Thanks for reading it, at least, Boots.
I know I'm probably opening myself up to criticism/ridicule with this "theory". But some things about this case...I don't know. They have troubled me so deeply. I'm sure that's true of all of us here...it's just a very disturbing case, whatever happened.
Even in the scenario I sketched out, the "motive" could still very well be to get Nicole out of DE's "hair", so to speak. And maybe at one point he said to NK..."This is ruining my life. She won't stop spilling the beans! I feel like just meeting up with her somewhere and cutting her throat!" And maybe those two, in a crude but joking manner, went on about that kind of thinking for a while... "planning" a murder. But then, WHAT IF they sobered up and said, No, of course we can't do that. But what we could do is... confront her? Scare her? Maybe NK even said, "What she needs is someone to talk to her and make her understand that having a guy is not the be-all and end-all....like I discovered, a few years ago." (Remember that essay NK wrote.)
IDK. It's way out there, even to me. But something has kind of clicked in my mind now (for the moment, at least) that something, SOMETHING like this plays a part, some part. ..."I believe the truth will set me free."...? (Not that it would, if my theory were the truth, really.)
Why are they holding back that autopsy report? How many stab wounds? How will the cause/manner of death be assigned?
Last I remember, LE said basically that they had what they "believe" is the murder weapon. Has anything more definite than that come out, does anyone know?
Anyhow, I'll hush for the time being on this theory. As you said, we have to wait and see...on so much in this case.