The Missy Bevers case.

Every now and then a crime will happen that interests me. Apparently I'm not alone. It's interesting how certain cases become big and memorable while others are sadly forgotten. The murder of Missy Bevers is in the news right now, but only time will tell if this is one that will go down in history alongside the murders of Lacy and Stacey Peterson (which were two different cases, oddly), Travis Alexander and Caylee Anthony.

The thing about Mrs. Bevers' case is  how odd it is. This was an elaborately planned murder and it's clear that Mrs. Bevers was the intended victim. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this is murder one. The question though of course is, like any murder, who did it?

The suspect list isn't one that the police rightfully do not want to share. By all means, just because everyone is curious doesn't mean we have the right to know. I'm glad that they're keeping it hushed, there is no reason to give the killer an edge up by knowing whether he (or she, but we'll call the suspect 'he' due to grammar rules; I don't give a crap about sexism so...) is a suspect or not.

That said, the general public has zeroed in on the husband. There is certainly a number of reasons to do so, as well. Let's look at some statements made either by him or about him and kind of discuss this.

Early on, Mr. Bevers said something very strange. I've not been able to find the exact quote, but The Dallas Morning News (DMN) reported that Mr. Bevers said that Mrs. Bevers did not know her killer. Isn't that odd? I mean, how on earth could he possibly have known something like that?

In that same article, Mr. Bevers points out the mannerisms of the suspect in the security videos and says that he hopes someone will recognize them. Granted, the police may have asked Mr. Bevers if he recognized the suspect's mannerisms which may have sparked the idea in his asking the public too, but he could also be aware that the mannerisms are fake and so he is trying to cover the killer's tracks.

Another odd thing is that Mr. Bevers came right out and explained why he hasn't been seen emotional at all, KXAS (known as Dallas' NBC 5) reported. Mr. Bevers says it was because he had been focusing on the immediate needs of his children, which sounds plausible to a point, but no emotion at all is a mystery and his explanation seems questionable, at best. To lose a spouse in such a violent way is traumatizing, but evidently it was not to him.

The video on that page of his interview is an interesting watch. He also said in that interview that he was not involved in anything that she ever did and so was unaware of how she affected so many lives. The thing that strikes me with that statement is 'why not'? Okay, my husband isn't involved in everything I do, but we're a married couple. We talk, we share, we're best friends. To not even know about all her friends is an astounding thing to say. This sounds like a marriage in trouble already.

Then of course there is his statement saying that he doesn't believe his wife was targeted, according to the DMN. This is an unbelievable statement to make. I mean, everyone has seen the video and it is a 99.9% sure bet that she was definitely the target. To deny that is either insane, which he clearly is not, or a very lame attempt to be misleading. I cannot fathom how he could possibly have said this with a straight face.

As parents will do, Mr. Bevers' mother, Marsha Tucker, chimed in. Now I am sure she does not believe her son capable of such a crime and I am also sure her intention was to help his public image, but her statement only made things sound worse for him. She told KTVT (the Dallas CBS affiliate) “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.”

What an extraordinary coincidence! The day before Mrs. Bevers is murdered, her husband actually said that? It is almost like he is clairvoyant!

I sat down and thought about all of this. I tried to think of how he could get away with this. Obviously Mrs. Bevers was up very early and he would have had to leave before her. I didn't know what his job was, but I doubted his job required such early hours. The only way he could leave that early, without her knowing about it, is that he wasn't home. The first thing that popped into my head was a fishing trip.

Seeing his pictures, he seemed like the kind of man who liked fishing and when taking a fishing trip you leave in the middle of the night but you do not usually get home until dawn. Many men go alone and that would be the perfect so-called alibi.

Imagine my surprise, or lack thereof, when the DMN reported that this was exactly what he said he was doing! In his defense, the police say that it was checked out and verified, but in the midst of a high profile investigation (or a low one for that matter), they are not going to say "Well, we checked it out and there are some holes in the alibi." They'll only say that when they're ready to accuse him.

He said he was in my neck of the woods, in Biloxi fishing. To begin with, that's not somewhere people go for a "fishing" trip. Biloxi is a casino town, not a fishing village. However, it's just far enough that would make one wonder if he could drive to and from Dallas without becoming suspicious.

It is an 8 1/2 hour drive, non-stop, from Biloxi to Midlothian and another 8 1/2, obviously, back. That's a long day. A little too long, but if you were a killer, wouldn't you want it to seem too long? That only strengthens your alibi. It's not impossible. You leave the evening before, say 6:00 p.m., drive to Dallas, kill her, turn around, drive back and you're home by 1:00 p.m. the next day.

Looking at the suspect's video we see how well this was planned. Tactical gear to make her trust you, that you're a police officer and she'll get close so she can't run away. There is no reason I see that further planning would make this easy. Some adult diapers and gas cans make the trip non-stop. It's the perfect day out fishing!

Last night's news from KTVT is that the church confirmed that the outdoor cameras "were not functioning". Were they not functioning because they were broken? Or were they not functioning because someone turned them off and took the tape? The answer to that question is definitely an important thing to know. If it's the latter rather than the former, then this demonstrates even more planning.

This would mean that the suspect wanted the police to see him and his mannerisms, but not the important parts that may identify him such as his car. This is a fairly intelligent person who understands investigative techniques, which anyone can learn by watching either the ID or CI channel.

If the husband didn't do it, he could have paid someone or it could be his lover who did it, or even her lover. They don't appear to be high money makers, but maybe. There could be money involved too.

Either way, I think the husband deserves a very close look. Nearly every time I read something new it seems clear he's involved in some way. Sometimes though I don't think he's as smart as maybe the killer is, but you never know.

Naturally, it could be someone else entirely. I just can't get over all the things being said and how very guilty it makes Mr. Bevers look, when it appears that the suspect in the video thought things through pretty well. That makes the husband very different from the suspect in the video.

It's baffling! That much is for certain.

Either way, the one thing I am certain of is my heartfelt sympathy for her family and her children. It sounds like Mrs. Bevers was an amazing woman who touched a lot of lives. My prayers are for them and for the police in solving this horrible crime.