Hello all,
Just jumping in! This sure is a big list of small details. I am trying catch up, so please forgive me if I am repeating previous posters. I have followed many cases (such as the horrid horrid CA and JA cases) and I always feel like my first "gut take" on the case is often consistent with my later, "supported by the facts," opinion. I am still at the "gut-take" level in this case, so I could be wrong.
I feel like there are too many coincidentally premeditated-looking details for this to be an accident. I could accept a few, but not this many.
One little detail that gives me a major twinge is: JRH asking LH when she is going to pick up Cooper, thus establishing a record of "See? I was asking about him with a sweet tone, would a premeditated murderer do that?" I have 3 kids and when there is a change in pickup plans, my husband and I communicate along the lines of, "I can't do pickup today due to a meeting, can you do it?" It would be weird to ask my husband WHEN he is going to do it, if that plan was already made previously in the morning. I hate to sound so cold about my own sweet kids, but I don't really care when my husband is doing the pickup, if we've already established that he'll do it. We both know there is a charge for late pickup, so he'd never wait to do it after 6pm. This just feels too conveniently timed as a way to set up a "thinking about my little buddy and not killing him" vibe. I think it was done for the purposes of manipulating both LH and law enforcement. I think LE should try to identify if there is a previous pattern of JRH asking this question or using this language. It just has an off quality to it. I am also very bothered by him not seeing Cooper in the car upon leaving to go to work, dropping off the lightbulbs, or upon getting in the car to leave. Too many trips to the car without seeing or smelling, in my opinion! Poor little boy!