I'll tell you why she told Ryan she was going to be there in 12 hours when she knew she would be late - because she was winging that part. She's done that before in her life, I'm certain because impulsive liars do that. She figured she'd think of something and she did. She said she got lost. It's not hard to figure out.
Exactly. This notion that, since there were smarter ways to do things, she must not have done it doesn't work for me.
It doesn't matter to me that it would have been quicker/smarter to shoot him in the head while he was asleep or had his back turned.
It doesn't matter to me that it would have been smarter to make up this that or the other lie, then tell the lies that she told.
It doesn't matter to me if it would have been smarter to take the memory card and/or camera vs dumping it in the washer - because, really, we don't know if she even dumped it in there on purpose.
It doesn't matter to me that she chose to stab him first, versus shoot him first. (The order she slaughtered him doesn't matter to me either)
It doesn't matter to me that it took hours for her to kill him.
Just because she thinks she's Einstein-smart, it doesn't mean that she is Einstein-smart. In fact, we all know that she isn't anywhere near that. Einstein came up with the theory of relativity. Jodi Arias couldn't even successfully execute a pre-planned murder. There is no comparison.
What matters to me is what she did prior/during the trip. Not that she wasn't smart enough to execute it perfectly.