I did not hear of this case when it happened and read through the whole thread today. I'm very intrigued to see if it will ever be truly solved but I have my doubts since it seems there is a dark undercurrent here that is preventing justice in many ways.
Reading the excerpts of the autopsy report posted upthread, there are two things that stuck out to me. The first was the strength and brutality that it would have taken to not just asphyxiate her but also to cause the other injuries to her neck, head and chest. To me it seems obvious that the person who inflicted those injuries used a great deal of force, probably over and above what was necessary to kill her, and I would have questioned whether a 14 year old would be capable of it. Sure, there are some hulking, big 14 year olds out there but other posters who saw contemporaneous photos described the previous suspect as slight and almost childlike in appearance.
The other thing that immediately stuck out was the medical examiner's conclusion that the genital injuries likely occurred a few hours prior to the violence that caused her death. If this conclusion is indeed accurate, this also makes it seem less likely that a 14 year old neighbor, who had been previously banned from the residence, could somehow either be in the house long enough or return to the house to cause both attacks - without being noticed by any other occupants.
I'm also curious about the DNA that was first used to support a charge, and then exonerate the first suspect. So many questions and more than one life ruined.
I
Reading the excerpts of the autopsy report posted upthread, there are two things that stuck out to me. The first was the strength and brutality that it would have taken to not just asphyxiate her but also to cause the other injuries to her neck, head and chest. To me it seems obvious that the person who inflicted those injuries used a great deal of force, probably over and above what was necessary to kill her, and I would have questioned whether a 14 year old would be capable of it. Sure, there are some hulking, big 14 year olds out there but other posters who saw contemporaneous photos described the previous suspect as slight and almost childlike in appearance.
The other thing that immediately stuck out was the medical examiner's conclusion that the genital injuries likely occurred a few hours prior to the violence that caused her death. If this conclusion is indeed accurate, this also makes it seem less likely that a 14 year old neighbor, who had been previously banned from the residence, could somehow either be in the house long enough or return to the house to cause both attacks - without being noticed by any other occupants.
I'm also curious about the DNA that was first used to support a charge, and then exonerate the first suspect. So many questions and more than one life ruined.
I
