"Police described the scene around the bodies as brutal, and say three of the four victims suffered blunt force or sharp object wounds, meaning they'd been beaten before the fire began."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-dc-arson-murder-affluent-neighborhood-still-mystery/
Not much new in this article. But beating three of these people to death seems very personal, especially coupled with the amount of time spent with them.
I don't know much about drugs, but even if the Perp were high on something, wouldn't it have worn off in all the hours that passed?
I'm still leaning to more than one intruders, simply for "management" purposes...a guy with a knife still needs to eat, go to the bathroom, etc. in all that time. But I suppose if he subdued them one by one, he may have had them tied up. But would the firemen UNTIE victims they were rescuing from a fire? Seems like they might still be bound as they were brought out.
My best guess (and I hate it) is that the Housekeeper and child were killed first, then the husband, as he arrived home. And the traumatized Mother was easy to control.
But why stay so long?
The housekeepers have been with the family so long, that I'd like to believe them above suspicion. But that doesn't mean it couldn't be someone they KNOW, as they were friends and probably had friends in common. It could even be as simple as someone stopping by to see the first housekeeper, taking something...the first housekeeper objects and is killed. Then the family starts arriving. The calls, texts, to the second housekeeper are the perp's genuine concern for her. The whole thing, a petty crime, may have escalated and the perp does not want to hurt another person he knows.
It is so frightening to imagine any scenario, and nothing seems to quite fit. The family seems happy, well-adjusted, an adoring daughter attests to the loving qualities of her Mother. The housekeepers are long term employees, seem to care about the family and each other. The neighborhood seems as if it should be one of the safest in America. And it was DAYTIME..When monsters do not come out of the dark.
This is such a puzzle and such a tragedy.
