I agree with Sjoberg that I don't think the killer did anything unusually special to avoid detection. Nothing here shows that this person used special skills. In particular, the second pass with the truck seems really inept. I think they were very, very lucky.
For me, it comes down to the question: how does an ordinary person without special skills (ninja, sniper, special forces, etc.) and without accomplices commit the premeditated murder of someone who doesn't live in their household?
You can't rely on overpowering the person (knife, strangulation, bludgeoning) because that requires access, strength, and prolonged contact. Yes, I know that that many killers do in fact use these methods, but my premise here is an "ordinary" person who isn't a serial killer or a sexually motivated killer, just a regular person who has a grudge that has made them homicidal or who is acting on behalf of a third party.
You can't rely on kidnapping the victim and taking them to a second location because even with a gun you may have trouble controlling them. You might not even own a gun yourself or want to do the paperwork to acquire one, so you take grandpa's old revolver out of the box on the top shelf of the closet. Maybe you practice a little at a range or out in the woods, but you are not a marksman so you are going to have to shoot them at point-blank range. You are going to have to break into their home, find them in a public or semi-public place (MIssy Bevers), or ambush them in their driveway or at their doorstep (Sheila Keen-Warren). And you do some reconnaissance first (2 a.m. pass).
I can't decide whether Liz being outside for the garage sale was part of the plan or simply luck on the perpetrator's part. If she hadn't been outside, would the murderer simply have rung the doorbell and said "delivery for you"? Were they confident enough in their disguise that they could disregard the possibility of a doorbell cam and suspicion of a visitor/delivery so early in the morning?
This is why I think that Liz was targeted by an "ordinary" person.
The one thing that gives me pause on that theory is the new involvement of the gang unit. I know we hear a lot of urban legends about gang initiation shootings of random people, but to me this seems like an odd fit. In my locale we see drive-by shootings associated with gang territoriality or retaliation, but those are typically in areas of gang activity even if they actual victims themselves are not involved in gangs.
For me, it comes down to the question: how does an ordinary person without special skills (ninja, sniper, special forces, etc.) and without accomplices commit the premeditated murder of someone who doesn't live in their household?
You can't rely on overpowering the person (knife, strangulation, bludgeoning) because that requires access, strength, and prolonged contact. Yes, I know that that many killers do in fact use these methods, but my premise here is an "ordinary" person who isn't a serial killer or a sexually motivated killer, just a regular person who has a grudge that has made them homicidal or who is acting on behalf of a third party.
You can't rely on kidnapping the victim and taking them to a second location because even with a gun you may have trouble controlling them. You might not even own a gun yourself or want to do the paperwork to acquire one, so you take grandpa's old revolver out of the box on the top shelf of the closet. Maybe you practice a little at a range or out in the woods, but you are not a marksman so you are going to have to shoot them at point-blank range. You are going to have to break into their home, find them in a public or semi-public place (MIssy Bevers), or ambush them in their driveway or at their doorstep (Sheila Keen-Warren). And you do some reconnaissance first (2 a.m. pass).
I can't decide whether Liz being outside for the garage sale was part of the plan or simply luck on the perpetrator's part. If she hadn't been outside, would the murderer simply have rung the doorbell and said "delivery for you"? Were they confident enough in their disguise that they could disregard the possibility of a doorbell cam and suspicion of a visitor/delivery so early in the morning?
This is why I think that Liz was targeted by an "ordinary" person.
The one thing that gives me pause on that theory is the new involvement of the gang unit. I know we hear a lot of urban legends about gang initiation shootings of random people, but to me this seems like an odd fit. In my locale we see drive-by shootings associated with gang territoriality or retaliation, but those are typically in areas of gang activity even if they actual victims themselves are not involved in gangs.
