I wondered if the paintballing ride ever took place. He hesitated when asked if he had ever been in the car. IMO, he seemed to be formulating an answer. All he needed to do was say " yeah yeah, that's the ticket" a la John Lovitz on SNL.
The whole "paintball" story is problematic to me. It's so convenient. It's the only instance Chase mentions when asked about whether he's ever been in/driven the Trooper. It sort of reeks to high heaven. So, his DNA is found in the Trooper, albeit as a "minor" contributor. CM say something to the effect that, why yes, he has been in the Trooper, in fact, only a few weeks ago, to go paintballing with Joey. Now, really? In the years you've known Joey, you've only ever been in it once, and to go paintballing...a few weeks before the murder. Call me strange, but I can't really imagine a scenario where they get in Joey's truck together and do that. Meet there, yes. Drive together? Hmmmm. So, if that really were the case, wouldn't that be where the DNA would show up? On the passenger side?
Conveniently, when they drive together, they take Joey's vehicle. Conveniently, there is no corroborating evidence. It's like so much of the evidence in this case. DNA evidence of Chase having been in the vehicle of those "friends" who just happen to have been murdered, just at the time Joey is changing his accounting system (to let Chase write himself checks), whilst his phone is pinging at the site where the body is buried (a site to which he has connections) etc., etc., etc. Now, Chase says "we went paintballing, that's why my DNA is there". No one else's, except for Joey and his family, although, strangely enough, the family's DNA shows up in less volume than Chase's.
Well, it turns out that the DNA is on the DRIVER'S side. Uh oh. Now we have to talk "transfer". So, although he did go paintballing with Joey, in Joey's truck, which would involve, I would think, quite an opportunity to deposit some direct DNA in said truck, on the passenger side, there wasn't.... any. Yes, he sat in the truck, to and from a paintballing session, without contributing ANY DNA on the passenger side.
However, he apparently shook hands with Joey or something and, voila! DNA on the driver's side (or, parts of the truck more consistent with the driver than the passenger.) And how do we know that they shook hands, because Chase Merritt said so. (Yes, I know not literally, but figuratively.)
It's sort of like the Quickbooks/checks evidence. Chase is writing himself checks out of someone else's account. Not being on the account, he's not entitled to write checks. But, Joey "told me I could do it". Again, we're either asked to believe Chase, or think that everything is just a coincidence -like his DNA being the only other contributor in the Trooper, other than the family.
And so it goes. The incredible number of things that tie Chase Merritt to the murders that are coincidences or just "explained away" by the defense, without any proof is unbelievable to me. Literally.
No, I don't tend to go back and forth here in active "dissection of evidence", but I do read all the posts regarding said dissection. I just don't think much of it to be compelling up until this point. I'm always considering it, though, and open to changing my opinion about how this murder happened. Right now, I see a vast and compelling constellation of circumstantial bits of evidence that points to Chase Merritt that remains overwhelming.