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

[gliving]

If it was a common thing for young miscreants to dress up in bizarre costumes to break into buildings and be captured on video, that would give credence to the coincidence theory. But I'm not aware that's a 'thing'. IMO, relatively harmless people get their ideas from other people and TV, even the misfits follow the trends in how to be a misfit.

Satchie, are you familiar with 'cosplay'? Cosplay stands for costume play. It's a very popular pastime for many. Maybe you've seen Star Trek costumes or the very popular Anime costumes. Here's an example of a SWAT costume. I'm not saying this is what's happening with Missy, but I also can't rule it out.

 

[Satchie]

Satchie, are you familiar with 'cosplay'? Cosplay stands for costume play. It's a very popular pastime for many. Maybe you've seen Star Trek costumes or the very popular Anime costumes. Here's an example of a SWAT costume. I'm not saying this is what's happening with Missy, but I also can't rule it out.

I guess you mean a regular cosplayer who went rogue? A possibility, but it's odd they chose the costume most likely to intimidate a victim, rather than, say, a burglar costume, which would fit the situation better for role play. It doesn't look to me the person is acting the part of a SWAT person, that's actually one aspect of the video that's so bizarre, all dressed up for an emergency, but lazily wandering the halls like they're looking for a snack.

 

[chaz]

I guess you mean a regular cosplayer who went rogue? A possibility, but it's odd they chose the costume most likely to intimidate a victim, rather than, say, a burglar costume, which would fit the situation better for role play. It doesn't look to me the person is acting the part of a SWAT person, that's actually one aspect of the video that's so bizarre, all dressed up for an emergency, but lazily wandering the halls like they're looking for a snack.

Perhaps the role he was never allowed to play before?

 

[JnRyan]

I can't rule out a targeted kill, but it just seems too elaborate a scheme to kill someone. Why not just park in back of the church and wait for Missy to drive up. You don't have to be concerned about the inside cameras. And if this person knew the outside cameras weren't working - assuming they just didn't get lucky about that point - you wouldn't even need a disguise. Missy probably left the entrance unlocked so just walk up and shoot her with a small caliber gun either just inside the entrance or when she may have gone to her vehicle for more items. Just walk around to the entrance, do it quickly and walk back around to their vehicle and drive off. Why break in? The more elaborate the scheme, the more likely something will go wrong. Keep it simple.

I tend to believe it was intended to be a prank and it went sideways. It may be the killer may have not even intended to kill her, because after all she didn't see the SWAT impersonator's face. The surprise, the fear of being caught and the adrenaline of the moment may have led to something the SWAT person didn't intend.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

<snip>
I see an unathletic female, perhaps with "duck feet", trudging beneath the weight of the Swat gear as she paces around the church in a rage. In short, the individual does not seem to wear the uniform and gear. Rather the gear seems to wear on her.
<snip>

Snipped by me. I totally agree with you. The way the perp walks - with hips forward, arm out - and the short stature looks like a female to me.

 

[BeachSky]

Midlothian resident here....sadly this case isn't talked about as much anymore. I know some of her close friends don't think the husband had anything to do with her murder, even though maybe half of the town does. I don't really know anymore...

The break-ins that usually happen here have been at gas stations or vehicles. Don't happen as often as the city, but it's usually out of towners or teens/high schoolers breaking into vehicles. We've never had issues with break-ins at churches. And we've never had a murder due to criminal activity. It's a pretty safe town, even with it's growth. Always has been.

The church is situated on an old highway that (at the time) was pretty secluded, no neighborhoods. At the time the murder happened it was dark and rainy, and no one would be paying attention driving past it and it probably wasn't busy around that time. It's busy now and tons of construction going on.

So, I feel that it either was someone that knew her and knew what time she would be there and that the church would be empty, or it could have been some immature high schooler/or young adolescent that was bored and thought it'd be "awesome" to break in and all dressed up in their gear and got busted by Missy. Maybe got surprised by Missy and that's why he/she attacked/killed Missy.

I've only known about her puncture wounds to her head and chest area. Without getting into details or causing any issues for the person...a family member of mine worked with the camper that found her.

It's just crazy that they haven't solved this case, but this is a smallish town and we have never experienced something like this. I think our last murder was in the 80's, undercover cop George Rayfield was killed by two high school boys over drugs.

Thanks so much
I agree with the : someone that knew her and knew what time she would be there...and that church was empty.
I say No to immature high schooler...
IMO only a mature person has that build & that walk
Perhaps an older person on a mission.


MOO

 

[Satchie]

I can't rule out a targeted kill, but it just seems too elaborate a scheme to kill someone. Why not just park in back of the church and wait for Missy to drive up. You don't have to be concerned about the inside cameras. And if this person knew the outside cameras weren't working - assuming they just didn't get lucky about that point - you wouldn't even need a disguise. Missy probably left the entrance unlocked so just walk up and shoot her with a small caliber gun either just inside the entrance or when she may have gone to her vehicle for more items. Just walk around to the entrance, do it quickly and walk back around to their vehicle and drive off. Why break in? The more elaborate the scheme, the more likely something will go wrong. Keep it simple.

I tend to believe it was intended to be a prank and it went sideways. It may be the killer may have not even intended to kill her, because after all she didn't see the SWAT impersonator's face. The surprise, the fear of being caught and the adrenaline of the moment may have led to something the SWAT person didn't intend.

I have thought that as well. But a few things bother me. Breaking and entering, by smashing a window, isn't really a prank. There's usually an intent to steal, or violate the church, and yet the footage shows no apparent purpose in being there. It also bothers me that they broke in at 3:50 am. Pranksters are more likely 11pm-2am operators, IMO. 3:50 implies going to bed early to get some rest, and setting an alarm clock, and then dragging yourself out of bed to go out. That's why I wondered if the person was high. But it's unusual for someone so apparently relaxed while on drugs, to turn so violent, leave no clues, and successfully get away. That all seems like someone with their wits about them.

Then, of all the churches you could break into, you choose the one, in the middle of nowhere, where someone else shows up just a half hour later! And you happen to be close enough to physically encounter that person when they arrive, and not be in another part of the church, or slip away when you see/hear them. And you turn out to be, not just a prankster, but capable of murder: it's easy to hurt someone, but IMO killing them takes real effort, and sticking around for a bit, rather than running away. I'm just finding all these things hard to reconcile with coincidence.

I do agree, there was no need to enter the church at all if the goal was murder. If she'd just been shot and left in the rainy darkness, the crime certainly wouldn't have gotten all this attention.

ETA: it makes me wonder whether the killer was enacting some kind of fantasy.

 

[dotr]

There was an elevated off the ground window that had been broken, just down from the kitchen door.

View attachment 285915
Police did not say whether it was broken out or broken in or whether the killer went thru it (doubtful, because it is raised up off the ground). Then on the east side of the church at the northern corner, that entrance had its glass doors smashed.

View attachment 285916
The killer entered thru the metal kitchen service door:

View attachment 285917
, but some have theorized that he broke the window and the NE entrance doors to test for the presence of an alarm, maybe.

Clear shot of the broken door and smashed glass @0:40

 

[sandy_80]

That person was B***y H***y or BWH, former LE with alleged sexual assaults in his past. Walked duck-footed like the killer. Drove a small dark SUV matching a description of one a passerby claimed to see leaving the church at 4:30. A warrant was executed to seize tactical gear and electronic devices from his home. They found child *advertiser censored* on a laptop and he was arrested for that.

Grand jury did not indict because he was not the only one with access to the Device. He was released and was never charged with anything Missy-related. Police said they confirmed that he was where he said he was. Interesting thing about that is, he claimed to be feeding their newborn baby at 3 am while his wife got ready for work. At her 8 to 5 regular day job. So did they just take the wife’s word?

he got away with the *advertiser censored* stuff ...so who tipped him in or how he came to be a POI

 

[cady]

I still think it was someone who hated her so much to want to inflict the horror and be certain that she died. There were really only a few people who hated her that much. Still think it was a relative. jmo

 

[Razz]

A former Web Sleuther was certain a gun had been used on MB. He spoke in the Discovery channel "Still a Mystery".
Would definitely be worth a watch.

 

[JnRyan]

I have thought that as well. But a few things bother me. Breaking and entering, by smashing a window, isn't really a prank. There's usually an intent to steal, or violate the church, and yet the footage shows no apparent purpose in being there. It also bothers me that they broke in at 3:50 am. Pranksters are more likely 11pm-2am operators, IMO. 3:50 implies going to bed early to get some rest, and setting an alarm clock, and then dragging yourself out of bed to go out. That's why I wondered if the person was high. But it's unusual for someone so apparently relaxed while on drugs, to turn so violent, leave no clues, and successfully get away. That all seems like someone with their wits about them.

Then, of all the churches you could break into, you choose the one, in the middle of nowhere, where someone else shows up just a half hour later! And you happen to be close enough to physically encounter that person when they arrive, and not be in another part of the church, or slip away when you see/hear them. And you turn out to be, not just a prankster, but capable of murder: it's easy to hurt someone, but IMO killing them takes real effort, and sticking around for a bit, rather than running away. I'm just finding all these things hard to reconcile with coincidence.

I do agree, there was no need to enter the church at all if the goal was murder. If she'd just been shot and left in the rainy darkness, the crime certainly wouldn't have gotten all this attention.

ETA: it makes me wonder whether the killer was enacting some kind of fantasy.

I don't know about churches as the only ones I would have known about were what was reported in the news. I do remember one church I attended that did have a break-in but the damage inside was minimal. However, having been related to a teacher, I know MANY schools that have been broken into and many times the damage is what would be needed to enter with little or no damage inside. Maybe break into one classroom and dump a mop bucket on a teacher's desk, just for one example. Most of these were never caught as LE didn't have the resources to do much more than interview a teacher and MAYBE a student or students. It just wasn't cost effective to investigate a broken door or window and something minor like a pile of books dumped around a teacher's desk. It is not as prevalent in our area now as many have alarm systems. As one school resource (LE assigned to a set of schools) explained, the person just seemed to get their thrill from seeing if they get in and out and not necessarily theft. To be sure this person really went to great lengths with that disguise.

I had one friend who had a middle school age child detained by LE after being caught out over a mile away from home at 3 or 4 in the morning on a school night. When the parent checked their home alarm code log they discovered it had been going on for a few months. And the parents of the other kids the child was with didn't know it was happening either. They didn't do any damage or vandalism, just all met up somewhere for the 'adventure' of it. I find fewer and fewer things surprise me anymore.

 

[SteveS]

It appeared that the perp first tried to gain access via the doors at the northeast corner of the building (basically on its back side in relation to the highway), and then broke into the kitchen door on the north side of the building instead.

The window that was broken was IN the kitchen door, not down from it, and certainly much too small to go though. The video in post 288 shows that broken out window in the damaged door.

 

[Lhughessk]

he got away with the *advertiser censored* stuff ...so who tipped him in or how he came to be a POI

Multiple tips poured in for him. Many were as a result of the footage of him walking at Missy’s memorial service.

 

[Lhughessk]

It appeared that the perp first tried to gain access via the doors at the northeast corner of the building (basically on its back side in relation to the highway), and then broke into the kitchen door on the north side of the building instead.

The window that was broken was IN the kitchen door, not down from it, and certainly much too small to go though. The video in post 288 shows that broken out window in the damaged door.

No there was also a standalone window that was broken. I have a pic of it in my earlier post but let me bring it forward again. So you had the kitchen door with its vertical window:



then east of it you had the stand-alone window:



I actually just now found a newscast video showing the window before they put plywood up. Notice the bent screen:



then continuing east to the corner and around, you had the NE entrance busted:



So three points of breakage in that area.

We really have no way of knowing what the killer’s order of breakage was.

This thread feels like going back to school at the end of a looooong summer, and we’ve forgotten half of what we learned. LOL.

 

[SteveS]

No there was also a standalone window that was broken. I have a pic of it in my earlier post but let bring it forward again. So you had the kitchen door with its vertical window:

View attachment 286104

then east of it you had the stand-alone window:

View attachment 286106

I actually just now found a newscast video showing the window before they put plywood up. Notice the bent screen:

View attachment 286109

then continuing east to the corner and around, you had the NE entrance busted:

View attachment 286107

So three points of breakage in that area.

We really have no way of knowing what the killer’s order of breakage was.

This thread feels like going back to school at the end of a looooong summer, and we’ve forgotten half of what we learned. LOL.

No there was also a standalone window that was broken. I have a pic of it in my earlier post but let me bring it forward again. So you had the kitchen door with its vertical window:

View attachment 286104

then east of it you had the stand-alone window:

View attachment 286106

I actually just now found a newscast video showing the window before they put plywood up. Notice the bent screen:

View attachment 286109

then continuing east to the corner and around, you had the NE entrance busted:

View attachment 286107

So three points of breakage in that area.

We really have no way of knowing what the killer’s order of breakage was.

This thread feels like going back to school at the end of a looooong summer, and we’ve forgotten half of what we learned. LOL.

Perhaps the problem is that we have different pieces of info. I think I saw the property BEFORE all the damage was boarded up. When were those pics taken?

When I visited, as I recall, there was only visible damage to doors. My best explanation would be that the twisted screen on the window had been taken down and all I saw was the window itself. If there was any damage to the window pane, it must have been minor, as I was looking for damage to take pics of.

As for the sequence, the kitchen door obviously would have been last, since that was the only place that was breached. And once inside, or in leaving, there would have been no need or desire to go back and try to break into other places too.

I took numerous pics and video using my phone cam, but both the phone and the computer to which the pics were downloaded have been replaced since then, and not sure if I even have those pics anywhere now, not that it matters. It was clear that access was made via the kitchen door, but wrangling over the precise details of the perp's movement was always imo fairly pointless. We know the gist of it all, which is that they got in and out, and committed a murder in between.

 

[sandy_80]

Multiple tips poured in for him. Many were as a result of the footage of him walking at Missy’s memorial service.

and what is his relation to her ? it was said her father in law has a similar walk

 

[Laughing]

Has anyone contacted some of the early posters? I remember SteveS!

@Batbrat
@Jethro4WS

I have arthritis & some joint injuries & atypical joints. If you watched me get out of my car after a long-ish drive, 45 minutes or more, you'd see that 'perp gait.' Less so now, the bursitis has healed in the hip!

I'm 5'8", and my shoes are a women's 10.5, men's 8.5, or European 41.5.

Keep watching, keep bringing eyes to the tread -- someone will pick up what we've missed so far!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Lhughessk]

There was an elevated off the ground window that had been broken, just down from the kitchen door.

View attachment 285915
Police did not say whether it was broken out or broken in or whether the killer went thru it (doubtful, because it is raised up off the ground). Then on the east side of the church at the northern corner, that entrance had its glass doors smashed.

View attachment 285916
The killer entered thru the metal kitchen service door:

View attachment 285917
, but some have theorized that he broke the window and the NE entrance doors to test for the presence of an alarm, maybe.

Perhaps the problem is that we have different pieces of info. I think I saw the property BEFORE all the damage was boarded up. When were those pics taken?

When I visited, as I recall, there was only visible damage to doors. My best explanation would be that the twisted screen on the window had been taken down and all I saw was the window itself. If there was any damage to the window pane, it must have been minor, as I was looking for damage to take pics of.

As for the sequence, the kitchen door obviously would have been last, since that was the only place that was breached. And once inside, or in leaving, there would have been no need or desire to go back and try to break into other places too.

I took numerous pics and video using my phone cam, but both the phone and the computer to which the pics were downloaded have been replaced since then, and not sure if I even have those pics anywhere now, not that it matters. It was clear that access was made via the kitchen door, but wrangling over the precise details of the perp's movement was always imo fairly pointless. We know the gist of it all, which is that they got in and out, and committed a murder in between.

As far as when they were taken. I think the boarded up pictures were taken by the next day. Except for the one of the bent screen - that one is from the Fox newscast the day of the murder.

Referencing the first press conference:

Spann is talking about the kitchen door window being broken and then at 13:28 he refers to “second and third windows” being broken. I’m not sure what he is referring to with the third window. Was the window next to the bent-screen window tampered with as well? I can’t remember. I’m tempted to say that there are pics somewhere of the two adjacent windows boarded up, but not sure. Also possible that he misspoke and by third window he could have meant the NE entrance.

Back to the discussion of the sequence of these breaches. How do we know it isn’t important? We don’t know what we don’t know. Just trying to figure out the killer’s motivation for breaking as many windows and doors as he did back there. Maybe he was testing for an alarm and wanted to make sure windows AND doors were breached. Maybe this person never broke in anywhere before and was fumbling around (let’s break in these plate glass doors - whoa, that’s harder than I thought, let’s try these windows... nah, too high off the ground. Oh wait, here’s a door with a little window. Let’s try breaking it and reaching through).

 

[JnRyan]

So this killer broke one or two other windows before finding a way in? I've been looking at this from the standpoint that this person scouted the place out in advance. That's why they knew about the cameras inside and hence the disguise. It seems they had to make more than one attempt to find a way in. I suppose they may still have planned this event as targeting Missy and just didn't do a very good job of it.