He Walked Into an Amish Home and Killed a Pregnant Woman with Her Children Feet Away — But What Brought Him There?
Investigators linked Cranston to the crime through a shoe print and his belongings found at the scene, including Nike sneakers and guns
Cranston, who had previously provided rides for a nearby family, had allegedly exhibited strange behavior, including wandering the property in black clothing with a pistolA truck driver was convicted of shooting a pregnant Amish woman to death inside of her rural northwestern Pennsylvania home while her kids were in the next room over.
Shawn Christopher Cranston, 52, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Rebekah Byler, 23, and second-degree murder for killing her unborn child, the AP reported.
'It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,' Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said to the outlet. 'Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.'
On the morning of Feb. 26, 2024, Rebekah was at her home while her husband was being driven to work, the AP reported, citing authorities. When her husband, Andy Byler, returned home from work, he found her dead.
'I didn't really believe it,' Andy said at a preliminary hearing for Cranston, the outlet reported. 'I walked in and saw her cap laying inside the door.'
Rebekah and Andy's two other children, a 2-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, were at home when she was killed but the children were left unharmed, PennLive reported, citing court records. The boy later reportedly told police that a man in a green truck entered their home with sneakers and killed his mom.
Investigators later found a shoe print inside their home resembling a Nike Air Force One sneaker and later found the shoes in the family's home, the outlet reported, citing police. Police also found some of Cranston's clothing, five bank bags, a box of gloves and seven guns with ammunition.Cranston was a driver for an Amish man who lived a mile away from Rebekah's home, PennLive reported, citing court documents. Court records said the family had 'very odd experiences' with Cranston, saying that after he provided the first ride, he would randomly show up at the family's home.
Amish people rely on drivers outside of the community since they do not drive vehicles. They also do not traditionally wear sneakers, according to their community rules.
In one instance, Cranston allegedly drove a Jeep to the Byler's home, parked it in their driveway and wandered around the property wearing black clothing head to toe, PennLive reported. He allegedly had a black pistol in a holster on his belt and walked aimlessly, not making any sense when he interacted with neighbors.
Neighbors have told police that he is a member of the War Dogs motorcycle club, where he serves as sergeant at arms, the outlet reported.
Police are still not entirely sure what Cranston's motive was for killing Rebekah, local outlets reported. They're continuing to analyze his Jeep for evidence.
Cranston is scheduled to be sentenced in July.
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