MN - Beau Shroyer, Wife of Detroit Lakes missionary killed in Angola arrested in connection to his death

[RickshawFan]

Well after looking at the pictures and reading multiple stories, I think MOO an affair partner is missing from this story.

How come? Are you hinting there was a clandestine relationship or speculating there was not?

 

[momsof3]

Brainstorming theories, NOT saying any of these are true, but only brainstorming:

* She purposely planned to kill her husband
* She killed her husband in a heat of passion (argument gone violent, for example)
* She killed her husband in self-defense
* She killed her husband in a mental crisis, delusion
* One of the kids killed him and she is taking the fall
* It was suicide but the investigators don't see it that way
* He suffered an accident but the investigator don't see it that way.
* She was framed by a local (or other missionary?)

With next to no info, ideas are all over the place.

jmo

I'll add -
She began posting about the dangers, traumas and crimes committed against the family so that when he died from a "violent, criminal" attack, there would be a built-in story.

 

[RickshawFan]

Especially re: guards and just an idea of how poor these people were, I used to be flight crew for what was known as The Houston Express…a few different airlines over the last few decades have operated these flights. They fly Americans, mostly in the oil industry to and from Angola. Many would work 3 weeks ‘on’, then 3 weeks off, so fly back and forth very often. The majority were oil rig workers.

Our transport to and from the hotel was a usual looking shuttle, but we had 2 (very!) armed guards with us at all times that just stood at the door. We weren’t allowed to leave our hotel at all. Luanda then was something like 90% poor and 10% rich. This succeeded their civil war.

The people on the streets would literally sell anything they could get their hands on - one of my most distinct memories was a guy walking along the vehicles trying to sell an old, kinda beat up standing metal coat rack.

During one stay my room looked out over a few low buildings. On the rooftop of a 4 story building, I saw 3 children with what turned out to be an empty plastic bucket. They ‘played’ with it for a couple of hours. Initially, I kept waiting to see what could have been inside of it. Nothing. There was literally not even water in it. It was their toy!

Just my .02 on how impoverished it is there (not that anyone doubted!)

The family would have known all about the conditions before they signed up, and they could easily find out more, just as we have here. All they needed to do was ask other missionaries. It was never going to be like home, nor could they make it like home. They would have known in advance most Angolans have nothing, they might be targets for petty theft, and security is problematic. They could have thought through the implications even of those 3 facts. Strangely, they must have thought either/or a) the reports weren't true; b) they would be unassailable; c) other folks' difficulties wouldn't apply to them; d) they could "embrace the culture", though they'd never traveled abroad to be sure about this (things got tricky right off the bat in the most efficient country in the world, Germany); e) "where there's a will, there's a way"; f) faith would take care of them and keep them safe.
IMO faith, whether secular or religious, is helped along with due diligence and understanding of your own limitations. And common sense. Overt opinion-making here by me.

 

[Cryptic]

Brainstorming theories, NOT saying any of these are true, but only brainstorming:

With next to no info, ideas are all over the place.

I agree.

At the same time @RickshawFan and @Kittybunny are articulating details in suppor t of a "perfect storm" of circumstances related to a family relocations. Relocations can be stressful in the US, but the stress can go waaay up when relocating to a developing country.

The totality of @RickshawFan and @Kittybunny observations could paint a picture additional stressors:

- Inherent unhappiness with the position / unreasonable expectations. For example, the claim that nobody at the airport in Germany spoke English. Likely translation: Frustration that not everybody in Germany speaks flawless, University level English.

- Not understanding reality in Angola: Ex: Focus on fruit thefts. Pilfering and "shrinkage" are very common in Africa. You either guard / secure your stuff 24/7, or accept a shrinkage rate. My company accepted a gas shrinkage rate and vans being creatively "borrowed", from time to time- then returned. Odometer mileage? Well....

As a side note, the military provides some training to both principal individuals and their families regarding the realities of overseas assignments in developing nations. The Peace Corps, the Mormons, and likely other missionary groups do likewise.

My company did not train. But, we had a good manager with a series of African assignments- and came from a developing nation himself. He knew the "games", the realistic expectations, what to just accept- and what could not be accepted. He was a very good mentor.

I wonder if this family received any training on the realities of what to accept in Angola? Likewise, did they have any experienced mentors to guide them on.... reality for the first few months?

 

[adot0902]

How come? Are you hinting there was a clandestine relationship or speculating there was not?

I am hinting there was a clandestine relationship, involving the person arrested. I have no proof at all so it's purely MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

I like that musing- and it matches many US murders:

- Perpetrator is armed with a left over weapon from Angola's multisided, 20 year long civil war and is "cruising" for anything worth stealing.
- His primary intention is theft, but he is willing to commit murder if somebody attempts to prevent the theft.

- Maybe, as with some US criminals, his selection of the victim is partially based on personal animosity of some sort. Or, perhaps he is like most US criminals- simply equates the relatively nice compound with having "stuff worth stealing".

- The victim, perhaps thinking that the perpetrator is local youth on another fruit stealing mission for spending money, confronts the perpetrator. He is then shot and killed?



-

If a gun was involved, the more likely gun owner is American.
Guns would be way too valuable for most everyone in Angola to own. If you check out @LittleSeaTree 's story ^^^^, you will see that most people there exist on nothing.

I'm of two thoughts:
a. There was a gun involved. The gun belonged to the Shroyers. This would quickly eliminate an Angolan.
b. There was an assault with a sharp object, e.g. knife or machete.

Not likely IMO:
c. suffocation or strangling. Too difficult.
d. poisoning. I would guess poisoning would be the easiest thing to get away with here. It would look like a bad case of Delhi Belly, and it might be difficult for a developing country to run tests to confirm otherwise.
e. push off a cliff or out a window. This would be difficult to pursue with basic detective work (which is what we are likely looking at in Angola).

 

[RickshawFan]

I'll add -
She began posting about the dangers, traumas and crimes committed against the family so that when he died from a "violent, criminal" attack, there would be a built-in story.

That is BRILLIANT!

 

[RickshawFan]

Thank you, this makes sense and can definitely see it this way. I also thought of the Harts and how different reality can be from SM. The DL-Online article which was one I hadn’t read until last night - that one has way more detail and definitely has a very negative slant in how she/they described their experiences. Also agree with you on the ridiculous claims about no one in Germany, at the airport no less, being able to speak English except for one lone unicorn of a woman.

So perhaps she decided enough is enough and that her only option to get back to the US was to get rid of her missionary husband. I also smell a self-defense defense coming. Not ruling domestic violence out at all.

Has anyone been able to find Angolan media sources that might have more details?

I looked for Angolan sources, but couldn't find any. Mainstream would be in Portuguese, too, so that likely wouldn't come up in my feed. Al-Jazeera is a very reliable source (for a whole lot of international reporting; IMO better international coverage than US outlets, and well-written), but they only have a short story from the wires for now. Though Al-Jazeera has reporters far and wide, I think maybe not in Angola!

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I was trying to find local Angolan news sources. Various links seem to be no longer in use or are unsafe/not secure links.

Fyi, here is a wikipedia list with various newspapers & journals:

Lista de jornais e revistas de Angola – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre

pt.wikipedia.org

And a newspaper that I can load but a search on "Shroyer" did not return any articles or information:

Jornal de Angola - Paixão pela imprensa

www.jornaldeangola.ao

Mostly posting if others also want to search or try to find some more local coverage, if it exists.

so glad you tried.
Disappointing results. NOTHING in that local press. wow.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Brainstorming theories, NOT saying any of these are true, but only brainstorming:

* She purposely planned to kill her husband
* She killed her husband in a heat of passion (argument gone violent, for example)
* She killed her husband in self-defense
* She killed her husband in a mental crisis, delusion
* One of the kids killed him and she is taking the fall
* It was suicide but the investigators don't see it that way
* He suffered an accident but the investigator don't see it that way.
* She was framed by a local (or other missionary?)

With next to no info, ideas are all over the place.

jmo

I am actually responding to this post to bring your list of speculations to the front again. A couple of subsequent posts have reiterated one thing or another from your list.

You did NOT included, covering up a possible affair, but I think it has to be on this list. Especially given that she has been arrested "in connection to" this murder. AND because, statistically, this is often the case in similar situations.

You HAVE mentioned covering for a child, as someone else has mentioned. I personally think this is a relevant speculation, though don't believe it to be the case. 4 older girls, one younger boy. Just don't think so.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'll add -
She began posting about the dangers, traumas and crimes committed against the family so that when he died from a "violent, criminal" attack, there would be a built-in story.

yes..yes... that is why I referenced those statements as a possible set-up. Those words were expressed in June...not that long before this event.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Twist in case of pastor murdered after moving his family to Angola

Minnesota church officials have announced an 'unimaginable' twist in the case of a former pastor who was murdered after he moved his family to Angola.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I had such a weird reaction to this photograph....
The picture of all the boys is quite serene and beautiful...

But all of a sudden, Jackie looks like Shanna Gardner to me! Oh NO!!!!

 

[justtrish]

If a gun was involved, the more likely gun owner is American.
Guns would be way too valuable for most everyone in Angola to own. If you check out @LittleSeaTree 's story ^^^^, you will see that most people there exist on nothing.

I'm of two thoughts:
a. There was a gun involved. The gun belonged to the Shroyers. This would quickly eliminate an Angolan.
b. There was an assault with a sharp object, e.g. knife or machete.

Not likely IMO:
c. suffocation or strangling. Too difficult.
d. poisoning. I would guess poisoning would be the easiest thing to get away with here. It would look like a bad case of Delhi Belly, and it might be difficult for a developing country to run tests to confirm otherwise.
e. push off a cliff or out a window. This would be difficult to pursue with basic detective work (which is what we are likely looking at in Angola).

If guns are very limited there, would Americans moving there have to declare their weapons then? My only experience was moving to Hawaii with the Army and while they have more restrictive rules there it's still part of the US. We hand carried ammunition on the plane (checked under the plane, but declared and inspected pre-flight) and we shipped the guns with our house hold goods (also declared, serial numbers noted, listed on high value sheets with the moving company). When the weapons arrived with our household goods we had to register the with the military base AND the local police department. So this is why I ask if they are bringing even a single gun in to the country that is very restrictive, then I feel like it was likely documented including serial number and there was some type of approval process??

 

[justtrish]

I'll add -
She began posting about the dangers, traumas and crimes committed against the family so that when he died from a "violent, criminal" attack, there would be a built-in story.

I am curious if there was an encounter or specific event that happened that did possibly set off some paranoia in her. Do we know if the family had ever been the victim of any type of crime there? Even a small crime of theift or something that rocked her senese of safety could be triggering enough for her to fixate on all these things. Then I'd quesiton if there wasn't a specific reason to harm her husband, did she think he was an intrudor or someone there to harm them? Not saying I think this is what happened, but just putting out another possibility.

Of course she could have just been cold and calculated all this time and was laying the foundation for what she was going to do. Which is extra horrific when we think of what missionaries are usually doing in a country. They are there to spread love and peace and hope. Then to see the stark contrast of what this crime is and to wonder how someone who must have been selfless at some point to be living in another country doing this type of work, got to the extreme opposite of that and decided to murder her husband.

 

[adot0902]

I had such a weird reaction to this photograph....
The picture of all the boys is quite serene and beautiful...

But all of a sudden, Jackie looks like Shanna Gardner to me! Oh NO!!!!
View attachment 542997

This picture is actually what REALLY stuck out to me. She is Very comfortable. Arm relaxed, hand positioning, body position, this is not a person in fear for her life or hating a country IMO, MOO. But if you look at the husbands pictures he does not possess the same body language she does in pictures. His is more rigid, almost on guard (and I know he was a cop, so I get it).

 

[RickshawFan]

so glad you tried.
Disappointing results. NOTHING in that local press. wow.

It might be kinda sensitive, and perhaps the government quashed it. Different countries have different freedoms when it comes to the press.

 

[RickshawFan]

This picture is actually what REALLY stuck out to me. She is Very comfortable. Arm relaxed, hand positioning, body position, this is not a person in fear for her life or hating a country IMO, MOO. But if you look at the husbands pictures he does not possess the same body language she does in pictures. His is more rigid, almost on guard (and I know he was a cop, so I get it).

Photoshopped. Kids have been randomly added on.

Now I'm suspicious about EVERYTHING.

 

[CHEL]

Photoshopped. Kids have been randomly added on.

Now I'm suspicious about EVERYTHING.

How do you know it is photoshopped?

 

[RickshawFan]

I am curious if there was an encounter or specific event that happened that did possibly set off some paranoia in her. Do we know if the family had ever been the victim of any type of crime there? Even a small crime of theift or something that rocked her senese of safety could be triggering enough for her to fixate on all these things. Then I'd quesiton if there wasn't a specific reason to harm her husband, did she think he was an intrudor or someone there to harm them? Not saying I think this is what happened, but just putting out another possibility.

Of course she could have just been cold and calculated all this time and was laying the foundation for what she was going to do. Which is extra horrific when we think of what missionaries are usually doing in a country. They are there to spread love and peace and hope. Then to see the stark contrast of what this crime is and to wonder how someone who must have been selfless at some point to be living in another country doing this type of work, got to the extreme opposite of that and decided to murder her husband.

IMO they likely went there with bias and expectation. That's kind of indicated when you think of yourself in the role of rescuer.

The job of a missionary is to serve by spreading religion. Religion doesn't automatically go hand in hand with love, peace, and hope, in my experience. Personally, I get resentful when I get proselytized: there's at the very least oblique criticism that my way isn't as good as your (the proselytizer's) way.

 

[adot0902]

Photoshopped. Kids have been randomly added on.

Now I'm suspicious about EVERYTHING.

Are you sure... I don't think it's photoshopped I think it's a very cheap phone cam. Why do you think all the photos are photoshopped, I'm not seeing it?