There are some really good points to consider here.
It was reported that LE did return FDs Suburban along with the Cherokee, but kept the Tacoma. But even without Fds Suburban a lot of this remains plausible.
Fotis Dulos appears in court; some seized items to be returned
A vehicle question that remains unanswered for me is why MT and FD rented the Yukon after the crime, and why MT was driving that instead of FDs Suburban to the car wash. What vehicle did FD give to EE that day while they took the Tacoma to the car wash? The Raptor as usual? Or the Cherokee? We know from AW2 that EE was driving the Cherokee to move the Porsche seats on the 31st, so perhaps they gave the Cherokee to EE that week and rented the Yukon for MT? And kept the Raptor off the roads given it’s trek to Albany and it’s presence in NC in the 24th?
The idea that MT dropped daughter off at school and then headed down to NC is plausible, time wise. If MT left Simsbury at 8:15 or a little earlier after drop off, she’d be in NC around 10 or so, just in time to meet FD. The idea of a “spotter” during transfer of bags and body is a good one and seems to fit Fds role for MT as assistant but not in on the details. (Spotter could also have been KM). As is MTs resemblance to JD in terms of hairstyle and physique (I know this is touchy for everyone here on appearances, but having MT go for a lap around Waveny could fit later witnesses very general recall of seeing a tall, thin woman with long brown hair jogging there that day).
The “strangulation gone wrong” hypothesis is also strong I believe. I keep thinking of the Annie Le case at Yale, where the murderer/admirer strangled her the day before her wedding. People don’t realize how bloody a strangulation can be. In the Le case, which was a strangulation, the description of that crime scene and cleanup sounded very similar to the Welles garage description. Evidence of smeared blood cleanup and blood spatter on walls in both cases. The murderer in the Le case even tried to do cleanup in front of LE while being questioned at the scene!
So it’s possible FD didn’t plan for a cleanup, and that could be why he actually had to go against his concern of getting his DNA in the house to enter and use the kitchen sink to assist with cleanup.
I do find it hard to believe that FD would go down to NC without a weapon of some sort as backup though, what if he violently assaulted and attempted to strangle JD and she somehow got away or ran out screaming? Was he really that confident that he could “lay in wait” to surprise her? Maybe, given his narcissism.
It is also a possibility that FD stashed a weapon or supplies in the woods the night of the 22nd when he was down there. Not right in front of the supervisor, of course, but later on, once it got darker, he could have snuck into the woods back through the lot on Indian Waters, and left some stuff there that he could retrieve the morning of the 24th.
MOO.
