My opinion, and only my opinion based on what we know, is this:
DE was looking for young girls, probably not for the first time. But being away from home for the first time, he was getting more and more brave, making connections with girls/GIRL near his actual address. NL is obtainable. She's only a few miles away, and he grooms her, calling her his girlfriend, promising her roses, giving her tons of attention in exchange for (????) pics? at first?
I don't think NL was ever threatening to expose their relationship in an obvious exposure type way, like going to the authorities or police. I believe she was delusional that he was her boyfriend, and she was talking about how she was telling her friends, showing them his pic, and couldn't wait to introduce him to friends/family. She was SO public about her affections with all these other guys, I think she was just bursting to start posting public "I'm taken" info with DE's pic or name. She likely told him, "I showed your pic to friends today! They all think you're too old for me" I think before Christmas break, he started to realize he was screwed.
The planning that must have begun 1/4/16 (according to charges) could have been chat or text. They did NOT have to be on campus for this. They could have been anywhere with their families, using tablets, laptops, phones. I believe that NK was numb, she had been holding off on self-harm, trying to learn to 'love herself' (her therapists words she's parroting now in court). I think that for some reason (this I'm unclear) DE confided in NK that he was in big trouble.
I can see either DE proposing the murder and NK agreeing/encouraging, OR NK suggesting the murder and DE finally saying, yes this is the only way.
His comments upon his arrest (I believe the truth can set me free) may be his thoughts, well, it was originally NK's idea. He knew LE were going to be able to look at their chat logs with the planning. I don't think the Cook-Out meet-up happened 1/4. I believe the seed was planted through chat/text on 1/4, and the meet-up happened later.
I think the police had DE cornered, telling him they KNEW he was outside of NLs house due to texts, SM, cell phone pings etc. The 'side hug' comment was made as a defensive statement. I'm thinking of the many times as a child/teen/young adult, when involved in something bad, somebody would always say "Well I was there but I didn't do anything." "I saw the booze but I didn't drink it". I think he was STILL obsessed with his pedophilia being exposed, even when being questioned by the cops.
I think NK was there during the murder, maybe in the car. I think she kept the blanket as a trophy, and something to look at to remind her that it was all real. I think she is likely numb, with impairments at processing feelings. I personally know about self-harm, and it's numbness, the desire to feel something you can CONTROL to distract from the internal pain you cannot control. She wanted to feel something when she looked at that blanket, something she wanted to drag out and experience again and again when she looked at it.
I think once they arrested/had appropriate search warrants for DE, that's when they found the extreme contact between DE and NK, which is why she was arrested 2 days after DE. Then, she began talking and filling in some blanks, supported to evidence such as Wal-Mart transactions, cameras, witness statements etc. Her statements likely filled in a few blanks for LE, leading them to upgrade her charges after further investigation.
JMO
thanks for listening
