lonewanderer
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possible- just think fleeing would have been easier than committing murder but agree that burglars can be irrational-
Since the person is already dressed in a fake police uniform, imagine if s/he had just said: "Mam, there's been a break in here; this is a crime scene; I need you to leave the building." Some on this board have said that the uniform looks fake and that there is no police car, but personally, in that situation, I would not be evaluating the uniform or knowing whether there might be an unmarked car- I would probably leave first and ask questions later, IMO. You would think that a burglar would dress up in the uniform to act like police if confronted...
I completely agree that the with the point about the uniform at least temporarily ensuring victim or witness cooperation. If someone dressed in a police uniform knocks on my door and wants to come in my house, I am going to ask for proof, but if I am in a public or semi-public place and the uniformed person gives me directions, I would likely follow the instructions. The uniform allows the "officer" to say to a witness "Ma'am, I need you to leave" but would also make a potential victim more likely to comply with directions, at least initially. "Ma'am, there has been a crime; I am going to need you to go through the hall in this direction . . . "
If it was 4am in a church and someone was decked out fully in SWAT gear, ALONE (SWAT is always a team, it is not a one man show), with a hammer in hand, and no standard weapon out like a SWAT member would have, it wouldn't raise a few alarm bells for you?
I can't imagine anyone with any sense at all thinking it was remotely normal to be approached by someone dressed that way at 4am.
I do think that the murderer may have thought it could lead to more compliance, but it was much more so to conceal identity, keep forensics off, add a small layer of protection, and throw general confusion into the case (and it all worked).