Thanks for all the work. Anyone interested should go to the Facebook link for a lot of case information, including stills of the LE video from the crime scene. Though the video is vintage 1984, most of it is still pretty clear.
This link is helpful in analyzing spots. It's basic, but good.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/bloodstain-pattern-analysis3.htm
I was looking at the photos of blood spatter/drops inside the Jeep. From the photos made public, it doesn't appear there is a lot of blood inside it, but it does provide some info. The photo of the elongated blood spots on the outer side of the passenger seat have that "tail" on them, possibly indicating they came from someone who was stabbed/cut while sitting in the seat. That seems to match with a hard to find autopsy diagram of DH, who had a few stab wounds on her right chest area. Because there isn't much blood on the seat, seems she would have fallen or gotten out on her own or been pulled from the Jeep.
This is where it becomes difficult because LE and news media reported she had significant levels of Demerol in her system.
There is also some blood spatter on the floor and seat on the driver's side. Again, not much, indicating MM was attacked and quickly got out, probably beginning his fight with the attacker(s).
Blood spatter in the rear cargo area of the Jeep interior was mostly on the back of the passenger seat, but possibly some on the driver's side. Photos are not clear, it's difficult to tell if there were any drops on the luggage in the cargo area. The back of the passenger seat also has what look to be a few bloody smears, like they were transferred from someone with blood on their hands. Most of the blood droplets on the vertical surface of the back of the p seat are not elongated. Were they flung there from the direction of the back of the jeep? Did more stabbing happen while MM was standing at the rear of the Jeep? Did the attack begin there, perhaps while he was retrieving money or preparing to put drugs into one of the suitcases in the back? IIRC, a news story also said there were many blood spatters on the exterior of the jeep, but it's hard to see from the video/stills. Also not sure from reading the location of the third blood source at the crime scene. Some say inside the Jeep, other sources have said it was outside. Could have been both.
Figuring out the flow of the crime might help determine the number of attackers.
JMO, from those blood patterns, it seems the couple were sitting there in the Jeep when it began, probably waiting to meet someone - the drug connection if you follow that theory. This is just my first opinion, it could be all wrong and I might change my mind later. But it seems:
Perp arrives for meeting, MM & DH are sitting in the Jeep:
1 Perp approaches one side or the other and begins stabbing. MM responds, jumps out to defend himself, fight moves to rear of the jeep where blood is spattered and so on until death.
2 Perp approaches, MM sees him, gets out to go to the back of the Jeep to do the transaction. Attack begins there. At some point MM jumps back into the driver's side to escape, leaving blood dripping on floor and seat of the driver's side. If so, he got back out rather quickly as not much blood is there.
One attacker scenario: If DH was in a Demerol stupor or unconscious, the killer could have attacked and disabled MM first, then went back to the Jeep to attack DH.
Two attackers: Each could have approached the couple from opposite sides of the Jeep to begin the attack.
Blanket, beer and cigarettes/butts: Given the timeline in the news media (last seen at a get together around 11:45 and TOD around an hour or two after midnight) the couple was not at the site very long before the attack. Only one empty beer bottle and a couple of cigarette butts. Unknown who handled those, so it could also have been the attacker. Seems unlikely he would have waited around after the deaths, though. The blanket, which belonged to MM, was laying between the Jeep and the bodies. The couple could have been sitting there while waiting for the meeting. I'm still unsure of the position of the Jeep in relation to the trail/road leading up to the scene. Was the Jeep backed into the spot with the front facing the road or the reverse? Was it just MM sitting out there, considering DH's drugged state?
Again, the presence of Demerol is confusing. It wasn't exactly a recreational drug back in those days. I'm several years older than the victims and was beyond my party years in the early 80's, but only hard core druggies were doing that back then. If that happened at the scene, there would have been more empty bottles or cups around.
As for deaths occurring elsewhere and bodies transported to the scene - if transported in MM's Jeep, there would have been much more blood inside. JMO, it happened at the death site, which appeared to be a meeting place for a drug transaction.
All JMO. I have more questions:
Was it ever determined if MM's knife was at the scene? It was said he had one he used for outdoor activities, etc.
Were DH's shoes around anywhere? On the floorboard? In a suitcase?
Of the friends of the couple who are still following this case, were any of them at the party/get together that the couple attended before their death? Was there more than one party they attended that night? Were any of those parties at the King's Crossing apartment complex adjacent to the death scene?
Thanks! Great work by all those helping to keep this case active! Mods would probably be ok with you posting the stills from the video here and some of the great maps you came up with. They don't mind links to "In Memory of" or "Justice For" FB pages, but they are careful that unfounded rumors sometimes posted there don't make their way over to WS. You can PM them with any questions you have.
ETA: Though everyone probably already knows, the killer(s) not only would have been wounded that night (LE said possibly hand, face, arm wounds) they would have been literally covered in blood. As for any noises, screams for help, etc. from the attack, its possible that happened, but near a big field and busy apartment complex on a Friday night, if anyone heard anything they may have ignored it or written it off to someone having a party.
ETA 2: Also seems this person, if Demerol was administered before hand, knew a lot about them, their plans that night, their social life, habits, etc. Also lived nearby or knew the area of the death scene really well, unless they were given specific directions by MM. Seems odd he would have chosen that spot, if he chose it.
ETA 3: To the people who were friends with MM & DH, where and from whom did people get their drugs (cocaine, MJ, pills, etc) back then? I'm guessing there weren't a lot of hard drug dealers in the suburbs of Richmond back then. Even today you read about suburban partiers getting into trouble when going into the big city to buy drugs. Was that how it was done back then? Or were there local dealers who were supplied by big dealers from the city? Did you go to a party and know which local guy to ask for some drugs or were there people who came in from nearby urban areas to sell? Not trying to pry and don't share if you don't want to. I never knew that stuff myself back in the day and I was pretty social. Pretty clueless, too, I guess, haha.