TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers, 45, killed in church/suspect in SWAT gear, Midlothian, 18 Apr 2016 #46

[Gumshoe Stories]

Do you know, were there items of value in the office in plain view that were not disturbed - like a laptop, ipad/tablet or camera?

I don’t have specifics on that. I’ll see what I can find out. I see where you’re going with it - you’re thinking that it might point away from burglary if there were items of value that could have been taken but weren’t. But I don’t think that would necessarily eliminate burglary anyway. SP could have been in need of hard cash and not wanting to deal with property that would be reported stolen and would be difficult and risky to pawn or sell.

 

[moslym3]

I don’t have specifics on that. I’ll see what I can find out. I see where you’re going with it - you’re thinking that it might point away from burglary if there were items of value that could have been taken but weren’t. But I don’t think that would necessarily eliminate burglary anyway. SP could have been in need of hard cash and not wanting to deal with property that would be reported stolen and would be difficult and risky to pawn or sell.

yes, that's where I'm going. I think people would be surprised with how few valuables are in a church and that there likely were not any valuable electronics sitting around - which is why SP may have rattled through file cabinets looking for anything interesting. Further, things like laptops and tablets can be tracked on GPS so those may have been viewed as too risky to take.

 

[SteveS]

yes, that's where I'm going. I think people would be surprised with how few valuables are in a church and that there likely were not any valuable electronics sitting around - which is why SP may have rattled through file cabinets looking for anything interesting. Further, things like laptops and tablets can be tracked on GPS so those may have been viewed as too risky to take.

I would suspect that if CCOC was his "target," the perp's point of view may have been to find the Sunday offering that had been received, plus any cash left laying around. The Sunday collection would be a logical place to find cash, and coming early Monday, before it could be taken to an open bank, would seem the right time to look.

 

[No it's not]

First, MPD said they were not referring to seeing a vehicle in a corner of a frame at the church. It was SWFA. I believe it was Arkansasmimi who asked them to clarify via FB message and their response was “SWFA”. Now were they being honest? Who knows. I think it’s very much an open question as to whether there was any footage of a vehicle at the church, taken from church cameras.

Yes, room 17 might have been a target all along. That’s possible. But it’s also possible that his target all along was cash, which he hoped to find in the offices (which are mostly in 19 and 18). So perhaps by the time he got down to 17 he was frustrated and began to take it out on property.

As for where the killer might have parked, my best guess would be down at the NE corner. If SP was after cash, he doesn’t have to park super close. If the Altima is indeed connected, there isn’t a lot of room for “stuff” in a small sedan anyway. But SP has plenty of pockets for cash or can just carry a deposit bag in his hands. So I see him parking where the car won’t be visible, which is probably not right in front of that service door but further east and maybe around the corner on the east side.

One other parking option is that huge overflow parking area that is further North from the building. There are trees and shrubs and no light posts. SP could park a car there and no one would know it was there unless they drove directly up to it. If he parked at the SE corner of that overflow parking area, it’s still pretty close for his getaway and is well concealed.

View attachment 297207

Okay, that makes sense now with the frame being from the SWFA. Thank you!

Regarding where the killer may have parked his car, NE would be a plausible location, I agree.

______________

Now, a change of thought. In all that, what happened that early morning in 2016, I could not figure out the mindset, that would make someone dressing up like SP, if this was a burglary interrupted event and not a targeted hit.

I could not make much sense of the police uniform in a break & enter situation other than the perp was worried in case someone shows up or was living out a fantasy. And yet, what did the big POLICE patch/print on the back of the jacket do for him in this regard, if he was living out that fantasy? He would not see it passing any windows/mirrors inside the church. Yes, it was on tape. So either we have a (not real police) perp in a real police uniform, or we have a perp in a borrowed real police uniform, or we have a possibly mentally disturbed individual in either a real or not real police outfit. So, the POLICE logo could be explained one way or another.

But why wearing a balaclava plus helmet in a burglary/ fantasy scenario? It gets hot underneath a helmet plus ski mask/balaclava and hearing is definitely impeded. Perhaps he wore the balaclava in case he had to take off the helmet. Then he knew about the interior cameras beforehand IMO.

Being convinced nobody would show up at the church that early in the morning is one thing. Being able to hear anyone possibly entering the church is another thing. But he did not seem too concerned about hearing noise or making noise.
I THINK HE IS DEAF or has at least a speech impairment! The balaclava/ helmet covers up a possible speech problem IMO, in case he does run into someone unexpectedly. He is living out his fantasy, which is MAKING NOISE..

He may also have a foot/leg/hip condition - or he simply hit his foot/knee, when hammering the NE doors. He aborts his break-in attempt and finds another way in.

That is a way, the outfit could make sense to me.

ALL IMO

-Nin

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

yes, that's where I'm going. I think people would be surprised with how few valuables are in a church and that there likely were not any valuable electronics sitting around - which is why SP may have rattled through file cabinets looking for anything interesting. Further, things like laptops and tablets can be tracked on GPS so those may have been viewed as too risky to take.

I did some more checking on this. The ministers had laptops that they took home. There were a couple of desktop computers in the offices, and that’s it.

 

[FromGermany1]

What difference in all his behavior (and in the interpretation of all the ongoing) would it make, if the SP once in his life had been a minister himself (in any church, not Creek Side)? Would there be a difference? What do you think?

 

[DeDee]

So you mean the guy didn’t ask you to freeze right there and wait while he pondered the ramifications of swinging vs not swinging? He didn’t look up some statutes so he could determine whether to bash your skull versus pushing you aside? So he actually acted instinctively, reflexively? Imagine that!

Glad you’re okay, by the way.

SP didn't need to stop to consider the ramifications of shooting Missy. He carried a firearm when illegally breaking and entering a building. Surely SP realized the possibility that he may need to shoot his gun. Considering where MBs injuries occurred, he was very good with his aim.

When SP did fire his weapon, he hit Missy in the head which may have rendered MB unconscious straight away. He punctured her chest which likely exploded her heart. Those are the two most vital areas known to cause death. She was not going to live once their encounter began.

RE the broken glass
It is alleged that the display case in the NW corner was shattered. Display cases are made from tempered glass that is not easily broken. Tempered glass is thick, strong and doesn't shatter into large shards.

Tempered glass breaks into smaller pieces that interlock with neighboring pieces and therefore don’t fall readily.

The surface of tempered glass is approximately four times stronger than the surface of regular annealed (non-safety) glass of the same thickness.

Stresses cause the glass, when broken, to shatter into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as ordinary annealed glass does. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.

Tempered glass is not shatterproof. It will break easier when it's hit near the edges where it is weakest. If the display case shattered, it was probably because it was hit with SPs hammer. (There are countless YT vids about breaking tempered glass. This is just one.)

 

[Laughing]

I would suspect that if CCOC was his "target," the perp's point of view may have been to find the Sunday offering that had been received, plus any cash left laying around. The Sunday collection would be a logical place to find cash, and coming early Monday, before it could be taken to an open bank, would seem the right time to look.

NO idea about any other churches -- but I've been involved with 2 during my adult years.

Offering collected by 2 church officers -- members, not employees.

Offering counted at least twice so tallies agree.

Multi-copy deposit slip completed, initialized by both people. Form completed & left for church treasurer.

Cash offering, checks, and deposit clip placed in locking bank bag.

Key placed in key locker.

Locked deposit bag taken to bank, placed in night deposit chute.


Now of course Creekside may have had a completely different process -- any way to find out?

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

SP didn't need to stop to consider the ramifications of shooting Missy. He carried a firearm when illegally breaking and entering a building. Surely SP realized the possibility that he may need to shoot his gun. Considering where MBs injuries occurred, he was very good with his aim.

When SP did fire his weapon, he hit Missy in the head which may have rendered MB unconscious straight away. He punctured her chest which likely exploded her heart. Those are the two most vital areas known to cause death. She was not going to live once their encounter began.

RE the broken glass
It is alleged that the display case in the NW corner was shattered. Display cases are made from tempered glass that is not easily broken. Tempered glass is thick, strong and doesn't shatter into large shards.




Tempered glass is not shatterproof. It will break easier when it's hit near the edges where it is weakest. If the display case shattered, it was probably because it was hit with SPs hammer. (There are countless YT vids about breaking tempered glass. This is just one.)

It has not been released publicly just where on her body Missy was shot, nor the nature of other puncture wounds. It is probably best to keep it that way so that police have certain facts that are guilty evidence.

 

[SteveS]

Now of course Creekside may have had a completely different process -- any way to find out?

Knowing CCOC procedure probably doesn't get us anywhere, unfortunately.

That's because the informative question is "What did perp expect" rather than "What was CCOC 's procedure?" And he could have expected large bundles of cash to be collected and still there Monday morning, even if that was nowhere near the truth.

 

[No it's not]

Not sure if anyone has measured SP's ("Swatperp's") shoes yet. They are app. 13 inches long according to my measurements, which would convert to an app. size of 17. To be safe I would estimate a size 16-17. Definitely not their shoe size..IMO

However, it is very difficult to see, but I am checking out the frames for a better image of the shoes and he may be wearing shinguard, that reach over the shoe instep and possibly all the way over the shoe tip.

If anyone has worked on legs/shinguards/shoes and shoe length, please post.

ALL IMO

-Nin

 

[SteveS]

It has not been released publicly just where on her body Missy was shot, nor the nature of other puncture wounds. It is probably best to keep it that way so that police have certain facts that are guilty evidence.

It seems clear that LE has wanted to keep from sharing all the facts of the crime that are known.

But not sure how withholding such benign facts as body location, wounds, etc has really changed the situation, inasmuch as there were MANY people other than perp who have known (and perhaps shared with any number of people) the answer to that question.

Campers, first responders, medical personnel, and more all had opportunity to see where her body was, and observe her wounds. And they could talk, and tell whoever they wanted and speculate further to any extent they desired, just as we are doing (only with better insight and personal knowledge to work from).

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

It seems clear that LE has wanted to keep from sharing all the facts of the crime that are known.

But not sure how withholding such benign facts as body location, wounds, etc has really changed the situation, inasmuch as there were MANY people other than perp who have known (and perhaps shared with any number of people) the answer to that question.

Campers, first responders, medical personnel, and more all had opportunity to see where her body was, and observe her wounds. And they could talk, and tell whoever they wanted and speculate further to any extent they desired, just as we are doing (only with better insight and personal knowledge to work from).

Those who were on the scene have kept extraordinarily quiet for five years. I can tell you that with confidence because I tried and failed to get most of them to open up, even three and four years later and with very little apparent progress being made in the case.

I firmly believe that if MPD had voluntarily withheld that UCR report - as was their right - very, very few people today would have any clue about a gunshot.

There are a lot of things that are tangential to the case that might make little to no difference if they became known. The location of the body for example. Whether it was at SW or NW I think is fairly irrelevant because the killer himself/herself might not still remember where in the building it went down.

But it’s hard for me to imagine anything more central to the case than what she was killed with and exactly where on her body it was done. I don’t see that as a “benign fact.” But on the other hand, it would be good for us to know any pieces of information that somehow illuminate motive in this case - if there is such information, of course. In other words, if there has been any misdirection or misunderstanding or misconception about aspects of this case that might steer a tipster away from this case thinking that what they know is not relevant, then that can be and should be cleared up by police. After all, they said themselves in their press release that they believe this case will be solved through collaboration with the public. The public can only collaborate if it has a somewhat accurate picture of what this case is about.

 

[DeDee]

It has not been released publicly just where on her body Missy was shot, nor the nature of other puncture wounds. It is probably best to keep it that way so that police have certain facts that are guilty evidence.

We may have had this conversation before but, yes, we do know where Missy was injured because the Probable Cause section of the SWs tells us she died from puncture wounds to her head and chest as attested by Investigator Cody Moon.

We may not know for certain that a bullet hit her heart, but I have no reason to believe the SP shot her in the right side of the chest opposed to where the heart is located on the left side.

The puncture wound(s) at the head did not cause a closed casket service so her face was likely not effected or else the entry wound was small in size and was hidden by hair or cosmetics by the funeral parlor.

I don't think her skull was crushed with the hammer but other puncture wounds could have been suffered by SP swinging that dang hammer he's so fond of.

Taking the Pain Out of Gunshot Wounds in ICD-10 | Medical Coding Buff
A gunshot wound is a penetrating wound or a puncture wound. It is also a traumatic wound.

Penetrating wounds are caused by any object or force that breaks through or punctures the skin to the underlying organs or tissue.

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2822749/BEVERS-SW16-060.txt
The victim Was later found deceased at the south west corner of the interior of the building.

Terri Bevers had multiple puncture wounds found on her head and chest are consistent with the tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building.

 

[DeDee]

Why should SP have crashed the door panes at all, if he was scouring for something of value only? It makes then a bit of sense, IMO, if he had the elimination of Missy on his "plan for mission" and wanted to confuse all the investigators with his behavior on surveillance and with the results (broken glass here and there).
I'm only thinking about, if he was hired or not, because of the accompanying circumstances (BB away, seniors away).

The only item we see SP have from a room while inside of the Church is the small white item. GS tells us it is a small plastic basket. There's no accumulation pile of items of value related to copper wiring, musical instruments, electronics related to music recordings, cords for those electronics, etc.

Bevers Was Having Marital Problems Before Murder
May 5, 2016
"Police first said that Bevers may have interrupted a burglary, but that has been called into question. Some clues have even indicated that this may have been a targeted attack."

The 2nd SW (found at the link) states BB and Missy were experiencing marital strife.
"having marital and financial struggles at the time of her death."

Oh, From Germany, not only did BB have an alibi but he had what has been described as an "airtight alibi." The evening before the murder, BB sat on the tarmac, strapped inside an airplane, while extreme weather conditions was causing havoc for airplanes scheduled to take off and land.

 

[FromGermany1]

The only item we see SP have from a room while inside of the Church is the small white item. GS tells us it is a small plastic basket. There's no accumulation pile of items of value related to copper wiring, musical instruments, electronics related to music recordings, cords for those electronics, etc.

Bevers Was Having Marital Problems Before Murder
May 5, 2016
"Police first said that Bevers may have interrupted a burglary, but that has been called into question. Some clues have even indicated that this may have been a targeted attack."

The 2nd SW (found at the link) states BB and Missy were experiencing marital strife.
"having marital and financial struggles at the time of her death."

Oh, From Germany, not only did BB have an alibi but he had what has been described as an "airtight alibi." The evening before the murder, BB sat on the tarmac, strapped inside an airplane, while extreme weather conditions was causing havoc for airplanes scheduled to take off and land.

Airtight alibis (even for 2-3 people) are something great, in case, just then a mentally deficient and lame burglar plans to steal something useful, unscrupulous walking over corpses if needy. Sunday-sarcasm over.

 

[Satchie]

Those who were on the scene have kept extraordinarily quiet for five years. I can tell you that with confidence because I tried and failed to get most of them to open up, even three and four years later and with very little apparent progress being made in the case.

I firmly believe that if MPD had voluntarily withheld that UCR report - as was their right - very, very few people today would have any clue about a gunshot.

There are a lot of things that are tangential to the case that might make little to no difference if they became known. The location of the body for example. Whether it was at SW or NW I think is fairly irrelevant because the killer himself/herself might not still remember where in the building it went down.

But it’s hard for me to imagine anything more central to the case than what she was killed with and exactly where on her body it was done. I don’t see that as a “benign fact.” But on the other hand, it would be good for us to know any pieces of information that somehow illuminate motive in this case - if there is such information, of course. In other words, if there has been any misdirection or misunderstanding or misconception about aspects of this case that might steer a tipster away from this case thinking that what they know is not relevant, then that can be and should be cleared up by police. After all, they said themselves in their press release that they believe this case will be solved through collaboration with the public. The public can only collaborate if it has a somewhat accurate picture of what this case is about.

We see this with the Libby and Abby murders: the release of video/audio have been associated with an absolute clampdown of info about how and where they died, and where 'down the hill' is. The head of the investigation has declared all the youtube reenactments are wrong.

Just speculation, but perhaps LE know some cases will attract an exceptionally large public interest, especially when audio/video/photos are released, so they keep the lid on other details precisely to contain that huge public desire to know all the rest of the details.

Firstly, recreating the crime does contaminate potential witnesses, who will draw conclusions based on imaginery scenarios, such as targetted/not targetted, when police themselves have not drawn any conclusions. Perhaps a person who knows someone suspicious will or will not report things based on this bias.

Secondly, it may be for privacy for the dead, her family, and the church. The spot where she actually died might become famous, people going there to pay tribute, etc.

JMO

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

We may have had this conversation before but, yes, we do know where Missy was injured because the Probable Cause section of the SWs tells us she died from puncture wounds to her head and chest as attested by Investigator Cody Moon.

We may not know for certain that a bullet hit her heart, but I have no reason to believe the SP shot her in the right side of the chest opposed to where the heart is located on the left side.

The puncture wound(s) at the head did not cause a closed casket service so her face was likely not effected or else the entry wound was small in size and was hidden by hair or cosmetics by the funeral parlor.

I don't think her skull was crushed with the hammer but other puncture wounds could have been suffered by SP swinging that dang hammer he's so fond of.

Taking the Pain Out of Gunshot Wounds in ICD-10 | Medical Coding Buff
A gunshot wound is a penetrating wound or a puncture wound. It is also a traumatic wound.

Penetrating wounds are caused by any object or force that breaks through or punctures the skin to the underlying organs or tissue.

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2822749/BEVERS-SW16-060.txt
The victim Was later found deceased at the south west corner of the interior of the building.

Terri Bevers had multiple puncture wounds found on her head and chest are consistent with the tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building.

I didn’t say that we didn’t know where she was injured. I said that it has not been publicly stated as to where on her body she was shot.

And it WAS a closed casket service.

 

[DeDee]

I didn’t say that we didn’t know where she was injured. I said that it has not been publicly stated as to where on her body she was shot.

And it WAS a closed casket service.

My apologies are extended as my memory had it that you told us that her funeral services were "mostly open."
.

 

[Gumshoejane]

In my opinion and it is a humble one. The SP would not need to shoot MB as he was covered head to toe in a police uniform. MB would not have been able to identify the SP and he could have easily just have said he is a cop investigating a break in. No need to shoot her. In my opinion this was a targeted attack.
I’m a frequent lurker. Take care everyone.