MI MI - Chelsea Small, 30, Taylor, shot at work (gun silencer used), 12 Nov 2013

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dotr

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Taylor police release new information in Chelsea Small murder case
Family continues to mourn four years after the murder of Chelsea Small

"Small, 30, was killed in a robbery at about noon on Nov. 12, 2013, at the Taylor Advance America loan store where she worked. No arrests have been made.

Police are now making it public that the man used a silencer on his gun during the shooting.

Taylor Police Cmdr. Michael Lividini said the information was important because the man seen on security footage may use a silencer at a gun range or shooting club. He said that could make the man stick out in the mind of anyone who otherwise wouldn't have linked someone to her shooting."
Nov 9 2018
No suspects in Michigan mother Chelsea Small’s death five years after armed robbery

In 2013, Chelsea was attending Wayne County Community College to become a physical therapist, her mother Debi told Dateline. She was also working at a local Advance America cash advance center to pay for school and support her children.

November 12, 2013, was supposed to be Chelsea’s day off, but she was at work, as she had switched shifts with a coworker so she could celebrate her son’s 5th birthday a few days earlier.

“She called me [that day] and she was upset with some stuff that got dumped on her at work,” Debi told Dateline. She said she spoke with Chelsea around 10:00 a.m.

A bit after noon, Debi received a call from a family friend who also worked for Advance America. Debi’s friend said she heard something was wrong at Chelsea’s location, and urged Debi to try to reach her daughter.
 

No suspects in Michigan mother Chelsea Small’s death five years after armed robbery
“There was no audio on the security tape, but it might have been some sort of demand of money,” Det. Jones told Dateline. “Then she hits the button under the counter. He produces a handgun over the counter, and she’s shot in the chest.”

Detective Jones said the man on the security footage proceeded to shoot Chelsea again in the head. He then ransacked the place and fled the building. The entire robbery took about two minutes, Det. Jones told Dateline.


Security footage showing the man who shot Chelsea Small Taylor Police Department

Security footage of robery Taylor Police Department
 
Jun 2, 2019
Airport graduate turns detective on local murder case, earns award
By Caitlin Taylor Boron
''Chelsea Ann Small, a 2002 Carlson High School graduate, was 30 when she was killed during a November 2013 robbery at the former Advance America on Telegraph Rd. The murder remains unsolved.

“Her day will come, I believe that,” said Debi Kamin, Small’s mother. “I think the truth is out there, but I’m just hoping I’m still around when it comes out.”

On Nov. 12, 2013, the gunman entered the business, pulled out his weapon, announced a robbery and fired. Small was shot multiple times and cash was stolen.

Shortly after the murder, the Taylor Police Department released security camera images that showed the man, although he has yet to be identified.''

2013
 
BethAnn777 said:
True Crime Garage just released a 2 part podcast about Chelsea.

Chelsea Small /// 491 /// 492
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Just listened to the podcast .... gee they've done a great job discussing this case - I hadn't heard of this before.
He looks for all the world like a hired assassin - a cold-hearted killer!
Went looking for a an image of the guy who stole the silencers from Schupbach’s Sporting Goods six months earlier and found this article.
Feds Seek Tips To ID Man Who Robbed Gun Shop In Michigan

GunStoreThief.jpg
 
Itsapuzzle said:
Just listened to the podcast .... gee they've done a great job discussing this case - I hadn't heard of this before.
He looks for all the world like a hired assassin - a cold-hearted killer!
Went looking for a an image of the guy who stole the silencers from Schupbach’s Sporting Goods six months earlier and found this article.
Feds Seek Tips To ID Man Who Robbed Gun Shop In Michigan

View attachment 301635
Click to expand...
Nice catch, guy in gun store appears to be heavier, but footwear similar and perp in each case, holds item with both hands in front of himself imo. speculation.
 
dotr said:
Nice catch, guy in gun store appears to be heavier, but footwear similar and perp in each case, holds item with both hands in front of himself imo. speculation.
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Ah yes, good points, very similar indeed - and he is wearing a very loose top by the look of it in the sporting shop, and of course may have shed some pounds over the 6 month gap. Perhaps he had things stashed under his shirt, food and entertainment items for the hours he was hiding away in the cupboard(?) in the store. The weight estimate from LE of the gunman at Advance America is 200 lbs, so he's no lightweight either. MOO
 
He appears to push the bag he's carrying over the counter when he's in front of Chelsea, and retrieves it off the floor when he's leaving. Appears to be an orange envelope sticking out of it, but not sure if that was there when he arrived.
 
Did the staff at Advance America wear name tags? The gunman would have been able to read that and would have seen the name Chelsea. If he was targeting the worker who she switched shifts with he would have known it wasn’t her, I mean, if it was a hit. MOO of course.
 
The perp planned this for a while. He purchased (or had) a gun and silencer beforehand. He either cased the store beforehand, was a customer, or entered the store to make spurious inquiries about service. He makes no effort to cover his face, because he had no intention of leaving whoever was there alive. Although noon may have been a good time to rob and kill, entering the store with a mask would have alarmed people outside the store that something was up. He's there unmasked, carrying a whale of a gun with a silencer. He's concerned about the sound (why? You can't hide sound, so you HAVE to have a way to remove it) of any shots bringing unwanted intervention. He's dressed like a half-assed Brinks guard. Anyone seeing him enter the store, might think he was there to do a legitimate pick up. He knows its lunchtime. He knows from casing the store that there's no business at that time. He knows the customer service person may be distracted by eating their lunch. If he's had time to case the store in order to determine the best time to hit it, he's probably unemployed. He may have hung around or parked nearby for many days figuring out the foot traffic in and out of the store.
He may have been fired from a job recently, had his wife or girlfriend leave him on account of it, is angry and in need of money. Being low on cash has screwed up his life. His level of low self-esteem has plummeted. If he's married, his wife is nagging him to death about getting another job. If he has kids, they're looking at him like he's a loser. If he's single, he can't make rent, car payments, pay for groceries, go to a bar. All of these things ratchet up his anger. He feels screwed, angry, vengeful. He's local. He can travel to the store often to solidify his plans over a period of time. Between his anger (the murder) and need (the robbery) he may feel justified for the crime, because he's thinking its about time HE screwed someone and got the upper hand. At one time, he may have been a security guard, mailman, anyone whose job requires a uniform commanding low-level recognition or respect.

He's organized, but not overly confident. He didn't choose a bank. He chose a local repository of smaller funds with little or no security. He's not very sophisticated. He could have forced her into another room, tied her up and left her alive. He chose not to. He let his anger lead him, not his need for money.
 
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TheGardener said:
The perp planned this for a while. He purchased (or had) a gun and silencer beforehand. He either cased the store beforehand, was a customer, or entered the store to make spurious inquiries about service. He makes no effort to cover his face, because he had no intention of leaving whoever was there alive. Although noon may have been a good time to rob and kill, entering the store with a mask would have alarmed people outside the store that something was up. He's there unmasked, carrying a whale of a gun with a silencer. He's concerned about the sound (why? You can't hide sound, so you HAVE to have a way to remove it) of any shots bringing unwanted intervention. He's dressed like a half-assed Brinks guard. Anyone seeing him enter the store, might think he was there to do a legitimate pick up. He knows its lunchtime. He knows from casing the store that there's no business at that time. He knows the customer service person may be distracted by eating their lunch. If he's had time to case the store in order to determine the best time to hit it, he's probably unemployed. He may have hung around or parked nearby for many days figuring out the foot traffic in and out of the store.
He may have been fired from a job recently, had his wife or girlfriend leave him on account of it, is angry and in need of money. Being low on cash has screwed up his life. His level of low self-esteem has plummeted. If he's married, his wife is nagging him to death about getting another job. If he has kids, they're looking at him like he's a loser. If he's single, he can't make rent, car payments, pay for groceries, go to a bar. All of these things ratchet up his anger. He feels screwed, angry, vengeful. He's local. He can travel to the store often to solidify his plans over a period of time. Between his anger (the murder) and need (the robbery) he may feel justified for the crime, because he's thinking its about time HE screwed someone and got the upper hand. At one time, he may have been a security guard, mailman, anyone whose job requires a uniform commanding low-level recognition or respect.

He's organized, but not overly confident. He didn't choose a bank. He chose a local repository of smaller funds with little or no security. He's not very sophisticated. He could have forced her into another room, tied her up and left her alive. He chose not to. He let his anger lead him, not his need for money.
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All JMHO.
 
The hat is interesting ... not many caps have a logo/emblem on one side of cap, and emblem on the front. It's quite unique I think. Has anyone seen a cap like this, back in the day, 2013 or earlier? Will start looking around.
Perp-cap.jpg
 
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That person in the gun store looks disturbingly like an English teacher that young Laughing had....

However, our English teacher embarked on a health program & now has an actual haircut.

Agree that gun-store-guy is dressed to hide something under that shirt.

jmho ymmv lrr
 
I know he doesn't like women, that's for sure. He didn't flinch at blowing this dear lady away. Never thought, Ah...she's just a working woman. Probably has a few kids. I'll tie her up in the back room, lock her in a closet, whatever. He executed her. Angry guy...and he's still walking around town. Another schlub of a loser who can't take making a living the hard, honest way.

And if you don't think he's fueled by anger, take a look at the cannon he brought to a food fight. Chelsea reaped the reward of everything that's ever gone wrong in this loser's life. Tragic.

If I was looking for this character, I'd try to find surveillance video and look for the same car parked in the area every day of the month before the murder. Check every one out.
 
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We live in the age of HD and 4K image resolution. My question is: Why do people who buy security equipment keep insisting on having cameras that create low resolution or completely blurry images?
Answer: They're cheap. Which gives you insight into how much employers value their employees lives.

He might be a sport hunter. He stands over her like she's a wounded, half-dead deer, does a quick assessment, then issues the coup de gras. Hunters do that.
 
We are victim-friendly here, and work to avoid smearing anyone near a crime victim.

But, after many years, there seems to be very little information about why this shooting occurred.

Perhaps trying to look around at the wider situation could help?

Do we know anything at all about the co-worker who switched shifts with Ms. Small? Could that person have been the intended victim?

A linked article indicates that Ms. Small left children. Do we know anything about the father(s) of those children? Keep in mind that those children will be adults one day and are likely to Google their mother's name at some point.

Does Michigan have any portion of their divorce records on-line?

Was Ms. Small dating?

Was the robbery a cover-up for a premeditated murder? Or did Ms. Small merely arrive at the wrong place at the wrong time?

Just looking for more dots to connect.

RIP, Ms. Small!

jmho ymmv lrr
 
dotr said:
Not likely related, but for some reason the still images of the perp in this case reminds me somehow of the perp in the unsolved murder of Terri "Missy" Bevers.
speculation, imo.
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Not so unlikely dotr, may very well be the same fellow - the shoes look about the same size, and in the photo where he's leaving the counter he appears to be wearing a white or tan coloured bandana. His gait, he does have a long stride like the Missy Bevers perp. And who's to say he hasn't been in an accident since this 2013 crime and the 2016 MB crime .... I mean, a guy like this, who knows what circles he's mixing in, hey, maybe he got shot in the leg or something in the meantime or had an accident altering his gait/walking. Add to that, he is dressed like a courier here .... in MB case he's dressed like a police guy - maybe takes on different costume for each crime? One final thing, no-one heard a gunshot, so maybe a suppressor was used, who knows. All possible, and ..... MOO
 
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