Good analysis & summary
1) Lots of people have speculated about the cars, but a recent news article stated LE is returning all of them to the family. They wouldn't do that if there was something illegal going on.
2) That's an interesting angle. If true, it doesn't seem he had been involved for long. Not much evidence of increased wealth, everyone was still working jobs, long hours, low wages.
3) Have always thought the Minford murders might be connected. The fact that the mom had recently been busted, then murdered, IMO, could mean she was talking to LE in order to get more favorable treatment.
4) Very possible. CR1 didn't strike me as the kind of guy who put his own family at risk.
5) Agree, whomever it was who played the Trojan role may have been convinced it would be less violent, not deadly, possibly fewer people targeted.
7) & 8) Yes, a different kind of crime, IMO possibly involving public officials or other powerful people, being run by someone outside the US. Reader, AG, DEA, et al knew there was pot growing and drug dealing in the area. This was something different.
Thanks for the reply. It allows open communication which in solving something is greatly needed.
1) LE is returning all cars to the family. It will be interesting to see how many actual cars are returned.Further, if the cars were involved in some type of illegal scheme, the unseen manipulator would write it off as a loss. If the unseen person(s) could plan and execute a murder strategy, the loss of revenue from the cars can be eaten.
BTW, what better way to deal with excess illicit assets? LM said CR1 took the cars to a variety of shops. In this age of computerization, the backyard mechanic is pretty much done for. Further, when I find a reliable mechanic I stick with that one. CR1 ranged regionally and used many. Nice way to launder assets. A car needs $200 in repair, the "mechanic" charges $2000. $1500 from another party is laundered. DR is reported to have gotten $200 for each car sold. LM stated that cars were bought cheaply ( $500-$1000? ) then sold for as high as $8k. Given the basic buy cheap sell high strategy, they should have been a lot better off. It smells to my nose that CR1 possibly DR were mules. With pills, heroin and prostitution rife, there's a lot of illegal funds that need a rinse or two. Why else fly under ODMV radar and not get a dealer's license which is required for any auto sales other than "incidental" ones?
2) From other forums, I understand it was in the works. While folks still worked at low wage positions, the auditor's site for Pike county shows several land holdings for CR1. Many are listed as CR1 et al. Whether the "et al" is referencing lien holders or others listed on the title deed is not clear.
3) I concur. Further, Reader stated the perps were "local". I'm a native of Ohio and "local" may refer to a city, town or regionally. Therefore, "local" may be taken as from Portsmouth to Chillicothe and from Jackson to Hillsboro.
4) The earlier divorce in ( '07? ) was not on infidelity, cruelty etc. It was irreconcilable differences. I surmise he was starting shady activities at that point in his early 30s. Most mammalian mothers are protective of their young and our species is no different. He had 9 years of a certain course and decided it was best to change. He aged and saw things differently and DR may have made that a condition for reconciliation.
5) Agree. This only makes sense. It is a small community. I was reared in a small Ohio community and didn't know everyone but news travels easily. Families air dirty laundry and social media has enhanced this. All that is required is a grudge or resentment hidden thinly under a smiling facade.The "Trojan" is contacted casually by the planner or an associate and then work the land, till the soil and plant the seed until the "Trojan" is ready. The "Trojan" thinks it's a matter of going in and unleashing some "whoop a**" on a few ( pardon the term ). When things turn deadly, the "trojan" is caught by their own grudges and desire for payback even if all they do is sketch out room arrangements and hold back pets. That's why the time of KR's death is vital. Earlier, it is a part of the plan. Later, it is the "Trojan" who has thrown caution to the wind being complicit in previous deaths. I can see that mentality arising too easily.
7 & 8) Pretty much. It would be inter and intra-state spanning parts of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Not surprisingly, this is the region where the cars for resale are drawn from.
All the discussion of who fathered a baby and the custody etc. etc. are all subplots. In their zeal to ID whomever, I think many are missing the bigger picture and focusing on the minute. Then again, this may be what LE wants so they don't have a cluttered field.
Of course, all this is my opinion and conjecture,