So, going forward, any speculation on trial tactics from the defense?
I think it would make sense to take each witness and piece of evidence as it comes. Chip away at it, ask questions that highlight what it doesn't tell.
Because of the gag order, we don't know much outside the PCA of what the state has, but we can guess what they probably don't.
Video of the defendant or his car (besides Libby's video) arriving at or leaving the scene.
Detailed phone data for the defendant, either placing him in the area or not.
The knife used in the crime.
Whether the attack was completely opportunistic, or whether he'd watched the girls before, either in town or at sporting events or at church. This was a very small place, 3,000 people, and the family of one of the girls used the CVS for printing for the girls' memorial. He could have had his eye on any number of potential victims just doing his job, watching customers come and go, watching kids walk down the street. Unless there is clear tangible proof of stalking behaviour, it's probably not something they could prove. I've talked on another thread (Moscow, maybe?) about a family member of mine who used to go to shopping centres just to people watch. That was that person's stalking behaviour, and it only came out after they had been charged with other offenses in their mandated therapy, and it was nothing that they could have been charged with because all they were doing was watching people in a public place. But it was part of their pathology, and was absolutely not benign.
Someone a page or two back talked about maybe RA's low level job being a sign of poor functioning, perhaps because of mental health. But I think it's important to consider that maybe it was the perfect job for someone who wanted to be centrally placed, but also wanted to know everyone's business. Every single person who handed over a prescription or a credit card to him was handing over identifying information that he could have used, if he chose for his own ends. And perhaps he never did. But I can see someone liking knowing he could, if he chose to.
MOO