For those who think this was a burglary, what is convincing you of that?
I just don't see it. Help me out.
JMO
I'm leaning toward burglary or similar (B&E for whatever reason). IMO I do not think that the killer targeted Missy or the camp in general.
I think the ATF etc. got called in to make doubly sure that the building hadn't been cased by the killer for a mass shooting/attack/bombing etc. based on how the perp was outfitted. There have been enough cases of mass attacks where the person/people responsible were outfitted in militaristic get-ups that they'd be completely remiss not to make sure something similar wasn't the plan.
Why do I think it's possible that this was primarily a B&E and not a hit?
1. If this was a planned hit on Missy, there would have been too many variables/too much luck involved for her to have been in the building, alone, unsuspecting, and trapped, while allowing ample time for the killer to carry out his/her deed and escape undetected. Surely there are much easier or more practical ways to go about this.
2. The chosen day/night.
People keep pointing out that there was probably little cash on the premises, but if the perp was from the area but unfamiliar with the details of this particular church they wouldn't have known that. Instead they would have probably heard about robbers getting away with huge sums of money from a different area church and made the faulty assumption that between Sunday services and Monday deposits there's be a goldmine waiting for them. They'd be wrong, but it's not difficult to see why someone might think this based on news reports.
3. The lazy looking casing of the church and the random attempts at breaking doors- if the perp wanted to surprise Missy or the group, you'd think they's want to make the interior look as undisturbed as possible in order to have an element of surprise when someone entered the building. They wouldn't want anyone to poke their head in, get spooked, and/or call in a robbery right away. Also the perp is acting as if they have all the time in the world, which to me makes sense only if they didn't expect someone to show up so early in the morning.
4. The assorted burglary tools.
5. The get-up. I don't understand why some people think this is an either/or situation regarding whether the video shows someone who is either trying to burglarize the place or someone who is playing out a fantasy game in their head. I think it's a little of both. I believe the costume serves many purposes- it allows the perp to get into a "mission" mindset, it obscures their identity from any cameras, it gives them courage and a sense of physical protection in the event they are in a struggle/fall/bang into something/are tackled if anything goes wrong. IMO they saw their B&E and robbery as a tactical mission.
6. It's likely that the perp didn't take anything/pile items up because they were focussed only on taking what they hoped would be a box or envelope with cash, and Missy interrupted their full exploration. It's also my opinion they didn't park in the church lot, but further away since they probably didn't know the outdoor cameras weren't working. No way to get steal larger objects like computers etc. no matter how enticing.IMO the perp could have had any number of fabric sacks/reusable bags for any small items they came across.
7. Based on the videos and input from some of the other posters, I think it's possible that the perp was scoping out exits and looking places the video taping could be hidden.
8. I don't think this burglar was very experienced at all, but I could be wrong. I also agree it looks like they could have some security/military/LE background or similar. I think inexperience and adrenaline could have caused him/her to panic and clobber Missy rather than just run out of the building and escape.
IMO, they only staged vandalism.
