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

[Lhughessk]

Maybe this has been suggested before, but maybe the perp did some of this door/window damage first, then waited across the highway to see if any alarms had been tripped and were being responded to. Then they entered the building when they were convinced no LE had been alerted. This might explain their rather casual stroll, knowing that no alarms were present.

There is another possibility. It’s possible that the Altima went to the SWFA store BEFORE going to the church. Perhaps the damage that was done presumably to test for an alarm was done at THAT point. And then the car could have driven to a remote part of the property or somewhere else to wait for the alarm response.

 

[SteveS]

I think the thing that has thrown us all off about this guy’s language is the use of the word “north”. I don’t think he meant to say that she was at the north end of the church. JMHO but I think a reasonable interpretation is that he walked thru the southwest awning doors and straight up the hallway, where he was led INTO the main foyer that is to the north (It’s certainly north of where he came in - at least 80 feet or more if memory serves). There is no foyer on the north side. The only foyer is on the west side, and there is no suggestion that he was taken somewhere else. No left turns or right turns or mention of rooms.

But even if you wanted to interpret it as being led into the main foyer and then somewhere else, that presents two issues. One are the cameras. We’ve seen the camera angle pointing north but there was also a camera pointing south from the other end. If Missy were attacked north of the foyer, it would have been on camera; we know from police that it was not captured.

The other issue making it extremely unlikely for Missy to be north of the foyer is that the campers who were gathered under the awning would have seen her and called 911. But they didn’t. They did not locate her until making entry to the building at 5.

Then you add in the photo of the west entrance with crime scene tape; faintly visible through the reflective glass are what appear to be several yellow evidence markers. And the LE traffic that morning was directed to enter thru the awning entrance, not the west entrance.

So JMO that somewhere in the main foyer is where she was. I think it’s a useful mental exercise to work through these issues no matter what they are or how insignificant one might think they are. It’s an unsolved crime with no public suspects and no clear motive, so we really don’t know what is going to be important and what isn’t. That’s why we are here, to discuss those things.

"somewhere in the main foyer is where she was" .....True. But the "foyer" has to be much broader than you suggest, inasmuch as the statement says they went through the breezeway doors INTO the foyer. So "the main foyer" starts at the SW doors - and therefore logically extends to the NW doors, which of course would part of the "north side" if we want to see that as the place.

The cameras were not always on, but rather motion activated. How much motion, to impact how big an image? We don't know. But it's impossible to say that "lack of video" rules out a certain area, only that it becomes less likely.

Of course, there's also the possibility they do have more video than they have told us, including of the attack. There is no obligation for them to be truthful when they said cameras failed to capture that. There are many reasons we could speculate about that might motivate them to keep such video a secret, and even deny its existence.

 

[Lhughessk]

"somewhere in the main foyer is where she was" .....True. But the "foyer" has to be much broader than you suggest, inasmuch as the statement says they went through the breezeway doors INTO the foyer. So "the main foyer" starts at the SW doors - and therefore logically extends to the NW doors, which of course would part of the "north side" if we want to see that as the place.

The cameras were not always on, but rather motion activated. How much motion, to impact how big an image? We don't know. But it's impossible to say that "lack of video" rules out a certain area, only that it becomes less likely.

Of course, there's also the possibility they do have more video than they have told us, including of the attack. There is no obligation for them to be truthful when they said cameras failed to capture that. There are many reasons we could speculate about that might motivate them to keep such video a secret, and even deny its existence.

Respectfully, that is not what a foyer is.

As for video, Police did not just tell the public there was no footage of the attack. They also said it in search warrants sworn to before a judge. And they DO have an obligation to be truthful before a judge.

 

[Satchie]

I think the thing that has thrown us all off about this guy’s language is the use of the word “north”. I don’t think he meant to say that she was at the north end of the church. JMHO but I think a reasonable interpretation is that he walked thru the southwest awning doors and straight up the hallway, where he was led INTO the main foyer that is to the north (It’s certainly north of where he came in - at least 80 feet or more if memory serves). There is no foyer on the north side. The only foyer is on the west side, and there is no suggestion that he was taken somewhere else. No left turns or right turns or mention of rooms.

But even if you wanted to interpret it as being led into the main foyer and then somewhere else, that presents two issues. One are the cameras. We’ve seen the camera angle pointing north but there was also a camera pointing south from the other end. If Missy were attacked north of the foyer, it would have been on camera; we know from police that it was not captured.

The other issue making it extremely unlikely for Missy to be north of the foyer is that the campers who were gathered under the awning would have seen her and called 911. But they didn’t. They did not locate her until making entry to the building at 5.

Then you add in the photo of the west entrance with crime scene tape; faintly visible through the reflective glass are what appear to be several yellow evidence markers. And the LE traffic that morning was directed to enter thru the awning entrance, not the west entrance.

So JMO that somewhere in the main foyer is where she was. I think it’s a useful mental exercise to work through these issues no matter what they are or how insignificant one might think they are. It’s an unsolved crime with no public suspects and no clear motive, so we really don’t know what is going to be important and what isn’t. That’s why we are here, to discuss those things.

Thanks, I got confused because of references to awnings and breezeways.

Just to try to nail down some facts, the police warrant states:

"At approximately 0418 hours, the victim Terri Bevers is observed entering the building
through the main door under the awning area. The video shows Terri Bevers walking
toward where the suspects location. Neither the suspect nor victim, were seen again on
video. The victim was later found deceased at the south west corner of the interior of the building."
TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers,45, murdered in church/person in SWAT gear,18 Apr 2016 #10
See post 3 for all the warrants.

So, to check whether I understand:
the class was scheduled for the main, west-side entrance to the church ("under the awning" in her message to participants.) This is a large, protected, outdoor space.


image from:
Internet Sleuths Muddy Waters and Wreck Lives in Missy Bevers’ Murder Investigation

Missy drove up to the South entrance and parked under cover close to the building. Presumably she had gear to unload.

Rather than enter the church at that South entrance, according to the Warrant she must have walked around the building and entered through the main, west, entrance.

Possibly her key/key code was for the west entrance, and not the South entrance beside her car? The camera here might be outside, pointed at the lighted entrance doors, as many security cameras are. The foyer would likely be left dark, as is usual when a building is closed.

The technician came in by the South entrance, and walked north up the hallway, to the foyer. It appears he saw the foyer before he saw her body.

IMO, that would indicate to me, her body was near the hallway, toward the south wall in the foyer.

Imagine walking along a hallway from the south entrance: first you'd see the north side of the foyer. Only when you got to the end of the hall would you see a body on your left, westward, around that corner.

Also, that's the direction Missy would have been headed to get back to her truck.

 

[SteveS]

Respectfully, that is not what a foyer is.

As for video, Police did not just tell the public there was no footage of the attack. They also said it in search warrants sworn to before a judge. And they DO have an obligation to be truthful before a judge.

Foyer. Respectfully, like it or not, that's the word that was used to describe the area that was entered by going through the breezeway doors. And frankly, it does have the appearance and feel of a foyer there, so there's that.

In what search warrants did they say they did NOT have any video of the attack itself? It's been years since digging through documents on this case, but I don't recall that.

 

[SteveS]

Missy drove up to the South entrance and parked under cover close to the building. Presumably she had gear to unload.

Rather than enter the church at that South entrance, according to the Warrant she must have walked around the building and entered through the main, west, entrance.

Not sure if this is your text, or a quote, but the above is inaccurate. She walked in through the SW doors.

 

[Satchie]

I wish I could post an interior plan, but they are marked up. Also, I would prefer a plan linked to a reliable source, since there could easily be the wrong plan circulating. I also wish I could post daytime interior photos.

IMO, the foyer is the grand front entrance to the church, it is 2 stories tall. On Sundays, the congregation would enter that way, the Sanctuary doors directly across from it would stand open. It would need to be able to handle a large number of people passing through. There would likely be coat racks, signage, space for people to greet each other, etc.

IMO, the south entrance is a small staff entrance, a bit of a loading/unloading area. Possibly it was completely dark, so that's why Missy went round to the front to go in.

IMO, everything might have been quite dark, except for a light at the main entrance.

 

[Lhughessk]

Thanks, I got confused because of references to awnings and breezeways.

Just to try to nail down some facts, the police warrant states:

"At approximately 0418 hours, the victim Terri Bevers is observed entering the building
through the main door under the awning area. The video shows Terri Bevers walking
toward where the suspects location. Neither the suspect nor victim, were seen again on
video. The victim was later found deceased at the south west corner of the interior of the building."
TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers,45, murdered in church/person in SWAT gear,18 Apr 2016 #10
See post 3 for all the warrants.

So, to check whether I understand:
the class was scheduled for the main, west-side entrance to the church ("under the awning" in her message to participants.) This is a large, protected, outdoor space.

View attachment 286840
image from:
Internet Sleuths Muddy Waters and Wreck Lives in Missy Bevers’ Murder Investigation

Missy drove up to the South entrance and parked under cover close to the building. Presumably she had gear to unload.

Rather than enter the church at that South entrance, according to the Warrant she must have walked around the building and entered through the main, west, entrance.

Possibly her key/key code was for the west entrance, and not the South entrance beside her car? The camera here might be outside, pointed at the lighted entrance doors, as many security cameras are. The foyer would likely be left dark, as is usual when a building is closed.

The technician came in by the South entrance, and walked north up the hallway, to the foyer. It appears he saw the foyer before he saw her body.

IMO, that would indicate to me, her body was near the hallway, toward the south wall in the foyer.

Imagine walking along a hallway from the south entrance: first you'd see the north side of the foyer. Only when you got to the end of the hall would you see a body on your left, westward, around that corner.

Also, that's the direction Missy would have been headed to get back to her truck.

Missy entered thru the SW awning entrance, also called a breezeway by the CSI, also called a Porte Cochere by some. When weather was good the campers worked out in the parking lot. When it was a light drizzle they worked out under the awning, in the patio area that is right there by where Missy’s truck parked. When it was raining hard or the temp was 35 or below, they worked out inside the church. That morning, because it was raining hard, they were going to work out inside.

Don’t let the warrant throw you off with its use of the word “main”. Missy went in via the awning entrance. Her campers who found her also entered that way. No one went in the West entrance.

 

[Satchie]

Not sure if this is your text, or a quote, but the above is inaccurate. She walked in through the SW doors.

Can you cite a source? I quoted the police warrant, it's right there in the affidavit, exhibit A, page 2: "main door under the awning" https://www.scribd.com/doc/311488054/Terri-Missy-Bevers-Warrant

 

[Lhughessk]

I wish I could post an interior plan, but they are marked up. Also, I would prefer a plan linked to a reliable source, since there could easily be the wrong plan circulating. I also wish I could post daytime interior photos.

IMO, the foyer is the grand front entrance to the church, it is 2 stories tall. On Sundays, the congregation would enter that way, the Sanctuary doors directly across from it would stand open. It would need to be able to handle a large number of people passing through. There would likely be coat racks, signage, space for people to greet each other, etc.

IMO, the south entrance is a small staff entrance, a bit of a loading/unloading area. Possibly it was completely dark, so that's why Missy went round to the front to go in.

IMO, everything might have been quite dark, except for a light at the main entrance.

This is an accurate church layout, as attested to by multiple people who have been there. It’s ok if you don’t want to trust it, but here it is.

 

[Lhughessk]

Can you cite a source? I quoted the police warrant, it's right there in the affidavit, exhibit A, page 2: "main door under the awning" https://www.scribd.com/doc/311488054/Terri-Missy-Bevers-Warrant

The awning is the SW entrance, not the West entrance. Police were referring to the SW awning entrance. When this was debated here on WS early on, a user named Arkansasmimi contacted police and asked for clarification. They confirmed Missy entered through the SW awning entrance. She posted a screen in thread #32, post 163.

 

[Lhughessk]

I wish I could post an interior plan, but they are marked up. Also, I would prefer a plan linked to a reliable source, since there could easily be the wrong plan circulating. I also wish I could post daytime interior photos.

IMO, the foyer is the grand front entrance to the church, it is 2 stories tall. On Sundays, the congregation would enter that way, the Sanctuary doors directly across from it would stand open. It would need to be able to handle a large number of people passing through. There would likely be coat racks, signage, space for people to greet each other, etc.

IMO, the south entrance is a small staff entrance, a bit of a loading/unloading area. Possibly it was completely dark, so that's why Missy went round to the front to go in.

IMO, everything might have been quite dark, except for a light at the main entrance.

It wasn’t dark. At night about every third or so fluorescent light in the hallways remains lit at all times. When you watch the video you can see hotspots from those lights reflected.

I would refer to the SW entrance as a place for the elderly to be dropped off as well (there are wheelchairs there), and handy when it’s raining for people to be let out and stay dry. Definitely more than just a staff entrance.

 

[Satchie]

Missy entered thru the SW awning entrance, also called a breezeway by the CSI, also called a Porte Cochere by some. When weather was good the campers worked out in the parking lot. When it was a light drizzle they worked out under the awning, in the patio area that is right there by where Missy’s truck parked. When it was raining hard or the temp was 35 or below, they worked out inside the church. That morning, because it was raining hard, they were going to work out inside.

Don’t let the warrant throw you off with its use of the word “main”. Missy went in via the awning entrance. Her campers who found her also entered that way. No one went in the West entrance.

Either way, it appears from the info that she was found in the foyer, on that plan you linked it is called the 'main entry', but IMO the 2 dimensional plan does not show how it would be 2 stories tall, versus the hallway on either side. You can see that from the roofline in the photo I posted above. It is the 2 stories that creates the effect being a foyer.

 

[Lhughessk]

Either way, it appears from the info that she was found in the foyer, on that plan you linked it is called the 'main entry', but IMO the 2 dimensional plan does not show how it would be 2 stories tall, versus the hallway on either side. You can see that from the roofline in the photo I posted above. It is the 2 stories that creates the effect being a foyer.

A foyer is really just an open area. If that area had a 10 ft ceiling it would still be a foyer. It’s the only space in that building that isn’t hall, room or auditorium.

 

[Rollsballs]

I always thought a foyer was a greeting area directly in front of an entry point mainly exterior to interior, but I have seen that same space at theaters before you are seated .. "please meet in the foyer " a fairly common sign at conferences and the like. Not that it matters in actually identifying a suspect.. IMO etc..etc..

 

[SteveS]

What is being described in this discussion as 'the foyer in front of the main (or west) entrance' actually extends off to the sides. There are THREE entrances to it in total - via the SW corner doors, the W side doors, and the NW corner doors. And when you walk into any of those THREE entrances, imo it has the feel of all being one huge open space.

That corresponds with what is said in the report: "We walked through the south breezeway doors into the main foyer" -- ie that by walking through the "breezeway doors" (ie, the SW corner entrance), they went "INTO the main foyer...."

 

[DeDee]

why would they release a false manner of murder ?

The manner of death was homicide. A false cause of death was not released for Missy's murder since a bullet wound is considered a puncture wound.

"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. These wounds vary in size, shape, and presentation, depending on the cause."

 

[SteveS]

About the question of where cameras would have picked up movement, in looking at the video of the perp stroll again, it struck me how little of the footprint of the halls and foyer was on that video. That only shows 4 working cams:
1 in NE corner looking west
2 in SW corner looking N
3 in SW corner looking E
4 in SE corner looking N

While it seems the perp probably circled the halls looking for whatever (or getting the lay of the land), we see no video of the perp in the NW corner of the church, even though they moved from N hall in about the middle to SW corner of the building - so in that stroll, it seems it came with no detection at all. That could mean that no working cams in the NW corner existed, looking any direction, and the SW corner cam only picked up movement when the movement was in the foreground.

The point being, ending up "off camera" may have been way more likely than we are thinking. If not that, then there is a mass of footage we haven't seen.

 

[DeDee]

RSFF

Missy was in the west entrance foyer, off the hallway. Definitely not the southwest corner.

Yes, I agree. The murder had to occur where there weren't working cameras.

This is an accurate church layout, as attested to by multiple people who have been there. It’s ok if you don’t want to trust it, but here it is.

On this map, body's location, jmho, was in the light turquoise color area immediately inside the main entrance on the West side of the Church. The ceiling is quite high in this particular area.

The location is what I'd call the church's foyer and is located between the North wing and South wing in the center of the Western side.

What I don't know is where the broken glass around the body came from.

 

[DeDee]

MB was having an intimate and familiar relationship with CW as confirmed by deleted, then recovered, messages on LI.

Who knew this was happening? Who possibly could have known?

Days before the murder, MB received a creepy message from an unknown male on LI that disturbed her. Whoever sent this particular message must have known MB was communicating with CW via LI.