I've wondered if his phone might have been in airplane mode. So it could incriminate him if he took photos, or via passive GPS logging.
I also suspect the phone would have incriminated him had they run the number in the first weeks even after he binned it
To be clear, I’m only attempting to provide possibilities to OPs question(s).
I am not qualified to give a definitive response regarding what LE can or cannot track or have recalled just from a cell phone’s presence in a given area, whether powered off or on. I thought I read somewhere if it’s on, it’s traceable but I wouldn’t swear to it. The last scenario I previously gave was intended to speculate that RA may not know his phone would show up regardless of it being intact or not - his ignorance of what LE might be able to show without the phone in hand/existing since they had his number & MEID.
I agree with your last sentence 100%.
Lastly, also for the sake of clarity, I’m not debating with anything you or anyone else has posted, just discussing possibilities given lack of knowledge of certain facts/subjects/testimonies. Personally, I don’t care much about his phone, where it was, or if it’s still around somewhere in regards to his guilt or innocence. I
do care about it
only in regards to what information might be linked/gleaned from it if LE were given the opportunity to examine it.
I think some, including myself, have specific questions they wish to have answered, regardless of effect towards RAs guilt, innocence or even evidentiary value. Some just wish to see/hear the whole story. We may never get that, which is fine for me.
JMO
ETA context last paragraph