I agree with you guys,
Batman dwight curious1982I think I mentioned in the last Q&A about an interview I did with some folks who live down the street who actually claim there was a definitive "cut through" path in/near the Stewart's backyard. Eventually, I'll find a good episode to include this interview, but personally, I found the claims fairly convincing.
To me, recently, the question hasn't been so much whether or not the berm is "passable" (I think it definitely was) but rather...
If someone did go take route, what does that suggest about the nature of the attack?For instance, if Matt's house was clearly visible from highway 21, the person who wanted him dead could have thought up this route in the heat of the moment, the night of the murder. That's why I find
robbyd question/speculation so intriguing.
However, if the house was
NOT clearly visible (or distinguishable) from the road, to me, that would suggest that if the killer took this route, it means they either
a.) meticulously planned this murder out a while ahead of time
or
b.) that they were well aware of the geography and exact entry point... someone that knew the neighborhood well (for whatever reason). Think about it, both neighboring houses had dogs, if they wandered into either backyard by mistake, they entry/exit may not have gone unnoticed.
robbyd, I can say it has truly been a while since I've really entertained the idea that Matt was the victim of a random/impersonal attack (serial killer, robbery-gone-wrong, etc). I'll admit, it still remains a possibility. Maybe my reluctance to continue considering this kind of attack is a mistake. But, I believe the nature of the attack and various other factors make it extremely unlikely the person(s) who committed this weren't entering the home that night with the sole purpose of killing Matt Stewart for a definitive reason. Likewise, overtime, I found it harder to imagine this attack having been carried out by any less than two people.
These days, I find myself wondering about the
PLANNING vs. HEAT-OF-THE-MOMENT.
On the surface level, one could say it was very well planned. For instance,
-no one heard gunshots (other than Angel),
-no one in the neighborhood (that we know of) saw anything of note,
-no sign of forced entry (according to police, media and others)
-no clear evidence to tie anyone back to the crime (according to police various statements over the years, and based on the fact no one has ever been charged, or even named a suspect)
But on the flipside, one could also argue it was
VERY POORLY PLANNED
-Quiet neighborhood, plenty of potential witnesses
-Eye witness to the murder (supposedly) escaped
-target was able to fight back extensively, despite attacker having two guns, knife and (supposedly) the element of surprise
-According to eye witness, police were called and arrived within a few minutes of when attack began
This dichotomy is something I think about a lot, This question of the berm, whether that was the route used, and the visibility of the house from the highway, all factor into the equation.