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

[TheGardener]

Does a Burglar usually carry a weapon, a gun?

I thought carrying a gun makes burglary a more serious charge should one be caught.

Answer to question 1: Only if they're escalating from straight B&E to a higher level of fear of being caught or their sanity is deteriorating.
Answer to statement 2: Absolutely. Which makes him more of an idiot and danger to the community.

 

[TheGardener]

Did you know that there are all kinds of prybars and that they're used for different purposes? The big boys (crowbars, wrecking bars) are for heavy duty construction demolition or automotive applications. The little guys (called jemmies) are used for smaller work like removing moulding, prying out nails, opening stuck windows and doors. Our perp prefers the jemmie: short, easy to handle, good for prying open doors, busting cheap door locks and prying open windows. It hangs from your toolbelt comfortably, and doesn't interfere with leg movement, because its short. He's not getting into Fort Knox with this equipment, but its good enough for private residences and not so secure key locks (in which case, you pry off the strike plate and don't even bother with the doorknob). This is pretty amateur stuff, bare bones, but a jemmie and a hammer serves his purpose.

These are examples of jemmies.

Using one of these to kill someone will leave a specific kind of injury. It will more or less rip the skin off your face, scalp, bones in general. We all know about hammers. We're talking about a bloody mess. Spatter, cast off, bits of flesh. A hapless victim would be stunned and torn up.
Gumshoe assured me that the crime was committed with a gun. OK. POW! Dispatched instantly. Both means of killing are extremely violent. One takes time. The other doesn't. Doing both together is INSANE OVERKILL. Barring complete access to the autopsy report, we're left to wonder.
I would LOVE to see the autopsy report.

 

[cady]

He's certainly an idiot with no self-control. He could have put one in her head at the front door - clean and home free. He's the kind of idiot who gets expelled from Hitman University for being a bumbling jerk who leaves his tools of the trade behind. His perception of risk level went from 1 to 10 on the Richter scale of fear - instantly. Sure, he used whatever was on hand. He wanted her dead, dead, dead. The stakes were pretty high for this guy. Maybe, he's on probation. Nobody wants to break probation, add a B&E/gun charge to their biography and up their chances of going to prison. The only thing this fool earned was a possible death sentence.

???? HE? FRONT DOOR? Leaves his tools behind? His perception of risk level? From where is this information coming? Speculation is fine, but it should comport with the "knowns". JMO

 

[Cryptic]

Isn’t it possible that that is exactly what happened here? We were told that a filing room was left in disarray. As for the offices, we don’t know that they were turned upside down. But we also don’t know that they weren’t.

Sure, its possible (alot of things are possible).

It is also possible that the police did not release information that would reinforce a burglary motive for any number of reasons.

The difficult questions are: "Are these things likely?" followed by "Did those possible events actually occur?"

 

[Lhughessk]

MOO, it’s a good bet that a criminal is going to have a gun.

I found some govt statistics that are not an exact match to the Bevers case but are interesting still. The timeframe was 2003 to 2007 (I would think that gun possession was increasingly more prevalent between 2007 and 2016 when Missy died.) And these statistics are for household burglaries, not commercial.

Overall, 61% of offenders were unarmed when violence occurred during a burglary while a resident was present.
​

So in household burglaries in which there was a confrontation between the resident and the burglar, the burglar was armed with a gun 39% of the time.

https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt

 

[Lhughessk]

Sure, its possible (alot of things are possible).

It is also possible that the police did not release information that would reinforce a burglary motive for any number of reasons.

The difficult questions are: "Are these things likely?" followed by "Did those possible events actually occur?"

<modsnip: Personalizing>

it’s been pointed out that at LEAST one room containing filing cabinets was disturbed. And we have no information about the offices one way or the other. So while you’re right that it’s not easy to prove a negative, it seems to me the case for it possibly being a burglary is stronger than you implied.

 

[TheGardener]

Leaves his tools behind?

As soon as that prybar was pounded into a doorframe, it was as good as leaving it's identity behind. As far as the hammer goes...smile, you're on candid camera. SP left it's image behind. Are you mystified as to the identity of the tools used in those videos? If not, it was as good as leaving them behind.

 

[Cryptic]

Burglar
Professional Burglar
Bumbling Burglar
Pretend Burglar

Does a Burglar usually carry a weapon, a gun?

I thought carrying a gun makes burglary a more serious charge should one be caught. Maybe Texas is different.
How does this concealed carry of a weapon factor into the mix?

My understanding is that professional burglars never carry weapons due to the (as you observed) significantly increased charges.

One such truly professional burglar related that following additional things in a documentary. Again, these guys were top level, big city pros:

- They (preferred number was three, four at most- one on look out, others in the home) took great pains to ensure that nobody was home. They passed on lucrative targets if there was even a remote chance that somebody was home.

- They always presumed they triggered an alarm upon entry. Thus, blitz speed was of the essence. I believe 10 minutes was the max they would stay in a home.

- They were on the look out for everything. Sure, they preferred cash and high end jewelry. But they had encyclopedic knowledge high end brands in: electronics, women's shoes, fashion brands, kitchen appliances, sports gear, kitchen knives / pots and pans, tool brands, musical instruments, heck- even art equipment and paints etc. They were also good at telling real antiques from repros and real collectibles from "shelf stuff".

- Being consummate pros, they opened a window or door on every level of the home they came to. As they presumed they had already triggered an alarm, having emergency escape routes was more valuable.

- Their preferred entry method was one enters the home and opens the garage door. In drives the other(s) with a phony repair truck.

- They totally toss homes at blitz speed, the loot brought to a central location, then stuffed it into large and wide mouth military duffle bags. The bags then get tossed in the truck. They then drive out the garage.

- And...... they stayed in shape (not big on weights, but on recreational running and climbing gyms). Being fast and agile aided in entry- and escapes the few times they were surprised. Running also provided an alibi: The pro wore trendy jogging clothes to burglaries. This enabled him to run away in plain view- right by the responding police on one occasion.

- They could "hit" four or five pre selected homes in one day.

 

[Lhughessk]

The suspect did leave tools behind:

“We found tools around the crime scene and are currently analyzing them."

www.yourglenrosetx.com/article/20160422/NEWS/160429778

So the tools we know of are hammer, prybar, and whatever is in the killer’s left hand just before he or she goes into the auditorium (flashlight?). And they might have also referred to the white basket he picked up. Police said “tools” so it was definitely more than one.

But unless the killer somehow left his DNA on a tool, I don’t see how it would be helpful. I doubt police could trace a hammer or a prybar back to a purchase.

 

[Cryptic]

So while you’re right that it’s not easy to prove a negative, it seems to me the case for it possibly being a burglary is stronger than you implied.

But not so strong that the police suspect burglary as the motive in particular.

 

[TheGardener]

My understanding is that professional burglars never carry weapons due to the (as you observed) significantly increased charges.

One such truly professional burglar related that following additional things in a documentary. Again, these guys were top level, big city pros:

- They (preferred number was three, four at most- one on look out, others in the home) took great pains to ensure that nobody was home. They passed on lucrative targets if there was even a remote chance that somebody was home.

- They always presumed they triggered an alarm upon entry. Thus, blitz speed was of the essence. I believe 10 minutes was the max they would stay in a home.

- They were on the look out for everything. Sure, they preferred cash and high end jewelry. But they had encyclopedic knowledge high end brands in: electronics, women's shoes, fashion brands, kitchen appliances, sports gear, kitchen knives / pots and pans, tool brands, musical instruments, heck- even art equipment and paints etc. They were also good at telling real antiques from repros and real collectibles from "shelf stuff".

- Being consummate pros, they opened a window or door on every level of the home they came to. As they presumed they had already triggered an alarm, having emergency escape routes was more valuable.

- Their preferred entry method was one enters the home and opens the garage door. In drives the other(s) with a phony repair truck.

- They totally toss homes at blitz speed, the loot brought to a central location, then stuffed it into large and wide mouth military duffle bags. The bags then get tossed in the truck. They then drive out the garage.

- And...... they stayed in shape (not big on weights, but on recreational running and climbing gyms). Being fast and agile aided in entry- and escapes the few times they were surprised. Running also provided an alibi: The pro wore trendy jogging clothes to burglaries. This enabled him to run away in plain view- right by the responding police on one occasion.

- They could "hit" four or five pre selected homes in one day.

Yes, yes, yes! (I think I'm in love with a post).

 

[Lhughessk]

But not so strong that the police suspect burglary as the motive in particular.

Police suspect burglary as much as they suspect anything else. They’ve said repeatedly that they have been divided and that they don’t know what the motive was.

 

[TheGardener]

But unless the killer somehow left his DNA on a tool, I don’t see how it would be helpful. I doubt police could trace a hammer or a prybar back to a purchase.

No, but they could trace it back through "use", other crimes where the same tool left the exact impressions this tool left behind. Same tool. Same perp. In a city where (according to the FBI) the preferred criminal mischief in 2016 was property crime, that leaves open the possibility that a perp with a "kit" was using it regularly. If they did and were either caught on home security or outright caught, prosecuted and placed on probation - SP is in the system waiting for an astute detective to follow the breadcrumbs to his door. All because his prybar was at a murder scene and his prybar was used in a residential burglary for which he was previously caught. If those toolmarks match entry point damage made by someone wearing a helmet and that activity was caught on an outside security camera...another thread is added to the fabric of solution.
Sometimes, little things catch major criminals.

 

[Lhughessk]

No, but they could trace it back through "use", other crimes where the same tool left the exact impressions this tool left behind. Same tool. Same perp. In a city where (according to the FBI) the preferred criminal mischief in 2016 was property crime, that leaves open the possibility that a perp with a "kit" was using it regularly. If they did and were either caught on home security or outright caught, prosecuted and placed on probation - SP is in the system waiting for an astute detective to follow the breadcrumbs to his door. All because his prybar was at a murder scene and his prybar was used in a residential burglary for which he was previously caught. If those toolmarks match entry point damage made by someone wearing a helmet and that activity was caught on an outside security camera...another thread is added to the fabric of solution.
Sometimes, little things catch major criminals.

Except we don’t know that this person ever broke in anywhere else prior to this. If they did, it could have been anywhere in or out of the DFW metroplex, so the chance of Midlothian police getting the info is slim. We also don’t know if this person used the SAME weapons, even if he did this before. And last but not least, only about 13% of burglaries are ever solved.

 

[TheGardener]

Except we don’t know that this person ever broke in anywhere else prior to this. If they did, it could have been anywhere in or out of the DFW metroplex, so the chance of Midlothian police getting the info is slim. We also don’t know if this person used the SAME weapons, even if he did this before. And last but not least, only about 13% of burglaries are ever solved.

You're right, we don't know - until we look. Consider that a single, orange tri-lobal carpet fiber linked the murders of Bobby Joe Long. It wasn't the only evidence, but it linked his murders, became part of his murderous signature and played a role in his conviction. A thread.

 

[Lhughessk]

You're right, we don't know - until we look.

Do you know whether Midlothian and surrounding jurisdictions were taking impressions of tool marks from burglary scenes in 2016?

 

[TheGardener]

Do you know whether Midlothian and surrounding jurisdictions were taking impressions of tool marks from burglary scenes in 2016?

I have no personal knowledge of this. I do know that photographs of crime scenes include areas where B&Es have occurred and are used as evidence in court.

 

[SteveS]

You're right, we don't know - until we look. Consider that a single, orange tri-lobal carpet fiber linked the murders of Bobby Joe Long. It wasn't the only evidence, but it linked his murders, became part of his murderous signature and played a role in his conviction. A thread.

Great point about the tool marks and the value of using it, perhaps. Hopefully LE obtained and retained such info, and may use it.

 

[SandyQLS]

A blast from the past, April 20, 2016:

Husband Of Murdered Midlothian Mother Feared For Her Safety

"... Bevers’ mother-in-law, [MT] said her son was worried for some time about Missy teaching early morning workout classes.

“The morning before we knew anything had happened, he said ‘I’ve told her, I’ve told her she’s got to be careful.’ He was just so afraid something would happen,” said [MT], ..." ...

Ellis County, Texas, has a very low crime rate, especially low on violent crime. Midlothian only had 3 murders in the thirteen years 2006-2018, and Missy is one of those:
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Midlothian-Texas.html

JMO I have never understood how just because a woman is alone or it is dark outside, somehow that equates to unsafe. I thought MT's statement was absurd and questionable at the time of this murder, and it looks even more ridiculous five years later. I am only expressing an opinion on the widely published statement, made 4 days after the murder.

 

[TheGardener]

Ellis County, Texas, has a very low crime rate, especially low on violent crime. Midlothian only had 3 murders in the thirteen years 2006-2018, and Missy is one of those:
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Midlothian-Texas.html

I looked up the FBI crime statistics for Midlothian (population 23,085) for the year 2016. Of the total numbers of crimes committed, the greater number by far are property crimes(287), larceny-theft(226), and burglary(43), motor vehicle theft(18). Only one murder. Missy's murder. Of the 618 crimes committed, 556 of them involve property damage or theft. Only 32 of the 618 are considered to be violent crimes (murder(1), rape(10), aggravated assault(18)). The property crime statistics are a little higher than the national average.
Make of it what you will.
It looks like the majority of the property crime perps didn't kill anyone on scene. Only one.