IMO LE did arrest DS - maybe not on a 'whim', but without much conclusive evidence. By most accounts residents in the area knew DS was around squatting in a nearby barn, and had been regularly, but no one reported being physically threatened by him as far as we know.
IMO he is just odd and suffering from some sort of mental illness. It sounds like some residents were uncomfortable and 'put off' by him, but I don't think anyone reported any violence or physical confrontations.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2205656-eccentric-doesn-t-equal-murderer/
I live near Hamilton's downtown core, and have grown up in this area. I have become accustomed to living in a city full of interesting characters and mentally ill people. I know that a lot of people that are not used to being around people like that are uncomfortable and afraid, and tend to assume that these people are dangerous. Some of them can be, most of them are not. All JMO.
BBM
IMO this statement speaks volumes. To me this says there is ample evidence from the scene, but it does not match/incriminate DS. IMO DS was arrested based on circumstantial evidence in the first place (just my opinion based on the way things unfolded and the info that has been made available by LE and in MSM - ie prior arrest, he owned/had a large knife, he is odd and shouts and appears scary/threatening, he is homeless, etc), and so, when the forensic evidence came back, if the issue was that there just wasn't ENOUGH evidence, or the evidence just wasn't definitively matched to DS, why RELEASE him? If they arrested and charged him without ample evidence, and felt they had enough to warrant charging him in the first place, then why drop the charges when the results come back and there simply STILL isn't ample evidence? IMO the evidence LE has doesn't match DS. IMO it must in fact
exclude DS (even though it was said that he hasn't necessarily been ruled out as a suspect, I believe that was a "save face" statement).
BBM
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2205722-anxiety-returns-as-murderer-still-on-the-loose/
BBM
This IMO is why DS was arrested and charged. People wanted answers and action, DS just happened to be the 'oddball' in the neighbourhood, and he looked good as a suspect. Personally I don't think DS committed this crime.
All just my opinion only.