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

[airportwoman]

Good point, Amish tend to be socially isolated from other people.

Mennonites, however, can range from being near Amish in regards to social isolation to having near the same social contacts as everybody else.

The house appears to have a double garage. Depending on the Mennonite congregation, the ability to own a work truck does mean alot of non work related driving. Thus, they can be confused with Amish.

I just can help but think that poor victim was Mennonite and not Amish

The garage might also be for farm equipment.

If a woman is wearing an Amish style dress in multiple colors (plaid, print, etc.) she's probably Mennonite. Men in the Mennonites don't usually have a uniform style of dress, although they do dress conservatively.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Geez, overkill! Sounds personal if not wrong house invaded. How did he know her husband wasn’t gonna be there? I feel like his anger got out of control and he snapped. Or revenge?

 

[Cryptic]

Those are crime scene photos after the murder. There are vehicles everywhere! LE, county attorney or coroner, crime lab trailers....

Yes, quite possibly some vehicles are from law enforcement. One trailer seems more horse trailer than crime lab though.

Then there is what looks like an uninstalled ground AC unit on the porch where the new siding is being put on. That could imply not only AC, but electricity.

 

[vls12345]

Man arrested for murder of Amish woman

Shawn Cranston, 52, from Corry, Pennsylvania was arrested today for allegedly murdering pregnant Rebekah Byler, 23, in her home on Monday

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Cryptic]

Geez, overkill! Sounds personal if not wrong house invaded. How did he know her husband wasn’t gonna be there? I feel like his anger got out of control and he snapped. Or revenge?

I agree.

Over kill implies personal. It could also be semi personal in the form of a hate driven crime, or a mixed motive crime where robbery is a motive, but bias towards the group leads to escalation and over kill. Perhaps a mixture of rage and frustration after the expected "mother lode" of cash is not found.

In the end, however, there is a pattern of Amish and Hutterites being harassed, buggies rammed, farm equipment vandalized etc. It may effect Mennonites to a lesser degree as they are less distinct.

Sometimes the attacks are motivated on part my financial rivalry with "English" people. Amish and Hutterite communities can have an economies of scale that leads them offering lower prices for what in one area was T-day turkey production. Other times, its just a hatred of the "different",

 

[Stunned]

Did you read this in an article? Or hear it from someone? I’ve not seen anything about that.

No, I just assumed if she was stabbed in the face and neck she'd have defense wounds.

 

[Knitty]

MOD NOTE: Please move past the Amish vs. Mennonite discussion. As of now, the victim and her family have been identified by both LE and in MSM as Amish, so unless that changes, that discussion is off topic.

 

[Joe Friday]

This is a shot from street view that shows a red jeep, possibly a 2012 Patriot behind a house next to a Dollar General in Corry.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

View attachment 487508

The property you have shown is the same address listed for Cranston on USphonebook.com

The property is located next to the Dollar General that was said to have been shut down Friday night while LE investigated a red Jeep. No doubt LE has obtained search warrants for the house and Jeep and conducted searches on each. Hopefully found some incriminating evidence such as the victims blood or murder weapons were found. Cranston doesn't look like a smart criminal that would throw away a gun or knife.

Looking at the house, it's a dump in need of significant repairs. According to Google the street view picture is from June of 2023, not long ago. Maybe Cranston contracted with the Amish to do some repairs on the home, and that is the connection. I didn't do a property search to see if Cranston owns or rents. I have seen numerous relatives of Cranston are listed as having lived at this address, so I'm assuming the house is owned.

Corry, PA. Shawn Cranston Shawn C Cranston , Age 52. Lives at 428 E Main St, Corry, PA 16407-2014

https://www.usphonebook.com/address/428-e-main-st_corry-pa

 

[Stunned]

MOD NOTE: Please move past the Amish vs. Mennonite discussion. As of now, the victim and her family have been identified by both LE and in MSM as Amish, so unless that changes, that discussion is off topic.

Thank you, thank-you, thank you!

 

[FromGermany1]

SC wife (nurse) and the young pregnant victim - can there be an unfortunate connection in some form?

 

[RetLawyer]

No, I just assumed if she was stabbed in the face and neck she'd have defense wounds.

Makes sense. IMO, I think she was shot in the head first, which took her to the floor but didn’t necessarily kill her and then he slashed her throat and she likely bled out. So, probably no defensive wounds. Just a horrific murder.

 

[SteveP]

SC wife (nurse) and the young pregnant victim - can there be an unfortunate connection in some form?

I considered that as well, as Corry is only about 10 miles from Sparta Township. But then, perhaps mistakenly, I thought it may be more likely that the young woman may shun hospitals and choose an at-home birth, with an Amish mid-wife or doula assisting. If that is the case, I think a connection to the alleged killer's wife is less likely. JMO

 

[Hereshecomes75]

Makes sense. IMO, I think she was shot in the head first, which took her to the floor but didn’t necessarily kill her and then he slashed her throat and she likely bled out. So, probably no defensive wounds. Just a horrific murder.

And if that’s the case, it sounds like he came prepared. But why?

I also think that a Monday morning is a time you wouldn’t expect to find an Amish dad (who doesn’t farm) at home. Did SC intentionally choose that time? I wonder if the police, in tracing the Byler family’s whereabouts on the day before the murder, found any kind of confrontation they had with SC.

 

[investigatefred]

Preliminary hearing for Cranston is set for March 15th- court docket & summary attached

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch

(It's Crawford county if my link doesnt directly take you there)

 

[Knox]

He has a lot of traffic tickets, not unusual for a commercial truck driver, one case in 2009 (Erie).
Hope the link holds https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Repor...-CR-0002188-2009&dnh=c1+foX5c9Ta3im/4AiJpqQ==

If not, search here https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch

Current case filing attached.

 

[RetLawyer]

And if that’s the case, it sounds like he came prepared. But why?

I also think that a Monday morning is a time you wouldn’t expect to find an Amish dad (who doesn’t farm) at home. Did SC intentionally choose that time? I wonder if the police, in tracing the Byler family’s whereabouts on the day before the murder, found any kind of confrontation they had with SC.

My guess is that he always carries some kind of knife. But taking a gun into the home with him, I agree, shows clear intent to kill, MOO. Yes, that 24 hr timeframe is curious. That would have been on Sunday. Hard to know.

 

[airportwoman]

Yes, quite possibly some vehicles are from law enforcement. One trailer seems more horse trailer than crime lab though.

Then there is what looks like an uninstalled ground AC unit on the porch where the new siding is being put on. That could imply not only AC, but electricity.

More likely, it's a portable generator that the installers would use.

Amish houses and other construction are not authorized for use until an "English" inspector confirms that it meets modern codes. They understand this.

 

[airportwoman]

No, I just assumed if she was stabbed in the face and neck she'd have defense wounds.

Like I said earlier in this thread, I wondered if the face and neck wounds were because she was injured by furniture, toys, etc. as she collapsed to the floor.

 

[SleutherGirl]

More likely, it's a portable generator that the installers would use.

Amish houses and other construction are not authorized for use until an "English" inspector confirms that it meets modern codes. They understand this.

Out of curiosity, what does that look like? Plumbing? Heat? Air? Do they have it and just not use it?

 

[karen in New York]

On Sundays, the Amish community meet together with other Amish people in their community. It is a day long event. Prayer service and then meal prep and eating. The men get together and the women separately. No work or business can be conducted on Sundays. The young men typically take buggies out at night and get together at certain places. I've seen them smoking cigars and racing their buggies.
Don't know where the Sunday service was and if it was close to the perpetrators home or business activity.