I still can’t shake the feeling that the killer had seen Rachel somewhere else before attacking her on the trail and targeted her specifically. Followed her from another location perhaps?
I will go back and review the timeline. She was a very striking looking woman.
Or maybe it was purely a coincidence that they were both on the trail at the same time?
All IMO.
In this interview: Into the Sheriff's Spotlight
The Harford County Sheriff says that in talking to witnesses, LE has come to believe that the perpetrator may have been hanging around in and around the trail on previous days, and was seen concealing himself in the wood-line on the day of the crime. So it's definitely possible that he may have seen the victim previously, since she was known to use the trail frequently. However, I agree with the other poster who said that it's more "lying in wait" than stalking. IMO any woman who he could catch alone that day was at risk. He had probably scoped out several female users of the trails. He had likely made himself familiar with the area and knew the best place to attack.