TX - Terri 'Missy' Bevers, 45, killed in church/suspect in SWAT gear, Midlothian, 18 Apr 2016 #47

[SteveS]

Psychopathology is more common than you might think. Research puts the incidence at about 1% in the U.S. *

Have you met 100 people? One of them is likely a psychopath.

Which, when you look at it objectively, is uncommon and far from the norm. The 99% (or maybe even more) would be the norm, not the 1% or less.

The other numbers you cite are what is thought to be true of the incarcerated which would not be applicable here, as the perp was clearly not incarcerated. And while higher, that portion is still only a small minority of the whole for those people as well, and therefore NOT to be the expectation of what we're looking at and what it looks like.

Frankly, I think you're working too hard to talk down or sidetrack the point that was made in the first place. The video does look like the actions of a thief, not an attacker preparing to attack a victim who will be arriving any minute. It is what it is.

If you want to ASSUME something else was happening, and base your thoughts on those assumptions, and try to make things fit to match, that's your right, but laying aside assumptions, I don't see any REAL question about what this looks like.

And that may not matter to you, but it sure alters my thinking to some degree. It has to.

 

[JosieMae]

Which, when you look at it objectively, is uncommon and far from the norm. The 99% (or maybe even more) would be the norm, not the 1% or less.

The other numbers you cite are what is thought to be true of the incarcerated which would not be applicable here, as the perp was clearly not incarcerated. And while higher, that portion is still only a small minority of the whole for those people as well, and therefore NOT to be the expectation of what we're looking at and what it looks like.

Frankly, I think you're working too hard to talk down or sidetrack the point that was made in the first place. The video does look like the actions of a thief, not an attacker preparing to attack a victim who will be arriving any minute. It is what it is.

If you want to ASSUME something else was happening, and base your thoughts on those assumptions, and try to make things fit to match, that's your right, but laying aside assumptions, I don't see any REAL question about what this looks like.

And that may not matter to you, but it sure alters my thinking to some degree. It has to.

Yes, I am assuming SP was there to commit murder because there was, in fact, a murder.

 

[TheGardener]

Yes, I am assuming SP was there to commit murder because there was, in fact, a murder.

I agree SP was prepared to murder. I just don't think SP was there to do murder. There's a difference. There are stacks of convenience store clerks in the morgue, because a robber was prepared to murder, not in their stores to do murder. A lot of those clerks were well known to their regular customers, but they meant absolutely nothing to their murderers. They were simply obstacles to a clean getaway.

We tend to think from the vantage point of being an intelligent, analytical, compassionate person. Murderers are very rarely, intelligent, analytical or compassionate. They're a cosmos of unknowns: unknown intellect, unknown life stories, unknown motives...and we're trying to figure them out by analyzing their T-shirts, flip flops, gimpy legs and, in this case, their chosen costume for the evening's misdeeds. We have no idea what was or is living in SP's noodle. SP could be a teenager out for a thrill burglary, a stoned cosplayer with his grand daddy's gun playing burglar for the evening, a low level burglar jacked on heroin, an unhappy parishioner bent on sending a message to the people they think did them wrong, a jealous and wounded woman driven to murder, because Missy sent her husband a flirty text, a psychotic - obsessed with the blonde lady exercising in the dark, a roundabout hitman with a penchant for poking around buildings while he waits to collect the rest of his down payment. Its all over the map and most of it comes as a result of our life's experience colored with a dash of hopeful intuition.

Thousands of murders, many with way more evidence than is available in this case, go unsolved. They make no more or less sense than this case. The participants: family members, residents of towns, investigators, as well as the killers themselves, die. Clean sweep. Everyone gone. No solution. The best we can do is say, well, the murderer owns it and move on to the next incident. And there will be more. This planet's inhabitants are more than willing to keep the murders and SPs coming.

I'm on the interrupted burglary side.
But...don't go by me. I still like Badge Man, the cop on the Grassy Knoll, when it comes to hitmen. I'm old school.

 

[TheGardener]

Don't think I haven't been all over the map with this one, because I have. Over time, once I got over the costume and musing why a criminal decides his choice of fashion for the evening, it just sussed out to being a B&E and interrupted burglary with a murder.

I have no doubt that SP is nursing major mental problems.

 

[GA_Peach]

I have read about 50 pages, and I am almost all caught up. There have been many interesting discussions. However, my computer is ready to die so this is going to be quick.

we should remember that Missy walked in at 4:18 and was dead by 4:20 according to Kevin Johnson.

RSBM

This is the most compelling point in favor of the targeted theory IMO. Within two minutes of MB arriving, she had been shot, and the suspect was on his way. We went through this in the last thread so I won't rehash. However, the speed at which this confrontation occurred, escalated, and then turned deadly points to someone carrying out a mission. While possible, crimes against property don't typically escalate in this way. And based on what we know about SP, it seems extremely unlikely that MB would have been the aggressor (backed up what the podiatrist recently said that he saw in the video, but is that reliable?). Also, SP was not in hurry as he moved throughout the church. Why did he move so quickly after MB arrived? Why kill her so fast? Based on all of the doors (both exit and into the rooms), how and where would SP have been cornered? And, if he unexpectedly encountered MB, why not make use of the costume he was wearing? Why not just say that he was responding to a call and all looked clear? He could have hightailed it out of there. In the B&E scenario that was not intended to ever turn deadly, what was the point of the costume? Why did it fail? While I cannot refute the B&E theory because all of the points that have been made are possible, I do not believe that it is likely.

The problem with this case is the incongruity between the threat level imposed by the supposed unsuspecting victim and the overwhelming response of the murderer. SP had little to lose if caught, any number of ways to back off, and anonymity on their side, yet they murdered her. If there is a glaring WHY it is to be found there. SP is a completely unsuccessful trespass/burglar, but a very successful murderer. MS is dead. Cosplay is assuming the outward character of someone you are not. In this case it provided successful anonymity, associated cop behaviors unnecessary. We have found some common ground.
Thank you for your insight. I appreciate your thoughts and know we both want to see this young woman's family receive a just outcome.

RSBM

While criminals can act irrationally and unpredictably, I agree with your assessment. The incongruity is huge but more importantly the reaction of SP was unnecessary. SP was larger than MB. If this was a random encounter, he would have no reason to suspect that the petite woman who entered an isolated church in the middle of the night was strong and fit. SP was armed. MB was not. He could have subdued MB and run if he was cornered, but he did not. And again, property crimes typically do not escalate to murder when they go awry. Crimes that do not start out as murder but escalate to it typically involve a crime against a person. If we believe the B&E theory, that was a property crime.

Of course, it could have happened in this case, but I do not believe it's likely.

I think its important not to assign a high level of sophisticated thinking to this individual. SP was a failure. From the outset, they:

1. Failed to respect the property rights of people they did not know.
2. Failed at a burglary.
3. Failed at exercising self-control.
4. Failed at resisting the urge to bring a weapon with them.
5. Failed at finding a better way to channel their energy.
6. Failed at respecting the life force in another human being.

The only thing SP succeeded in was:
1. Breaking in.
2. Killing a human being.
3. Running away.

This isn't the profile of a criminal genius.
JMHO

RBBM

I agree, but I would edit this slightly. This is not the profile of a genius criminal burglar. At the end of the day, the criminal profile does not match the typical B&E scenario. Again, there are always exceptions to the rule, but it's unlikely. It's also extremely unlikely that female murder victims are killed by a random stranger. I could go on and on. While I am certainly open to MB having been killed in an interrupted B&E scenario, the likelihood based on the statistics is extremely small. Plus, the other things that we know tend to point to a target being likely. There was motive... too much motive to effectively limit suspects IMO.

 

[MsBetsy]

Yes, I am assuming SP was there to commit murder because there was, in fact, a murder.

If he was there solely to commit the murder, then why go through all of the trouble breaking into the church, wandering around from room to room, just to wait for Missy to enter?

Why not stay outside, wait for her to get out of the car, shoot her, and then quickly make his escape? He was fully covered from head to toe and there would have been less chance of being identified on camera.

It just doesn't make any sense that he would spend so much time rummaging around inside unless he was looking for something to steal. I don't think he expected anybody there that early. From the camera footage he seemed to be on a mission. There's nothing in his actions that suggest he was waiting for someone to arrive. Imo

 

[GA_Peach]

I am finally all caught up! Wow, that was a lot of information.

If you were cash motivated and in a building for the first time, how would YOU do it differently from SP?

I was going to answer this question in detail, but I realized Cryptic [subsequently] did a much better job than I was going to do! For me, the biggest thing that is missing from the burglary scenario is any sense of urgency. Burglars want to get in and get out; it minimizes the chance of getting caught (surprise interactions, for instance) and maximizes the chance of being able to successfully get away with the loot. When electronic and jewelry stores are ransacked, the entire store is emptied in a matter of seconds. If taking someone else's possessions is your objective, you work quickly to be successful.

Honestly, I find the burglary scenario the least likely. While I am clearly in the targeted camp, I see a much more plausible argument being made for the breaking and entering camp than the burglary camp. If someone simply wants the thrill of being where he isn't supposed to be, the ambling around makes sense. The costume could make sense. Where things go a little bit awry is in the fact that this escalated to murder (likely not the same profile). Nothing that I see in the video points to burglary, and it isn't because nothing was taken.

<modsnip>

In my posts, I used words like "apparently", "evidently", and "probably" when offering my opinion. I also used descriptive phrases like "real effort" and also stated that perhaps the burglar was simply incompetent.

<modsnip>


Hmmm.....I would follow the "lead" given by those who burglarized my sister's condo:

- I would give myself 15 minutes to get in and out. This would mean walking with a purpose.
- I am fleeing if I hear someone.
- No stupid SWAT stuff. Just a ski mask, comfy clothes and tennis shoes.
- Hard to search fast while carrying a hammer in one hand. I would tuck it into my belt. I would also have a small pry bar (maybe not even take a hammer?) and also have..... a sack to put loot in.
- I would only use the hammer when needed to enter or open things. No pointless petty vandalism.

Starting with the offices:

- I would quickly walk from room to room (clock is ticking)
- Every office desk drawer would be opened and tossed for cash, a strong box, check books etc. Locked drawers would be forced open and emptied (locks are usually token-
- Bookshelves would be cleared (no telling what is behind the books).
- Office closets would be tossed out. Boxes, containers, organizers of any kind would be opened and emptied.

Then, I would move onto the less obvious places like filing rooms (not everyone keeps valuables in the obvious places):

- The above would be repeated as time allowed.

15 minutes, and I am gone. In short, I would leave no doubt that cash burglary was my motive.

Fabulous list, and I couldn't agree more! This is why the burglary scenario doesn't pass the smell test for me.

What do you all think the purpose for bringing the ATF firearm sniffing dog into the building? Were the first responders unable to identify gunshot wounds and they needed to confirm guns being fired prior to the autopsy being available? I'm pretty sure the got was a ballistics dog - not an explosives dog. Please correct me.

Gunshot wounds that are not discernable by experienced EMS -- does this tell us anything about the weapon or proximity of the attack?
Every other crime I've followed, EMS or LE quickly identify gunshot wounds - and never have i heard a gunshot victim crime being followed up with an ATF dog to confirm. They don't need to confirm.
My opinions only.

I have a big question about Titan being brought in. Why was was the crime scene released back to the church before Titan was brought in? This has always bothered me.

 

[Cryptic]

While I am clearly in the targeted camp, I see a much more plausible argument being made for the breaking and entering camp than the burglary camp.

If someone simply wants the thrill of being where he isn't supposed to be, the ambling around makes sense. The costume could make sense.

Where things go a little bit awry is in the fact that this escalated to murder (likely not the same profile). .

I am also in the targeted camp. That aside, good point about a "B&E for Thrills" scenario being plausible.

This possibility could be supported by a perpetrator acting on fantasies about being a powerful, dominate "SWAT Dude" (or "SWAT Chick?"), "ninja", or perhaps some sort of 1980s horror movie villain.

I also agree that odds of this scenario could be reduced as the perpetrator, though selecting a location unlikely to have a victim at that hour, quickly graduated from B&E for Thrills to murder when MB arrived.

That aside, perhaps the following could be pursued towards the B&E possibility:

- Maybe ask local security companies if they had an employee known to go "over the top" in regards to responses?

Or, perhaps they received complaints about a security officer trying to intimidate or frighten people he was supposed to protect. I.e. security guard at a building "accidently" surprises female employees working late. Or, guard seems to relish "advising" people about distantly possible dangers.

- A violent fantasy type perp may have tried paint ball as a build up. Maybe ask local paint ball places if they noticed a player with an unusual gait? Perhaps the player portrayed a "bad guy" persona?

Or, the player came alone, yet was "geared up" to the max and seemed to enjoy targeting females with multiple close in shots (those things can hurt), had to be told that his paint ball gun was too powerful etc.

 

[cady]

PEACH re Titan
The only thing I could surmise for the delay in bringing him to the crime scene is that when they found Missy, they didn't recognize a gunshot wound. The autopsy was on Tuesday and Titan was brought in either later Tuesday or Wednesday. That would also mean that they didn't find a shell casing initially, or ever. Just a guess. JMO adding...an exit wound would be messy but an entrance wound may have been visibly compromised by other "puncture wounds" from tools to her head and face. JMO

 

[cady]

Also possible that there was no exit wound. JMO

 

[TheGardener]

I am also in the targeted camp. That aside, good point about a "B&E for Thrills" scenario being plausible.

This possibility could be supported by a perpetrator acting on fantasies about being a powerful, dominate "SWAT Dude" (or "SWAT Chick?"), "ninja", or perhaps some sort of 1980s horror movie villain.

I also agree that odds of this scenario could be reduced as the perpetrator, though selecting a location unlikely to have a victim at that hour, quickly graduated from B&E for Thrills to murder when MB arrived.

That aside, perhaps the following could be pursued towards the B&E possibility:

- Maybe ask local security companies if they had an employee known to go "over the top" in regards to responses?

Or, perhaps they received complaints about a security officer trying to intimidate or frighten people he was supposed to protect. I.e. security guard at a building "accidently" surprises female employees working late. Or, guard seems to relish "advising" people about distantly possible dangers.

- A violent fantasy type perp may have tried paint ball as a means to support the dominate villain fantasy. Maybe ask local paint ball places if they noticed a player with an unusual gait? Perhaps the player portrayed a "bad guy" persona?

Or, the player came alone, yet was "geared up" to the max and seemed to enjoy targeting females with multiple close in shots (those things can hurt), had to be told that his paint ball gun was too powerful etc.

I wonder if a security company would even hire someone so obviously physically compromised. I don't see this person being capable of running down a suspect.
I DO see them choosing to shoot someone who showed up unexpectedly. SP isn't a runner. One 911 call and he'd have been caught either galloping awkwardly through the halls or parking lot. SP bought time by dispatching Missy before she grabbed her phone and punched in the numbers. If you knew how many B&Es and burglaries end this way, you would mourn.

I still don't believe this person has the chops for a hit. If you wanted someone hit, would you select this person? And entrust hundreds, maybe thousands to end whatever major malfunction the target was causing in your life? SP? I don't think so. I'd want a guy with a history of doing hits. Or at least a strapping fellow who could run away if the situation called for it. Everyone who has seen the video knows SP is lame in some way. Very attention grabbing stuff. Not something you want being seen by possible witnesses. You'd want someone who could overpower a well trained physical specimen like Missy if it came down to physical contact. SP hasn't seen a gym since he left middle school (if he ever graduated). I just don't see betting my hit-worthy problem and my future on a character like SP.

Sure, his costume is way out of whack. So is his head for even wanting to do a B&E in the first place. Even worse for bringing a gun. Who knows why he upped the anti. It takes a hefty fear of being caught to escalate from carrying a hammer and pry bar to adding a gun.

Still in the B&E and interrupted burglary subsequent murder camp.

 

[JosieMae]

If he was there solely to commit the murder, then why go through all of the trouble breaking into the church, wandering around from room to room, just to wait for Missy to enter?

Why not stay outside, wait for her to get out of the car, shoot her, and then quickly make his escape? He was fully covered from head to toe and there would have been less chance of being identified on camera.

It just doesn't make any sense that he would spend so much time rummaging around inside unless he was looking for something to steal. I don't think he expected anybody there that early. From the camera footage he seemed to be on a mission. There's nothing in his actions that suggest he was waiting for someone to arrive. Imo

This was personal. As I've stated before, I believe our killer is a sociopath or psychopath who relished an up-close-and-personal encounter with the object of his/her hatred.

Furthermore, if this is a spontaneous interrupted burglary, why use multiple weapons? You have a gun ... isn't that sufficient for killing?

Jodi Arias used a knife, a gun, and also stomped on her victim. I feel this murder was equally rage-fueled.

I will never see this as an interrupted burglary. MSHOO (my strongly- held opinion only).

 

[Cryptic]

I wonder if a security company would even hire someone so obviously physically compromised. I don't see this person being capable of running down a suspect.

It would depend on the company and the jobsite. For example, I know a security guard who is well, rather rotund, but whose job is really more presence than actually running people down:

- Works the night shift at a closed medical building. Thus, he watches monitors until he is blue in the face.

Every so many hours, he walks a round that includes.... Door to anesthetic supply still locked?- check, Door to loading dock locked?- check, Door to directors suite locked?- check. Dr. "D" was working late- did the lobby door lock after he left?- check.

Check, check, and one more.....check. Then back for more monitor monitoring. At 0530, he turns it over to the more active day shift security guard.

 

[TheGardener]

It would depend on the company and the jobsite. For example, I know a security guard who is well, rather rotund, but whose job is really more presence than actually running people down:

- Works the night shift at a closed medical building. Thus, he watches monitors until he is blue in the face.

Every so many hours, he walks a round that includes.... Door to anesthetic supply still locked?- check, Door to loading dock locked?- check, Door to directors suite locked?- check. Dr. "D" was working late- did the lobby door lock after he left?- check.

Check, check, and one more.....check. Then back for more monitor monitoring. At 0530, he turns it over to the more active day shift security guard.

LOL! Yeah...I get you. Still, there's that pair of wobbly legs...

 

[MsBetsy]

This was personal. As I've stated before, I believe our killer is a sociopath or psychopath who relished an up-close-and-personal encounter with the object of his/her hatred.

Furthermore, if this is a spontaneous interrupted burglary, why use multiple weapons? You have a gun ... isn't that sufficient for killing?

Jodi Arias used a knife, a gun, and also stomped on her victim. I feel this murder was equally rage-fueled.

I will never see this as an interrupted burglary. MSHOO (my strongly- held opinion only).

Well, many criminals have narcissistic or antisocial personality disorders. That doesn't necessarily make it a personal crime. I believe most serial killers are psychopaths, but they often select random strangers as their victims.

We don't know that he used multiple weapons for the murder. The hammer and prybar were used to smash windows or get into locked rooms. He's seen on video using them.

The head and chest wounds could have resulted from one shot to the head and one to the chest. It was apparently the head wound that was the COD. And yes, why use the tools when he had a gun? Whether he knew her or not I doubt he would risk being there longer than necessary. I think she was shot almost as soon as he saw her and then was left to die. She apparently lay on the floor for about 20 minutes, which is long enough for pools of blood to form around her body. Imo

 

[TheGardener]

Well, many criminals have narcissistic or antisocial personality disorders. That doesn't necessarily make it a personal crime. I believe most serial killers are psychopaths, but they often select random strangers as their victims.

We don't know that he used multiple weapons for the murder. The hammer and prybar were used to smash windows or get into locked rooms. He's seen on video using them.

The head and chest wounds could have resulted from one shot to the head and one to the chest. It was apparently the head wound that was the COD. And yes, why use the tools when he had a gun? Whether he knew her or not I doubt he would risk being there longer than necessary. I think she was shot almost as soon as he saw her and then was left to die. She apparently lay on the floor for about 20 minutes, which is long enough for pools of blood to form around her body. Imo

This is true. From what I've learned, psychopaths objectify whoever gets in the way of their plans. That state of mind may well contribute to a hair trigger response if confronted by an unexpected interruption.

 

[SteveS]

Furthermore, if this is a spontaneous interrupted burglary, why use multiple weapons? .

From what we know for certain, the perp didn't necessarily use more than one weapon.

This has been discussed previously at length. All we can say for sure is that she was shot. In the simplest scenario that fits what we have been told, there was a shot to the head and another to the chest.

There have been conversations in this forum of something more extensive, based on not knowing of a gunshot until much later, and a failure to read or listen carefully to LE's vague and sparse wording about how MB was killed. And it's possible more than one weapon was used - but it's not necessary to satisfy what we know as fact.

 

[Deleted member 718]

@MsBetsy, she had multiple puncture wounds on her head and chest. I take that to mean more than two. I haven't heard which wound was the actual COD.

 

[cady]

@MsBetsy, she had multiple puncture wounds on her head and chest. I take that to mean more than two. I haven't heard which wound was the actual COD.

Yes. we did hear that from Local LE. (multiple puncture wounds) We were never told by local LE how many puncture wounds, and never told about gunshot wounds. But according to GS and others, the COD was a gunshot wound. I tend to believe that, but without the autopsy report, who knows? If all or any of her wounds were immediately recognized to be gunshot wounds, then there is no excuse for closing the crime scene before they brought in Titan! JMO

 

[Deleted member 718]

I'm waiting for something more definitive than a non-profit org before I'm firm on gunshot wounds.