‘I can’t believe he’s such a coldhearted monster:’ Daughter of ‘gunman’ who ‘brutally killed pregnant Amish woman,’ 23, claims her dad meant to kill previous homeowner – as horrific details of the murder are reveal

The daughter of the alleged gunman accused of killing a pregnant Amish mother of two has claimed her father wanted to kill the previous homeowner.

Shawn Cranston, 52, was arrested and charged with the murder of Rebekah Byler, who was shot in the head and had her throat slit in her home on Monday.

Cranston’s daughter, who was similar in age to the young victim, told JET 24/Fox 66 that she believed the killing may have been a case of mistaken identity.

The AThe Mish couple, who lived in Byler’s home a few years ago, adopted Cranston’s grandson. The daughter said, “As far as I know, he just wanted his grandson back.”

According to the daughter, events took a deadly turn when Byler started yelling at her father. She said: ‘Supposedly she started shouting at him and came in and then boom, all it took. It’s just horrifying to think that.’

The 23-year-old was six months pregnant when she was shot in her Spartansburg home Monday morning

Cranson’s daughter added, “Like I could never imagine my father being that cold-hearted monster.” Never in a million years.”

Since the double murder, Cranston has been charged with criminal homicide, murder of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass.

He is currently being held in the Crawford County Jail without bail.

Just two days after police said they had no suspects, Pennsylvania State Police arrested Cranston and charged him with the Amish mother’s murder.

The young mother was six months pregnant when she was shot in her Spartansburg home Monday morning.

Police described the case as an “exhaustive” five-day investigation before Cranston was charged with the murder of Byler and her unborn child.

Cranston, who is married to nurse Jamie, 46, was taken into custody Saturday morning when he was arraigned at 4:24 a.m. and booked into the Crawford County Jail.

His Facebook bio reads, “I’m someone’s worst nightmare when they mess with me and mine.”

Shawn Cranston, 52, of Corry, PA, has been arrested in connection with the murder of 23-year-old Amish woman Rebekah Byler

He has been charged with murder, murder of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass. He is not eligible for bail

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 15.

Cranston’s neighbors told DailyMail.com of their shock and horror at his arrest and the violence of the crime he is accused of.

Police say Byler appeared to have “cuts to her neck and head” and have confirmed she was shot.

Paula Stine, who lives two doors down from the man now accused of double murder, said: ‘I was just shocked. It’s scary to think how close he was, someone like that and I have grandchildren.’

Yellow police tape surrounded the two-story wooden house Saturday morning. The windows were obscured by drawn curtains and objects stacked against them.

There was a tractor in the messy and muddy yard, which was strewn with debris and in which a camper was parked.

The secluded house, located on a long dirt road where cars rarely travel, was empty when DailyMail.com visited on Friday

Ms Stine told DailyMail.com that police closed off Corry’s East Main Street on Friday evening and a SWAT team entered Cranston’s dilapidated home there around 9pm.

She said she did not know how or if Cranston knew Byler, adding, “I rarely spoke to him. He really kept to himself, but it’s really chilling to think he was there.”

Bylers’ two- and three-year-old children were in the home when their mother was killed. It was up to her husband, Andy, to make the gruesome discovery of her dead body.

Police have released no information about the scene other than confirming that she was shot and that her death was a homicide.

The remote house, located on a long dirt road where cars rarely travel, was empty when DailyMail.com visited on Friday.

There was a children’s scooter at the front door, and a swing and a slide were in the rugged garden. A traditional Amish buggy was parked in front of an outbuilding.

The Amish woman’s body was found with gunshot wounds. Her two toddlers were home at the time of her death

Police have released no information about the scene other than confirming that she was shot and that her death was a homicide

One Amish woman declined to comment other than telling DailyMail.com, “We like to keep things between ourselves. We don’t talk to protect the parents and the husband’

Despite the shocking crime, neighbors remained tight-lipped, in keeping with the customs of the notoriously secretive Amish community.

One Amish woman declined to comment other than telling DailyMail.com, “We like to keep things between ourselves. We are not talking about this to protect the parents and the husband.”

Residents and relatives reported seeing a red Jeep parked in front of Byler’s home around 10 a.m. Monday morning — an unusual sight in a part of the world where motor vehicles are a rarity and on a road normally crossed only by horses and buggies .

Locals in the community have also come together to raise money for Byler’s family.

“I’m just heartbroken that this happened,” Charleen Hajec, the owner of Spartansburg Pharmacy, told ABC 6. “I’m very concerned about the Amish community and worried about them.”

Locals in the community have also come together to raise money for Byler’s family

A homicide investigation is extremely unusual in the rural area, which is 40 miles outside the city of Erie

Kelsey Bova, owner of Bova’s Hardware and administrator of a local Spartansburg Facebook group, has set up a GoFundMe for donations

A homicide investigation is extremely unusual in the rural area, which is 40 miles outside the city of Erie.

Kelsey Bova, owner of Bova’s Hardware and administrator of a local Facebook group in Spartansburg, has set up a GoFundMe for donations.

“We would like to show our support for the entire Amish community and help raise money so Andy and his children can find a safe new home,” she wrote.

Bova announced it was organizing a drive for food, toys, cleaning products and gift vouchers, inviting locals to drop off donations at the hardware store or a local pub.

Byler’s cousin Rosanna posted on Facebook asking friends to pray for her.

‘I’m in shock! I can not believe it! Where they live in PA is a rural area!” wrote the woman from Rogers, Ohio. “I grew up about twenty miles from there and went to that area all the time.”