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

[Gumshoe Stories]

GS, can you please share more of the context of that police signage? What is it exactly?

-Nin

I’m the one who should be asking you the question, Nin. You posted a pic from within the car. I usually don’t involve myself in “what do you see in this picture?” posts. But I looked and it seemed pretty clear that there was something that had POLICE signage on it. So I posted a side by side of that portion of your picture, next to a stock photo of a garment with POLICE on it.

Maybe I’m seeing something that isn’t there. But it jumped out at me. The lettering of the word is curved so that it isn’t easy to make out the first and last letters. But to me there is a strong indication of the L I C in the middle.

So what is your interpretation? What is that in the car that looks to me like something with POLICE on it?

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

He interviewed you in Part II.
See Part I (1:00.38) "...and she probably controlled the suspect at some point, and he panicked... ...(1:00.54) I guarantee you she fought this son of a gun. ..." retired LEO C. McDonough.

Part I sucked, tbh. He didn’t even have right the door that Missy walked in. He had no idea a gun was involved. He just did not put enough time in.

To Chris’s credit, he reached out to me and we had a couple of GREAT and long phone convos. It was after that when he did Part 2 and was better informed.

 

[SandyQLS]

Photo from post#393 thread#46 page#20 by @No it's not

Referring to post#396 thread#46 page#20 by @Gumshoe Stories here
TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers, 45, killed in church/suspect in SWAT gear, Midlothian, 18 Apr 2016 #46

NIN's photo shows both objects so well and there is a limited number of photos allowed in a post.

For those of you who see a walkie-talkie or handheld police scanner with antenna and a couple of buttons on top, can you see that the bottom is set in a leather? pouch and the pouch has a clip on the right side to attach to a belt?

So back to @Gumshoe Stories good point about the object on the right, does that lettering spell out POLICE? I remember discussing that in old threads, and I also remember we never could quite figure out the white area on SP's right front pants. Here are more photos from the video at 1:14 - noting the white area on SP's right front pants and some pouch above it:




Is the possible scanner on the corner of the dashboard in a pouch clipped to a belt that has white letters POLICE applied, and the belt is hanging down off the left corner of the dashboard? Then later inside CCOC is SP wearing that belt?

One more photo from 1:17 in the video showing SP from the back. SP seems to be carrying many puffed out pouches and objects along the waist and hips which may indicate a police type belt. Is that a gun in a holster on the left hip?

 

[SandyQLS]

Some "police utility belt and pouches" images similar to what SP might be wearing

 

[No it's not]

I’m the one who should be asking you the question, Nin. You posted a pic from within the car. I usually don’t involve myself in “what do you see in this picture?” posts. But I looked and it seemed pretty clear that there was something that had POLICE signage on it. So I posted a side by side of that portion of your picture, next to a stock photo of a garment with POLICE on it.

Maybe I’m seeing something that isn’t there. But it jumped out at me. The lettering of the word is curved so that it isn’t easy to make out the first and last letters. But to me there is a strong indication of the L I C in the middle.

So what is your interpretation? What is that in the car that looks to me like something with POLICE on it?

Okay, thanks. I did not know it was piece of a garment you suggested. No clue, if it is blue light being refracted from moisture or as you suggested garment (glove?) with lettering on it. It is really hard to see.

-Nin

 

[No it's not]

Sandy, check out these images. There may be a holstered firearm on their left side, good eye! There is also something on their abdomen area, which I am unsure what it is at this time:


Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge

ALL IMO

-Nin

 

[No it's not]

Hi NIN and Gunshoe. I used to follow for a
bout a year after the murder and I’m just getting back into it. Thank you for your excellent sleuthing on this matter. Gumshoe’s podcasts and blogs are excellent as well!
Yes, I also need clarification on the left side picture in Gumshoe’s post. Thanks!

Thank you A. .Gumshoe has done lots of extensive research on the case, which is time consuming and requires boots on the ground. He deserves most of the credit really.

-Nin

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

Here is an interesting tidbit. As some of you are aware, there is a wedding venue located on 9 acres directly across the highway from Creekside. Its name is Firefly Gardens.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the property was purchased in 2015 and construction began in July 2016. There were no cameras there in April 2016 which I know a lot of people wondered about.

I had been hoping to find out that construction began pre-murder, but it did not. Still, if I were police I would have gotten a list from the owners of every individual that visited the property in the months leading up to the murder. To quote Clarice Starling, we covet what we see every day. If there were someone who had reason to visit that property often, they might have focused on either the church or on Missy.

 

[gliving]

Here is an interesting tidbit. As some of you are aware, there is a wedding venue located on 9 acres directly across the highway from Creekside. Its name is Firefly Gardens.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the property was purchased in 2015 and construction began in July 2016. There were no cameras there in April 2016 which I know a lot of people wondered about.

I had been hoping to find out that construction began pre-murder, but it did not. Still, if I were police I would have gotten a list from the owners of every individual that visited the property in the months leading up to the murder. To quote Clarice Starling, we covet what we see every day. If there were someone who had reason to visit that property often, they might have focused on either the church or on Missy.

I remember lots of discussion about Firefly Gardens. Most interesting is local member @11frogs describing how it used to be a nudist colony!

When we moved here 14 years ago locals told us that we had our own nudist colony right here in Midlothian. They had to put up that big metal fence so people could not see in. Never heard of it being a wedding venue but maybe. It doesn't look like it from the outside and there is no signage for it. I can ask around tomorrow.

If WS members that don't live here or are nearby could see this place from ground level you would know this isn't a place you would want to go on foot. Especially in the rain - in the dark. I wouldn't even want to walk on the side of 287 with traffic with the amount of 18 wheelers that travel that highway.

11frogs, Aug 1, 2016Report
#28

 

[gliving]

Something else I'd forgotten about is was the Scarborough Renaissance Festival occurring during the weekend of Missy's death. Here's an old post by member @whonoes with excellent description of the event. Over 2000 folks coming to work at the event, staying at a nearby campgrounds:

Thanks again to imcurious2 for finding out about this festival during April and May, in Waxahachie, called “Scarborough Faire”. Most of these Renaissance festivals (all over the US) have campgrounds for the employees, and Scarborough did, at one time, but not in 2015, according to this post (employee website is RenaissanceFestival.com):
“

Re: first time to scarborough, where to stay near the fest?
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2015, 12:43:58 PM »

“We typically stay at the Hampton Inn, but have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and the Comfort Suites. All are nice, and are within about 10-15 minutes or so...all along US 287 east of I-35E

Do NOT consider the Texas Inn, which is the closest one. I have heard naught but ill about them.*

There is some campgrounds in the general vicinity (20-30 minutes away, I think), but not being a camper, I cannot offer any help there.”

The Hampton Inn is 4 miles from the Creekside Church of God, off Highway 287,according to Google Maps

or 2016, according to this post:

Re: COUNTDOWN 2016!!!
« Reply #21 on: April 08, 2016, 03:24:36 PM »

We have arrived, and are camping comfortably at the Hampton Inn, eagerly awaiting opening cannon in the morn!


The employees that comment all seem very nice and excited about the fair, but I found an article that makes some of them sound less than wholesome
Link: http://www.dmagazine.com/publicatio...e-curtain-of-scarborough-renaissance-festival

“For the patrons, the day ends with a joust and a pub sing. For the people who work Scarborough, the day doesn’t end there. Many of the 2,000 vendors, cast, stage performers, and other fair workers live at a nearby campsite during the eight weeks that Scarborough is open. Some work the circuit, moving from one Renaissance fair to another across the country. Many of them exist near the poverty level and live off food stamps. I talked with Tony Hawkins about the campsite. Hawkins was in the cast in 1995 and 1996 as a member of the dance
group and a puppeteer.
“There are all types,” he says. “You know, it’s a campground. People hang out there, and you can do whatever.”

Also:
“Despite the long days, according to Hawkins, the nights are also long. “On the weekends, it goes on pretty late, because that’s your social time,” he says.”

I wonder if other unsolved murders have coincided with any Renaissance Festivals, anywhere in the US? Since, “Some work the circuit, moving from one Renaissance fair to another across the country”

Alternative lifestyles are attractive to creative people and weirdos. Sometimes it is hard to tell them apart, unfortunately for artists, actors and musicians.

whonos, May 18, 2016Report
#272

 

[Amateurpi1]

I was just reviewing some of the documents Gumshoe has posted on his website. He has all of the search warrants and other relevant documents all in one convenient location, so I recommend his website for any info you might want to check out.

Today, I read the Geofence search warrant. The detective giving the affidavit gives a timeline of events - he says that one of the CCoC cameras was activated at 2:23 a.m. on the morning of the murder (but no person was caught on camera), and he said that could mean someone was testing for an alarm since a person wasn't caught on camera until 3:50 a.m. I did not know this before, and obviously, it is much closer to the time the car was at SWFA. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe the Altima was involved (or could likely be involved) but now I am leaning that way.

Please let me know if I'm breaking any site rules. And sorry if this is redundant info. Thanks!

 

[Amateurpi1]

Other thoughts I had today... I used to be convinced this was a targeted murder. Recently, I've been open to it being a burglary gone wrong. And while I still think that is a possibility, I lean more heavily toward targeted. I can see a burglar donning a disguise in case he's on camera or seen by a witness, but why the need for the heavy vest (do we know if it was bulletproof?) and the goggles under the helmet (I think it looks like he/she is wearing goggles). To me that means the person came knowing there might be a fight or struggle with another person.

 

[Satchie]

Other thoughts I had today... I used to be convinced this was a targeted murder. Recently, I've been open to it being a burglary gone wrong. And while I still think that is a possibility, I lean more heavily toward targeted. I can see a burglar donning a disguise in case he's on camera or seen by a witness, but why the need for the heavy vest (do we know if it was bulletproof?) and the goggles under the helmet (I think it looks like he/she is wearing goggles). To me that means the person came knowing there might be a fight or struggle with another person.

And possibly to eliminate risk of leaving the slightest trace of DNA?

 

[SteveS]

"The detective giving the affidavit gives a timeline of events - he says that one of the CCoC cameras was activated at 2:23 a.m. on the morning of the murder (but no person was caught on camera), and he said that could mean someone was testing for an alarm since a person wasn't caught on camera until 3:50 a.m."

The affidavit was designed to present the pieces of evidence in the most favorable way, that would get them the broadest geography for the warrant. So it's no surprise they focused on the SWFA video and anything that in any way could make that video seem sinister. In so doing, that allowed them to extend the geofence area to include all the broad geography around SWFA as well. That doesn't mean the involvement of Altima what they REALLY think is the most likely, just a statement that seems to help their story to justify that broader area.

It's noteworthy that they didn't always use the same set of facts for warrants. In their immediately prior warrant before this one, they mentioned NEITHER the SWFA video or the 2:23 glitch, because in that one they wanted to line up different evidence to serve a different purpose.

It's also interesting to note that their theory presented in this warrant is actually CONTRADICTORY to the idea that the Altima was at SWFA to observe possible police response at CCOC. And it would have meant perp came to CCOC at 2:23 and then left. And then came back much much later. Or something. It gets pretty mangled, when you think about what they said, rather than being logical.

But the court didn't care about that illogical theory - they gave LE the expanded warrant. That's all that really mattered to LE - it wasn't meant to present their best theory of the crime and the evidence.

What would be helpful to know regarding 2:23 - and LE presumably has investigated and knows this - would be how often the CCOC cameras would trigger each night with NOTHING seen or apparently happening. Was this 2:23 the only time that night, and the only time that week, when it turned on for no apparent reason, or did it happen repeatedly at random times? From owning security cams that are "motion activated," my experience is that it's not unusual at all. But what happens with the CCOC cams, you'd have to go through their prior footage to determine what is "normal."

 

[Satchie]

" That doesn't mean the involvement of Altima is what they REALLY think is the most likely, just a statement that seems to help their story to justify that broader area."

RSBM
I understand your point, and it's certainly an aspect of our society for people to exaggerate facts in official documents to get what they want.

However, I think criminal investigators these days can't afford to dismiss any potential leads in that way, not in a case so lacking in any other evidence. How could they be so certain the behaviour of the Altima was unrelated to the crime, as to dismiss it as not important? IMO, they'd be anxious, at the least, to eliminate the driver of the Altima from their enquiries and phone data could do that. Until they can rule something out, definitively, it's always going to be possibly relevant and an unresolved potential lead.

 

[SandyQLS]

Sandy, check out these images. There may be a holstered firearm on their left side, good eye! There is also something on their abdomen area, which I am unsure what it is at this time:

View attachment 294541
Click to enlarge

View attachment 294542
Click to enlarge

ALL IMO

-Nin

I think SP is wearing a "police tactical vest". There are too many different kinds and brands to count because the vests are used by so many other people like hunters, campers, bicyclists, hikers.

This is an enlarged photo from the video at 1:10. I have always thought that SP has a lean build puffed out by all the pockets on the tactical vest and maybe also a utility belt. Some people see someone who is overweight or pregnant.



Funny that white bit on the right front looks like it flaps up in this frame - maybe it is not sewn on, just velcro?

And there are gloves with white lettering POLICE that can be purchased.

I think SP was also afraid of getting shot.

 

[SteveS]

However, I think criminal investigators these days can't afford to dismiss any potential leads in that way, not in a case so lacking in any other evidence. How could they be so certain the behaviour of the Altima was unrelated to the crime, as to dismiss it as not important? IMO, they'd be anxious, at the least, to eliminate the driver of the Altima from their enquiries and phone data could do that. Until they can rule something out, definitively, it's always going to be possibly relevant and an unresolved potential lead.

I wasn't suggesting that LE should dismiss any evidence. Far from it.

I was cautioning that we have to be aware of what is being done by LE and why, so that we don't see info in a different light than it necessarily was being seen by them in using it.

That applies to LE. They put cherry-picked evidence into a warrant, and arranged in a certain way to try to obtain a certain result.

It also applies to what I say. Please don't misconstrue what I said, either. I didn't say LE should dismiss that evidence, nor did I say they shouldn't have used it in the way they did. Instead, all I said was that we have to be aware, so that we don't fool ourselves into thinking that cherry-picked evidence is the best (or the smartest) evidence. It exists, it may (or may not) be useful, but we need to see it in the context it is being used (and NOT accidentally see it as something it isn't).

 

[Itsapuzzle]

1. Mystery Object
2. Police Sign?
3. Face?

Could it be a bottle of liquid lying on top of two photos/photo ID's, is that what is showing through at the top
and sides?

 

[No it's not]

GS, I just listened to your podcast from 11/8-20 regarding the thumb turn. Was that lock mechanism known to all campers or just to the (2) early bird campers? Does the Main W entrance also have such a thumb turn? How about the NE entrance? Thanks.

In other words, do you assume all campers knew about the thumb lock, because they eventually entered the church and found MB?

-Nin

 

[Gumshoe Stories]

GS, I just listened to your podcast from 11/8-20 regarding the thumb turn. Was that lock mechanism known to all campers or just to the (2) early bird campers? Does the Main W entrance also have such a thumb turn? How about the NE entrance? Thanks.

In other words, do you assume all campers knew about the thumb lock, because they eventually entered the church and found MB?

-Nin

From what I’ve been told, it was pretty rare for campers to go inside. So I’m sure there were campers who did NOT know how the thumb turn worked. In fact, the geofence warrant refers to campers gathering under the awning and not going in. It was only when “flat tire” early bird arrived at 5 that she was able to show them that they could go in.

I know at least one of the other entrances has a thumb turn because I’ve seen it in a photo. Not sure which one or if the others do.