SB and GA both had experience with the odor of death in their respective fields. Both thought the vehicle smelled like human decomposition. GA had mentioned to SB his granddaughter was missing shortly before they opened the trunk. When they opened the trunk, SB said the odor was stronger than when they opened the car door, GA said it was not stronger. They both saw the trunk had a white garbage bag in it. The white garbage bag was removed and eventually placed in a dumpster.
Earlier in the year SB had dealt with a vehicle that a person had committed suicide in, and the odor in that car was horrendous, and according to SB similar to the odor in the pontiac. SB is the manager of a towyard that has a contract with the police department. He has had many cars that contained evidence for the police.
I believe that although the odor emanating from the Pontiac was awful, once SB and GA found the white trash bag in the trunk, both men believed the white trash bag was the cause of the odor. The reason I believe this to be the case is, the actions of both men after finding the white trash bag.
SB said he would not allow someone to drive a vehicle away if it had evidence of a homicide. If SB really was certain this was the smell of death and not the smell of rotting trash, then he would not have allowed GA to drive the car away, because obviously if the smell of a decomposing body was in that trunk, that trunk would contain evidence of a homicide and he would not have allowed GA to drive away with the evidence.
This is a big blow to the foundation of the states case. The jurors have not studied this case for 3 years. They basically only know what is presented in court. In court, a very credible SB allowed GA to drive the car away. JB will remind the jurors repeatedly of this everytime the smell of death comes up in trial. SB would not have allowed GA to drive that car away if he was certain that odor was the smell of death and not the smell of trash, because that would be allowing someone to drive away in a car that would very likely have contained evidence of a homicide in it.
As always, my entire post is my opinion only.