If this was a new rope, which I assume it must have been to have no other DNA on it, where the heck was the package it came in? If it sat on the garage shelf without a package, it should have been covered in dust and perhaps had some remnant of DNA from the person who took it out of the package and put it on the shelf.
Good point about the dust, IWK! If the rope wasn't new, and had been stored on the garage shelf, dust would have collected on it.
Also - since the mansion is beachfront, if the rope had been on the garage shelf for an extended period of time, it would have salt & mineral residue on it from the ocean air. If the rope was used, it would have salt & mineral residue on it from the ocean water.
About the packaging materials - if the rope was brand new, where is the plastic or paper (with the label) that wrapped it? Where is the plastic spool it would have been coiled around, or the plastic ties that would have been wrapped around it to keep it tidy during shipping?
I also think the rope had to be new because they tested it and found no DNA on it rather than RN's. If it had been used then I presume the DNA from other people would have been on it. JS didn't know if they had that kind of rope in the house, and it appears LE wasn't at all curious where it came from (simply assuming it came from the garage because there is space where it could have been).
If the rope was not new, viable DNA may or may have not been on it (depending on when it might have been last handled, prior to RZ's death). DNA is very vulnerable to environmental conditions. Did LE test every millimeter of the rope - or just random segments of it - for DNA? Unless they tested every millimeter of it, they can't state with 100% accuracy that the rope contained no one else's DNA besides RZ's.
I agree with you about LE's lack of curiosity as to where the rope came from. I was astounded during the PC when it came out that there was an empty space on a garage shelf, therefore it was concluded the rope must have been on that shelf - especially since the homeowner (JS) couldn't say one way or another if the rope had been on that shelf.
10 spots near the knots. They didn't even claim to have tested the end where Rebecca was cut down.
If the rope was not new, viable DNA may or may have not been on it (depending on when it might have been last handled, prior to RZ's death). DNA is very vulnerable to environmental conditions. Did LE test every millimeter of the rope - or just random segments of it - for DNA? Unless they tested every millimeter of it, they can't state with 100% accuracy that the rope contained no one else's DNA besides RZ's.
I agree with you about LE's lack of curiosity as to where the rope came from. I was astounded during the PC when it came out that there was an empty space on a garage shelf, therefore it was concluded the rope must have been on that shelf - especially since the homeowner (JS) couldn't say one way or another if the rope had been on that shelf.
It also looks to be new from the photos. Shiny and new. If it was actually used for the purpose of which it was designed for, I don't think it would be looking so new.
Score, I did bring up the missing rope fragments on the carpet in the guest bedroom. There should be red rope fibers wherever the rope was cut. If it was cut in the garage, I would expect to see them there. If the rope was cut in the guest bedroom, I would expect to see them there. I looked closely at all of the photos that LE released and could not find a single red rope fiber anywhere, not even on either of the knives. Odd, no?