And another thing that irritates me to no end is the people saying 'he shouldn't have lawyered up, it indicates to me he's guilty.'
I don't mean to offend anyone, but such a statement is ignorant.
IF what JR's lawyer says is true about cooperation (and we know it might or might not be fully true), then JR and his family is handling the situation perfectly if he is truly innocent.
He should communicate everything he knows about that night and there's no reason this can't be communicated without the presence of counsel.
Have you ever had the police try to fish for a confession from your innocent a$$? It is one truly uncomfortable experience and may be counter-productive for everyone involved. Once it is suggested that you're guilty... how is that not scary? How are you going to be as clear as you'd want to be? Remember, memory is reconstructive in nature and easily influenced.
If you are innocent, having a lawyer is going to make it easier for you to communicate your story, and do so more accurately, because your anxiety level will be reduced. Hey, innocent people do get arrested sometimes. Furthermore, it keeps you from doing stupid stuff like agreeing to a polygraph. Polygraphs are always a bad idea... if you are scared you're being accused, don't expect the results to be any better than random.
Importantly, it also keeps the police from lying to you. They can and will say they have evidence directly linking you to a crime, even if they don't. Remember that polygraph? The police can unhook you and then say "you lied, would you like to confess now?" even if you didn't. This is where people are tempted to falsely confess or make up unnecessary lies about the issue in question. And that is counterproductive to the investigation.
I don't want to sound like I'm putting LE's tactics on blast - it is a hard job and most investigators really know their stuff - but this is what happens to 'innocent' people.
TL;DR:
1) If you think you may be accused (as would be reasonable of all POI here), get a lawyer if you can.
2) Having said lawyer doesn't interfere with your ability to say everything you know. There is nothing the police would necessarily gain by seriously questioning you without one.
3) Not only does it protect you, but
4) It can also aid LE by allowing you to be clear and consistent.