Fitness Instructor's Suspected Murderer Might Be a She

Cops back off from earlier statements on church killing
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2016 2:44 AM CDT
Updated Apr 20, 2016 6:03 AM CDT

Police have released fresh information in the murder of a fitness instructor in a Texas church early Monday, leaving the case even more of a mystery. Police initially said that the person dressed in SWAT gear moving through Midlothian's Creekside Church of Christ in chilling surveillance footage was a man, but they admitted Tuesday that the suspected murderer could be a woman, NBC DFW reports. "We are backing off our statement that the suspect on video was a man. I know we said 'he' over and over again yesterday, and that was a mistake," Midlothian Assistant Chief of Police Kevin Johnson says. "There's a lot of speculation based on the gait and appearance that this person may be a woman. It's a legitimate question right now. We no longer will say the suspect is a man."

Johnson adds that doesn't mean the suspect is a woman. "It's just that at this point we can't rule it out. We don't know yet." Police have yet to release the cause of death for Terri "Missy" Bevers, a 45-year-old mother of three whose body was found amid broken glass and other signs of a struggle; she was at the church to lead a 5am "Camp Gladiator" class. Her husband, Brandon Bevers, says he doesn't believe that she was deliberately targeted by the suspect in police gear, who, in newly released footage from inside the church, can be seen opening doors before Bevers arrived, reports the Dallas Morning News. Johnson says it's possible that she interrupted a burglary, but "even amongst our investigators, there are a lot of theories." The assistant chief says he hopes somebody recognizes the suspect's distinctive gait from the security footage. (More Texas stories.)

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