So what if we look at this from a different angle while we wait for each breadcrumb to fall between now and June- for you long term super-sleuthers especially, can you think of a more recent case similar to this where
- a suspect is zeroed in on by LE (moo my own characterization),
- arrested in extremely high profile and costly way,
- scrutinized intensely by public/media/social media
but the investigation ended up going in a completely different direction and another person being arrested/convicted?
Never say never, I'm sure there are some cases out there that fit your description.
I do not think the Bryan Kohberger case will be one of them.
What happens - rarely - is a not guilty verdict - but rare. Casey Anthony, OJ Simpson.
The prosecution, in cases like these, doesn't think anyone else did the crimes. They think the guilty parties got off.
With Kohberger, they don't just have one car video, they have multiple car videos. They don't just have one time his phone pinged on the King Rd cell tower, they have multiple times.
11 of those times that his phone pinged on the King Rd cell tower it was late night/early morning hours, akin to the time of the murders.
Students claim to have seen him on the University of Idaho campus in some of the buildings, staring at them, but it is doubtful those same buildings would be open late at night and into the early morning hours.
Kohberger's attorney will be hard pressed to show what Bryan was doing 11 times in the Moscow area late at night, apparently before and after midnight.
Also, the night of the murders, not only was a car caught on video in Moscow fitting the description of Bryan's car, but this car had no front license plate. Cars in Idaho and Washington require front license plates. Bryan's car was registered in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania doesn't require front license plates.
30 States require front license plates. Add this to the pile of circumstantial evidence.
States differ in their license plate laws and regulations, some states allow a single license plate while others require two. This article explains reasonings for both.
www.autolist.com