Disturbing tale of killer seen on CCTV calmly walking with hammer before bludgeoning mum in church & going on run
THIS is the moment a suspected killer calmly walks around a church clutching a hammer before allegedly murdering a mum-of-three.
Terri Leann Bevers, known as Missy Bevers, was bludgeoned to death as she set up for an early morning fitness class.
Eight years on, her murder on April 18, 2016 is still unsolved.
But investigators are adamant the probe has not gone “cold”.
Now, we revisit the murder which horrified the country – and why a suspect caught on camera has never been traced.
Bevers, a 45-year-old Camp Gladiator instructor from Ellis County, Texas, was brutally attacked at the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian.
Students entered the church in the morning to find her body with fatal wounds to the head and chest.
And a key piece of evidence is chilling CCTV footage showing a person – believed to be the killer – roaming the halls of the church shortly before Bevers was killed.
The individual was seen wearing SWAT gear, including a helmet, and wielding a hammer.
The hammer was found with Bevers’ body and cops said her injuries were “consistent with the tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building”.
In the footage taken before Bevers was killed, the suspect can be seen trying and opening several doors in the hallway of the church.
They walk calmly with a slight limp, carrying the hammer in their left hand.
Near the end of the footage, the suspected killer can be seen trying to hit a door with the hammer.
The individual is described by cops as wearing “a black helmet, black balaclava, dark pants, dark long sleeve shirt, black gloves, and a black vest with ‘police‘ in white lettering on the front and back”.
They said they can be seen “walking throughout the building holding a hammer, breaking windows and going through offices”.
Another clip showed a silver Nissan Altima in the area before the 45-year-old was killed – but the suspect was never caught.
CCTV outside the church were not working on the day of the murder – leaving investigators with footage from only inside the building.
It means key clues might have been missed as the suspect fled the scene – and cops had to rely on witnesses.
Bevers was last seen on CCTV entering the church at 4.18am to set up for the 5am class, but this footage hasn’t been shared publicly.
Midlothian’s chief of police told KDFW that the department has been sent over 3,000 tips since her death.
Now, annual vigils are held to honour Bevers and to keep her story in the news cycle in the hopes that more useful information is given to investigators.
Vigil organiser Renae Rodden, who worked with Bevers, told KDFW at the memorial in April: “It gives you nightmares. It makes you very scared.
“Why isn’t it solved?”
In 2023, she said: “Cases sometimes just can’t be solved without the knowledge that someone has.
“And I just feel like it’s super important to do that and to always continue sharing the information on Missy’s case and other cases so they can get solved.”
ROBBERY GONE WRONG
Days after her murder, Bevers’ husband Brandon urged members of the community to pass on anything of note after watching the footage.
He said: “She was a godly woman and she was very passionate about changing people’s lives. I’m very proud of her.
“I don’t know who he is but I ask everybody out there to review the video… the person has a very distinct walk there’s a very distinct mannerism about this person that should be very apparent to somebody.
“It’s very important for us to get some closure on that.”
He called her death a “senseless act” and admitted he’d watched the CCTV footage “on a continuous loop”.
It is not known if the individual is a man or a woman – but police suspect they are around 6ft tall.
At the time, cops told Brandon that they suspected his wife had interrupted a robbery and her murder was not believed to have been targeted.
This is something he agreed with but accepted was “just an opinion and not fact”.
Brandon said: “If you look at the video, from what I understand, the perpetrator came through the back door and spent several minutes rummaging from room to room.
“He might have broken some glass looking for something [he] spent some time in the kitchen area.
“But by the time my wife arrived it’s the opinion of the police department that the perpetrator didn’t know the presence of my wife or that she was going to be there.
“I think my wife walked in on a robbery – that’s just an opinion that’s not fact.”
The location of Bevers’ fitness class had been changed at the last minute due to a thunderstorm.
Rather than continue to teach her students in the parking lot of the church, Missy informed them that the night before it would take place inside.
DARK SECRETS
But as the investigation continued, the interrupted robbery theory weakened.
It was revealed in search warrant documents that nothing had been taken from the church.
Bevers’ class details were also available to read online and it is claimed that she had received a “creepy” message on LinkedIn just days before her death.
Police documents, seen by CBS News, claimed Bevers was struggling financially and in her marriage after messages were found.
A warrant revealed that Bevers and a friend of her received a private LinkedIn message days before her death.
It “was from a male unknown to them both, and they both agreed that the message was creepy and strange”, the warrant stated.
But the friend was unable to recall the name of this individual.
The warrant also revealed that cops had spoken to a “person of interest” who had been speaking with Bevers on the professional website for three months before she died.
The messages “ultimately turned flirtatious and familiar,” the warrant said.
BLOOD-STAINED SHIRT
Another detail mentioned in a police search warrant threw another theory into the mix.
Cops found that just four days after her death, Bevers’ father-in-law had taken a bloody shirt to a dry cleaner six miles away from where she was killed.
The shirt which cops described as a white, woman’s long-sleeved shirt was “stained with blood” and a receipt described the stains as “animal blood red”.
Randy Bevers claimed the blood came from their dog who was killed in a fight with another dog at a house where he and his wife were staying after his daughter-in-law’s death.
He claimed his shirt and his wife’s were covered in blood after taking their pet to an animal hospital.
The blood was tested and later verified as coming from a dog – not a human.
The family, including Brandon, were eventually eliminated as suspects when their alibis were checked.
Carl D. Smith, Midlothian Chief of Police, told KDFW: “In the early months of the case, the investigative team received hundreds of leads about potential persons of interest.
“Our staff has followed each lead to its fullest extent, using all means and exploring multiple avenues of investigation.
“During the past eight years, our investigative staff have fielded thousands of additional tips and leads.”
He also confirmed Midlothian Police have a detective assigned to Bevers’ case.
Through the passage of time and the changes in personnel, I have continually emphasised the importance of this investigation’s closure
Carl D. Smith
He added: “We employ a part-time investigator who is a retired federal agent with expertise in internet-related investigative techniques, who focuses his efforts solely on this investigation.
“Through the passage of time and the changes in personnel, I have continually emphasised the importance of this investigation’s closure.
“Our entire investigative staff and all members of our department are all familiar with and committed to the ongoing efforts to find the individual responsible for Missy Bevers’ death.
“Due to the extremely sensitive nature of our investigative efforts, our staff will not compromise the eight-year investigation by engaging in discussion on our current efforts.”
Eight years later, investigators are still looking for clues to help solve the case which is not yet categorised as cold – meaning that it is reviewed regularly.
Police Chief Smith said the force “will not stop reviewing the data in our possession, investigating new leads or researching new technologies to identify and bring the person(s) responsible
for this terrible tragedy to justice”.
Those with information are asked to reach out via the anonymous tip line Ellis County Crime Stoppers at 972-937-7292 or by calling Midlothian’s line at 972-775-7624.