Madilu-
Thanks for taking the time to flesh out your thoughts more. I agree that it's easy to jump on a bandwagon of accusations toward a singled-out suspect. I've tried multiple times myself to make JM an innocent, but dunce-y, "gentle giant". It wasn't until the MH link (whatever one may believe it to be) came out that I started having a hard time denying what I believe is JM's guilt. Then, when all the rape charges, etc started coming out, and eyewitness reports of violence at Tempo, it changed my views even more.
(also I do think a serial killer can wear white and crocs btw)
So we disagree on several things, but I hear you- thanks for bringing up some interesting thought processes!
For a number of reasons, I think that JM did Hannah harm. Given the basic facts, the chances are that is what happened. But let's presume for a moment he did not.
JM picks up Hannah, gets beers with shots in them before leaving Tempo, gulps his down as does HG, and she is not feeling well as a result. So off she goes with him, with the understanding she is getting a ride home, and JM is hoping to get something for it. But she gets sick, throws up, gets out of the car and makes a run for it. Details not important. Filll them in as you please. JM's not feeling so hit either since he didn't get lucky and has had too much himself. Starts to drive home, realizes that he's drunker than he thought, has already been in enough trouble with his car and DMV and decides to pull over on the way home rather than risk getting stopped and falls asleep. Wakes up the next morning, and goes home. Missed the football meeting, Feels terrible just stays in bed.
Forgets about the situation since he has a move coming on out of the apt complex. Doesn't pay attention to the news. Then one night there are cops at the door with a search warrent for his car. Maybe they ask a few questions, maybe his roommates fill him in, but before he knows it they are all over his car and he realizes that he is a black man in the south suspected of picking up a misssing white woman, a UVA student no less, and that he did indeed pick her up, maybe she threw up his car, but certainly was likely to leave DNA and he knows that he was seen at Tempo with her. Barely remembers where he left her, and realizes he is in some deep stuff. LE takes his phone, and also has a warrent to search the apartment, seizes the car. No one to sit there and talk to him about it, just taking care of business. So he and his roommates leave the area. He goes home and tells famly what has happened.
So they take him to the police station, and tell him he has to get a lawyer, not to talk without one. He's in panic mode by now. After all he has the two college sexual assaults and maybe he is responsible for MH and the 2005 rape, maybe not, but he 's had some trouble in this area and his family is scared, angry, upset. He talks to an attorney who tells him not to say anything, that he has not been charged with anything ,if and when he is, to call him. Otherwise lay low.
JM leaves station and notices he has a tail. Freaks him out. Pressure is too much He decides to ditch the cops, lose the tail. And that's just what LE has been waiting for. Up till then, they had no grounds to arrest them and they now do. So they make a big to-do over a reckless driving charge. The Daily Mail has already identified him, so he has gone national and viral.
So maybe, he did not do Hannah harm. Yes, it's possible. And unless LE has some danged solid evidence to show that a scenario as described could not have happened. Can prove their version beyond reasonable doubt. Have some good DNA stuff, they may well have an uphill climb in getting JM convicted.
Also, they might have quite the cache of evidence that they are waiting to spring on him in court, and he may well have harmed Hannah, be a serial rapist and killer.
The one thing I do say that LE did stupidly was the way they handled the car search and seizure. I've said it many times: they should have brought along someone v-e-r-y good to sit and talk with JM, commisserate and try to get some info out of him just as someone who was last with Hannah, make it clear that he is not being charged with anything, that everyone that came in contact with her was being questioned and could he help them out. Having the goon squad serve the warrent and jump on the car with tunnel vision, ignoring the guys since there is no paper on them, so that they don't even know when and how JM and roommates left is pretty danged sloppy to me. And I don't think they would have won over anyone in JM's situation even if that person was innocent they way the proceded with that venture. Of course he clammed up, wanted an attorney, and I'm sure his friends and family supported him alll the way at that point. Now with talk of other cases being linked, Im sure people are getting uncomfortable, scared, and not so supportive, maybe not even his own grandmom. But you can see how LE did not exactly play this right, and how with no other evidence than what we have, JM could have been innocent of harming Hannah.
As to why I think that is not the case...well, I don't have the evidence to back that up. just that he is acting guilty , has a history, and the stats are stacked against him. Also LE does seem to be pretty sure they got their guy and though the DA was hesitant, Longo is no fool, has the credentials and experience and seems to think they've got their man. And we don't know what LE has in their box. I suspect they have some goods on JM.