There are a few facts you need to know in order for the rest to make sense.
Joe was in Love with Misty Pearson and could not see that she was not to be trusted. He believed that she loved him too. His intentions were to save her from her step-father and take her out of her world and bring her into ours. He felt he had a lot to offer her. Mostyly his love.
Misty loved the attention she got from having two boys fighting over her; also she was rebelling aginest the adults in her life by seeing someone they told her she could not see.
Misty traded an abortion for braces. When her grandfather offered her braces for her teeth if she would get an abortion, she took his offer. She told Joe that she had a miscarrage and then she broke up with him. That was the second stipulation. She had to stay away form Joe.
On the night of the murder Joe was driving his mom's car, not his pickup truck. Joe carried a small portion of a hoe handle, that had gotten broken; in his truck. He had backed over it with his truck and broke it and then he took the short end and wrapped it with grey tape. He used it to thump his tires on his pickup like a truck driver would. This was the club that they had intended to have at the crime scene, but they had to improvise because he drove his mom's car.
Joe was unarmed when he entered Kim Pearson's appartment on the night he was murdered. He had no weapon of any kind. This was never made clear to the jury. The club seen in the crime scene photo's belonged to Dustin Denton, the shooter. He admitted that it was his and that it had been in his truck. He said it was in the back, which was covered in snow. If anything had been removed you would have been able to see it clearly. Joe had big hands if he had taken anything out of the snow you would have seen evidence of it being removed. The snow in the back of Denton's truck was not disturbed.
Joe was hit two times with the club in the crime scene photo's. On his arm and on his leg. This is mentioned in the Medical Examiner's report. This was never made clear to the jury.
In the 911 call, Dustin was worried about where Joe was untill he got a drink of water. Then he was worried that the police was going to shoot him. His focus changed after the 30 seconds away from the phone. The Dozier's believe that Dustin Denton ran out to his truck and grabbed the club and placed it on the floor; before going back to to the phone. They believe that on the way back inside Joe must have grabbed for him so he hit him with the club.
The club had no blood or fingerprints. Why? If Joe had been holding the club when he walked into the appartment his prints would have been on it. Also, if the club had been in Joe's hands when he was shoot his blood would have been on it. According to the experts his blood would have splattered onto the club leaving trace, if not more.
