Whoever murdered Missy Bevers inside a Texas church is still unknown and at large despite extensive video recorded before and after the brutal attack a year ago. Security cameras captured the murderer walking the church hallways, carrying the hammer used to bludgeoned Bevers, 45, to death as she arrived to conduct a sunrise fitness class April 18, 2016.
Detectives said they could not even tell if it was a man or woman because police riot gear covered the killer from head to toe. If investigators are close to catching the fitness instructor’s killer, it is a closely guarded secret as Midlothian police haven’t made a public statement about the case in six months. The head of the probe has repeatedly declined requests for interviews with Crime Online.
Brandon Bevers, who spoke publicly in the early months of the investigation, is also keeping quiet on the first anniversary of his wife’s murder. “The family has unilaterally decided not to do any interviews,” he wrote in a response to our latest invitation to talk with Nancy Grace on “Crime Stories.” “We have elected not to memorialize the date of the event, but celebrate her life in private instead.”
The absence of official or family statements has left a vacuum that has led to speculation and personal investigations, generally centered on close examination of the video evidence that is public.
First, there is the church security camera video. Police initially released a short clip showing the killer, which was later followed by a longer clip. But there is speculation that detectives have video they are not showing the public, including the actual attack.
Also, police released a single frame from another video weeks after the murder of what they said was a vehicle of interest. They asked for public help in identifying the silver or gray Nissan Altima seen in the parking lot of a gun store a short distance from the church less about two hours before Bevers was killed.
What they didn’t reveal was the full video of the car, as captured by 17 security cameras around the store. The store manager, however, posted that video online in December. This allowed people obsessed with the mystery to examine hundreds of frames for clues of any connection between the car and the killing. (perhaps hyperlink some of this text to this site:
This triggered speculation about who and what could be seen inside the car. Despite the unusually high resolution of the video, the license plates are not clear. Is that police gear in the back seat? Can you see a hammer? Are two people in the car?
Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss the case in this episode of “Crime Stories” and others soon to come.
[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
