I just had this thought: regardless of the timing, the neighbors DID hear two loud sounds, the same night and near the time of a nearby crime. Notice, neither of them was alarmed for their OWN safety! I wonder if they had any sense of the direction from which those sounds originated.... they must have come from enough of a distance that they didn't feel compelled to investigate, for their own protection. Don't know we can conclude anything helpful from that, but it lends to my theory that James too may have been unworried when he went to his front door to investigate. And what brought him TO the door? The same sounds the neighbors heard? Or a knock at the door? Or the splintering of his front door?
If I may, I just want to thank all of you. I'm not even family, but my heart hurts for this family. I wish our sleuthing could somehow solve it, resolve it and, in truth, reverse it. It's just good to know that there are others out there who care ...
Thank you, Mods, for providing us this forum and keeping us on track!