Moxie, I think this theory is really well constructed, and I am a tough nut to get to agree.
The part that is really new here is the idea that SC reacted to Kyle's comments instead of having a plan from the beginning. SC appears to have had time on Wed. night when he was unaccounted for.........
Thank you, Puakenikeni, for taking the time to carefully read my loooong post, I appreciate it. Your comments are very helpful. I'd like to address some points, and any more comments are most welcome from you or anyone else.
I could be wrong, but for me something "clicked when I read about Kyle Knight commenting to SC about the smell at Paraquats and Steven attempting to shut it down. And then the next day, the body was gone. I feel that this attention that was being drawn to Paraquats because of the rotting stench might've been the kick in the pants he needed to modify his plan of leaving her at that remote spot, and to go and remove the body (which, unfortunately, was facilitated by dismemberment).
Drag marks: I am not aware of any drag marks at the site, but I'm also not familiar enough with that spot to know if we should even expect to see them. I do know that the bottom, smooth part of the blanket was more stained than the top/corduroy part, so I'm not sure it would have left any highly suggestive marks in the ground because it's so smooth. The blanket had tears/cuts which to me might indicate snagging from dragging something heavy across protruding roots, rocks, and branches, and a part of the blanket is deeply stained, which may be indicative of dragging a load on it.
Weapon: I think Loo said machete based on the cuts in the tree, but the tools that are capable of making clean cuts like we see on the piece of long bone would be a saw, which I've ruled out due to both the noise factor & time factor, and an axe. I suggest that he had a small serated knife on Sunday to murder with, and an axe later on to dismember with.
Regarding the cuts in the tree at the murder site, there were red hairs in those cuts. We know based on the finds around the tree that that area was the murder site of Sunday night, and that that's where she remained for days after the murder until he removed the remains. I suggest that some of her hair was wrapped around/tangled around the lower part of the tree so he took the axe he'd brought to dismember with and wacked the trunk a couple times to free her hair so he could move the remains to the streambed. The thing is, we don't find any blood, muscle, fat, viscera, etc. in this area by the tree and there's no evidence in the ground for any hack marks, which one would expect to find if she was dismembered in that area. That reason, along with the maggot-blanket being at the stream and the cadaver dog snorkeling underwater there, is why I believe she was moved to & dismembered in the stream-bed. When I said "dry streambed," I misspoke: I perceive the stream as running low that night so part of the streambed would have had just shallow puddles, lots of damp rocks, and some mud.
If SC had used that tree with the cuts to brace her against for dismemberment, they would have found blood and gore on the tree trunk IMO.
Clothing removal: We know that the clothing remained on Charli when she was attacked on Sunday night because it's full of holes. The thing that makes the most sense to me is that the clothing was removed to facilitate dismemberment at a later time, however I don't think the clothes were permeated with the rotting smell like the blanket was (or maybe just a little bit rotten smelling? anyone remember?) so they might have been removed early on. But why? Could there have been necrophilia involved, or...? You're right, Puakenikeni, that he did not take the clothes off at the streambed though because the slashed bra was found in the mud near the murder site/cut tree, so that is where he removed the clothes. In my theory, he removed them right before he put the remains on the blanket and dragged her the short distance to the streambed." He had bags, tape rolls, and an axe, and the tape rolls and blanket were found at the side of the stream.
I'm doubtful that he removed them (or cut her up into small bits) specifically for wild pigs to devour because we know that at a certain point after the murder, he covered her remains with a blanket, which is not consistent IMO with wanting pigs to devour the remains. I could use a refresher about the smell, if any, that were on the clothes.
Dismemberment: From what we know of Steven's movements with the cell phone data, there was simply no time for him to dismember a body on Sunday night. He may have decapitated Charli's head, or at least done a lot of sawing at the neck area in order to ensure blood loss/death, on Sunday night in his fast & frenzied attack on her. But he could not have done a full dismembering IMO. Also, by dismembering, I don't necessarily mean he chopped her into small pieces. I think he chopped her into manageable pieces that he could carry out in trash bags. The little piece of long bone (where exactly was this found?) would have come from a double hack while trying to remove a leg: he hacked once, and then his second hack accidentally landed a 2-3 inches above the first hack, which cut the bone in two different places. He was cutting her into large pieces, and that's why the small piece of bone was overlooked IMO.
Phone ping: I don't think he knew about Phaedra's phone ping because if he knew Charli's family would be snooping around Nua'ailua to locate the phone ping, he would've collected ALL of the items. He left so many items behind because he saw no reason anyone would be drawn to that area anymore now that the stinking body was gone. His reason for removing the body was not because he thought it was inevitable that people would come to the site. He removed it specifically to keep people from ever coming to the site, because in his mind it was only the stench that was attracting attention to that place.
Eeek, this post is so long. I just start typing and can't stop! Sorry. :-/