As I'm reviewing all of this and refreshing my memory on the whole thing; the time difference shown on the autopsy and the garrote just tell me so much.
I've read a lot on here and elsewhere that people take this time lapse to mean she was hit in the head and then the rest was staged.
I'm thinking no. I'm thinking this points so much to a sadist, relishing in the act. That is not uncommon at all. They will try to keep the victim just barely alive for a long time. A case many of you might remember, I know I'll never forget is that of Imette Carmella St. Guillen. She was murdered by a sadist.
Some thoughts on an intruder:
1). Usually sexual sadist have a very clear role- playing model in their head. They have very, very specific gestures and actions that they want played out right down to sounds and movements in order to satisfy the giant lizard in their brain. To that end, a sadist that used a garrote would not rely on looking around the home for the needed essentials. Specifically the needed supplies for something as exact as that garrote. WHY would an intruder bring in the cord and not have the stick with? What intruder would think to themselves, "Well, while I'm in the home with all the occupants sleeping there and I'm taking my own sweet time to do this, I'll look around and find a stick to do this with." Doesn't add up. This is exactly why the police often find, 'kits' put together that are in the sadist/murderer's car or at home. These types have it all planned out ahead of time.
Even if the sadist got off on tying the knots on the garrote, he or she would likely have brought the stick with.
2). The autopsy showed evidence of previous sexual assault.
I think we might have to consider the idea that this child was attractive to a large group of people and she may have been being sexually assaulted in the home independent of whoever committed this act. Meaning the two events are not linked but the evidence makes us think they are.
3). Fiber from the cord was found on her bed. That's disturbing. How did that get there? Was it after the Ramsey's found her and they went up to her room and transferred it there?
4). BR is an oddly behaving individual. I watched the videos of him from back then and he smiled inappropriately even then. However; when I stand back and look at all of this I don't see a child of this age being able to think about and use a garrote in the fashion it was used. As far as staging, a child that age would have made a lot of mistakes. How would he have gotten rid of the rest of the cord? Where did the other end of the paint brush go?
Some people have stated that he is a brilliant young man and he could have been smart enough back then to have pulled this off. I disagree, smarts and maturity often have to go together in order to commit a crime of this nature and he may be smart but he STILL lacks the maturity. I can see him in my mind just being a giggling idiot in the corner when placed under the kind of pressure the police could have placed him under at the time.
As far as the smarts go, I've known a whole lot of well to do families that had an odd ball child that they explained away as, "Smart", when in fact the kid was just an odd ball who had enough solitary time on his hands to focus on one subject and come across as smart. A blue bird egg is still a blue bird egg.
Under some pressure from the right investigator I think BR would crack like dry plaster if he truly had anything to hide. Maybe they should try it and see what happens. As I'm watching the interviews with DP, I'm wondering if that wasn't part of the intent with all this.
I just don't think Burke did that part at all. 
