When I asked someone recently, why they thought no one was coming forward they gave two reasons…one was people are afraid that by sharing what they know they might get into trouble. The other reason was fear of being exposed through the media.
I can see that these could be factors. I would also guess that only the person(s) who committed the actual crime know what happened, even if some people are suspicious that things don't really add up.
I wonder this about the friends and roommates of the POI though -- Do they think things don't add up? Only HT, as far as I know, has ever spoken up on their behalf. Do their friends and acquaintances support them? Do they have doubts? Do they have girlfriends or even girl friends who are cool with hanging out at their apartments or going home with them alone?
...I know my first instinct would be to believe my friends, if they said they had nothing to hide. It would make sense to me if they said their dads thought they should get a good lawyer, or that they were following their lawyers advice. At this point though, I think I would have some nagging questions. Like: Don't you wonder why, if your friends have nothing to hide, they wouldn't simply take a real polygraph? Why have they been so reluctant to cooperate fully with LE and the Spierers? Why, when two POI have the same lawyer, would one take an LE polygraph, but the other, one of the last to see Lauren, would not?
Maybe I would think they don't know anything that is relevant but might be worried about getting in trouble for other stuff that could make them look bad or have legal consequences. But almost 1.5 years later, Lauren's still missing and it's clear that refusing to fully cooperate with LE has consequences too. Several of the POI remain under suspicion and comparing the one person who has been forthcoming and taken an LE-administered polygraph (DR) to the others, I would say the consequences of being honest - even if it doesn't paint you in the best light - seem better than being known as a POI in a missing person case.
The other obvious consequence is that their lack of full cooperation has no doubt, hindered the investigation. Maybe in the first week, if I believed a random kidnapper was about to be caught, I might have thought the actions or knowledge of the POI about that night may not be relevant. But again, more than a year later, there are no signs of a random kidnapper. All signs of trouble begin and end with CR, MB and JR. Even if they are innocent of harming Lauren (especially if they are innocent!), full cooperation could have answered some important questions and allowed resources and brain power to diverted elsewhere, especially in the crucial early stages of the investigation and search.
So legally and/or personally, what risk would these guys have that outweighs that? Would, for example, covering up sharing a few lines of coke (hypothetically) make their actions make sense? Covering for someone else? Or would it only make sense if they had something bigger to hide?
Obviously, they have the right to hire a lawyer (or a high profile team of lawyers) and to refuse to take a polygraph, and these things do not imply guilt. They don't necessarily make sense either though...
...These are just the thoughts that would keep me up at night, if these guys were my 'friends'.
