Looking once again at the AA and this time I am focusing on initial statements, initial information from all involved. What the Ritter's said, what Barry said to the Ritter's, what Barry told LE on the phone and once at the scene on the 10th. I think this paints the best picture of the story Barry intended to use. It adapted after days/weeks/months, but that first day it's very telling.
There is no reason to lie that day if you have done zero wrong. There is no reason you don't remember if the alarm woke you up that same morning or if you were up early.. a big work trip out of town? come on you know if you woke up before the alarm (which wouldn't be out of the ordinary for many people.. you get excited about a trip or know you need up at a certain time and just the worry of if your alarm will go off, etc.). If you show up at a job site and work for 15 minutes and head to the hotel, you remember that. When your neighbor calls about your missing wife, you don't say you are at a job site with workers present if you are really in your hotel room. These initial statements are really going to be a big point I think for the prosecution. At this point, if he is innocent, he is just a husband out of town for work and he is getting a call that he has no idea he will be getting (remember he actually didn't do anything to Suzanne in this scenario). He's in his hotel room relaxing watching some TV because he showed up and really didn't have much to do at the job site after all so he decided to hang in the room and relax until his employees how up later.. okay so when the neighbor calls to say he can't find Suzanne you say okay, let me unload these tools and I'm on my way! ummm NOPE you say I'm at the job site with some workers, I'll have to swing by the hotel and drop tools off then I'll be on my way?? WHY?
Those statements aren't coerced, they aren't Barry feeling pressure to fix data to match a story the police are telling. Those statements are just his initial reports to the neighbor and to the police who have showed up to a reported missing woman, not to a murdered woman, they were not suspicious of him for anything, just getting basic info. His reaction BEFORE any suspicion was on him was to lie. His initial story was to lie about what time he woke up and how he was woke up? What reason would an innocent person have to lie about that? Him waking up at 4 on his own and deciding to load his truck before 5 does not mean he hurt his wife, it means he woke up and got a head start. Why did he feel the need to lie about that?
Think about this.. did your alarm wake you up this morning? Did you set your alarm, but woke up early to pee? Did you leave for work on time or late? Did you stop anywhere on your way to work? Did you see any Elk and follow them before heading to work? Did you load your car last night or did you have to load things this morning? We could all probably answer most of that without lying or forgetting anything. We also likely would not be more likely to remember something else 9 months from now.
So just looking at those 2 things, they are things people would have no reason to lie about. They aren't something you forget or just get nervous and say something wrong. You are on the phone with a person and you are speaking about where you are at that exact moment? It's a flat out lie to say you are somewhere other then where you are.
These 2 lies will be key. Either way, he doesn't look bad so why lie about them? The lying about them is what made him look bad.
) and now I'm answering my own question....
