I would have taken the ring and the Rolex watch. If you'te looking for quick cash, what does it matter?
Well, there are a lot of scenarios here that would make it matter. Let's assume he's attacked during a robbery. A mugging type scenario. That wouldn't be uncommon in Wilmington, it happened to my husband about ten years ago. The perps were never caught, but they were two male teenagers who attacked him from behind, grabbed his bag, and ran. He was left with a sizable head wound that required stitches, and some other injuries from one of the perps kicking him while he was on the ground.
According to Klyce, his face and head were swollen and battered, but she suspected fatal blows may have been on his abdomen? I'm assuming this is from lack of an open wound on his head, but we have no way of knowing that. Obviously there are a lot of different ways to get mugged that result in different injuries.
But, let's say the watch wasn't visible. Let's say he was asked to empty his pockets and the Rolex was tucked high enough up in the hoodie sleeve that it wasn't visible. Some kind of alterction happens, Rolex is still on. Maybe he falls onto that arm and it's obscured. It's not noticed until he's being lifted into the dumpster and by that point it's too late to pause and remove it for fear of being seen.
The ring could have been difficult to remove. I wear a set of three rings - engagement, wedding, and anniversary band. I know that through the years they've alternately gotten looser and tighter depending on how well I've done to keep off those extra ten pounds that I started carrying around a few years ago when I had kids. Could this ring that was given to him 40 years prior have simply been too tight to remove? Or, again, that hand was obscured when he fell?
I was also thinking that it would be too easily traceable. Someone goes into a pawn shop, gets some cash for it, is on surveillence doing so, and then Klyce gets her husband's effects without the ring, police canvas the pawn shops (there aren't many around here and I don't think ANY in Newark that I know of...) and all of the sudden have video of the suspect.
Just some thoughts. I don't know if he was robbed or not, although he does claim a stolen briefcase, of course.