slow you down much. Imagine trying to climb out or in a window wearing all that goofy gear. No evidence that SP climbed in or out any windows. Pro burglars rely on stealth and being able to run like mad if required. And if this were a burglary of a rural church at 4 am on a rainy Monday, do you think SP would have thought that running might be required? Is there anything on the video that implies that they’re worried about that? This guy has a gait problem from the getgo. That might not be the natural gait. It could be caused by the shoes not fitting. At any rate, from the video it seems as if SP can run if they need to. They’re certainly not crippled. They just walk duck-footed like a lot of people. Add a pile of Halloween gear and you have a little fish in a little pond trying to be a big fish in a big pond. He's playing a role and it ain't burglar. It’s believed that most of the gear is authentic except for probably the helmet being a paintball helmet. It is not “Halloween gear”.
SWAT guys can be thought of in a variety of ways. They're the last resort guys in during hostage situations or standoffs where the police are in some way neutralized. Hollywood SWAT guys often take on the persona of assassination teams. SWAT guys aren't beat cops, detectives or even FBI - they're elite search and destroy with the blessing of law enforcement. A few years back, locally, we had a SWAT team bulldoze an entire house down to flush a criminal from it's attic. SWAT guys are members of a team. They don't show up on scene, alone, in the family car. The entire scenario is ridiculous...and he doesn't know it. Its delusional. Its teenage, not pro. You are the one using the term “SWAT”. The proper term is “tactical officer.” Many cops are trained to be tactical if needed. Bobby Wayne Henry, former POI in this case, was a regular beat cop who had also had tactical officer training. He had a vest similar to SP. In smaller police departments, they can’t have a dedicated tactical team that might only get called into action once a year. So they cross-train beat cops, detectives etc to have those skills so that they can be called in when necessary.
If you want to get caught, dress yourself up as a lone wolf SWAT guy and drive around small town USA with that getup on at 4 a.m. - in an SUV. You don’t know that it was an SUV and you also don’t know that SP came to the church already dressed. Where's your armored troop carrier? Nowhere in this guy's world. This perp has a serious thinking disorder and delusions of grandeur. The outfit satisfies his role and his ego. No ski mask for him. This SWAT guy doesn't need a team around him - he IS the team. I can't help thinking he's a seriously disturbed, lonely teenager who decided to go on the hunt for something to soothe his mania. He became his own private hero. Cosplay gone mad. Can you come up with any other example of someone doing cosplay alone? People who do cosplay do it as a group activity, not solo. They gather with others. Seems like you are coming up with a theory of “cosplay planned murderer”. Talk about rare!
This country is up to it's hip waders in guns. If she was shot, its because he did what millions of Americans do. He bought it. He stole it. He borrowed it. Who knows. I do know that most burglars are unarmed. How do you know that most burglars are unarmed? They want to get in and out as fast as possible. Really? On a rainy Sunday night at a rural church with no overlooks next door or across the street, expecting no one for hours... what’s the rush? They would also rather go to jail for 5 years for swiping a TV, then spend life in prison for shooting homeowners or ladies exercising in the gym. Do you really think criminals give any thought to jail terms? And that if they’re messed up enough to break into a building, they would not take a “just in case” weapon with them? This perp wasn't there to pilfer the collection plate. He was there to kill someone. That is your theory. He wanders around the church poking around like he's waiting for a doctor's appointment. He's not burglarizing. He's waiting. You are assigning behavior to SP based upon a theory you already have. Poking around? Wandering? Let me turn this around for you. If SP is there to kill someone, why in the world are they not waiting near the entrance so that they can actually be in place to, you know, kill someone?
OK...so now, he's killed her. He runs to his car and proceeds to either undress or bolt in his costume. He's ripping through an awakening town with the danged SWAT outfit either on his body, in the trunk, or on the seat next to him. More ridiculous behavior. The behavior of someone who didn't think past his delusion, but somehow managed to carry out his mission despite that. He thinks like a reclusive, role playing teenager. This is basically a stereotype. You’re not alone in thinking it. People see someone dressed like that and the mind goes automatically to, “this is a male who is a loner, who is socially awkward, blah blah blah.” And that may be what SP is wanting you to think.
I hope law enforcement is scanning her online activity for repeat activity from local ISPs. It takes lots of visits to build up a deadly desire.
I don't think he's a burglar.
What do you think!
