Why do you think this is key? By the way, I believe witnesses said somebody matching his description walked out through the front door alone around 4:30AM. Also, I've read other people mention reports about the front desk camera capturing him on video leaving the dorm by himself around 4:30AM, but I have not seen the news reports myself.
Thank you for that info, especially the temperature. Maybe "key" wasn't the right word, but the shoes kept bugging me.
To me, if he were barefoot, or even wearing slippers, he clearly didn't plan to go far. Maybe I'm thinking like a woman and not a man, but I know I would put on slippers for a quick trip outside, like to grab the mail or take out the trash or something. Even in the winter, I might only wear flip flops, if I'm just going out for a few seconds.
If I were going farther, like walking down the street, I would put on real shoes. I don't really think Michael left for a hook-up; surely he would have put on actual shoes. I guess he could have been lured away or forced away, but I think the odds of someone being on the prowl for an anonymous victim at a college dorm at 4:00am just seem really really slim. Is the UCLA campus off by itself, where most of the traffic would be from people actually coming and going to the university? Or is it the middle of town, where people drive through it on their way to other places? Is it easily accessible to the general public?
My gut says some kind of accident. That does beg the question of where the body is, though. I wish we could see exactly what the construction zone outside the dorm looked like. Maybe he fell down a hole or something.