Odd thing to be doing at 10pm at night, burning pampas grass. Burning pampas grass - was this a regular activity of the Mitchell household or just a massive coincidence that on the night Mitchell’s girlfriend got butchered, they decided to burn some pampass grass (which is something I have never done in my life so must I would think rate as a fairly niche activity)?
As has been mentioned, CM denied having a fire on the evening of the murder (30.06.03), but LM said she did have a fire (along with his brother SM). Bit of a red flag that their version of events regarding the fire differ, imo. Witness and neighbour Mr Frankland said in a statement to police on Thursday 3rd July 2003 that he could smell the smoke from fire (in the Mitchells' back garden) coming through his windows when he was putting his kids to bed at just after 2100 hrs and that he liked the smell. Interestingly, he indicated during his testimony that he first became aware of the smell at 2200 hrs or just before it, but conceded that he could have become aware of it before then. Also interestingly, he said during his testimony that he couldn't hear anything coming from the Mitchells' back garden when the fire was lit at 2100-2200 hrs, yet said clearly in that statement to police on July 3rd 2003 that he could hear 'voices' in their back garden at those times (though couldn't tell who the people were). My instinct tells me it was all 3 of the Mitchells -- destroying what would have been extremely incriminating evidence (i.e., blood-stained clothing and boots), and hence, imo, the 'funny smell' that witness and neighbour George Ramage mentioned during his testimony (the transcript of which has still to be uploaded).
Witness and neighbour Patricia Frankland (Mr Frankland's wife) said she became aware of the burning smell between 1830 and 1930 hrs (times when LM was not seen at all), indicating that her young children were still out playing. Interestingly, she indicated that there was a 'change' in the smell from the fire later on in the evening (though the later time isn't mentioned in the transcript as the transcriber at the time couldn't make out what she was saying, hence it's put down as 'incomprehensible' in parenthesis).
And, of course, like I mentioned in my previous post, witness and neighbour George Ramage jokingly remarked to his wife at approx 2200 hrs that "if it was a barbecue, he wouldn't be eating from it!" And, like I also said previously, isn't it odd that a neighbour never mentioned a funny smell coming from the Mitchells' log burner before (and all neighbours said it was quite common for CM to be using the log burner in summer, and had seen her doing so on a few previous occasions), yet when LM's girlfriend is murdered that very evening, he says he could smell a funny and unusual smell from their burner!!?
So, there were strange goings on in the Mitchell back garden that night. Another coincidence? I don't think so!
