[JLS]

He wanted to avoid getting any evidence which might be exculpatory, particularly before he got his indictments.

Exactly. I don't see how one can conclude otherwise?

BTW, let me add:

1a. Other many of the woman here quickly noted, after Mangum dropped the cell phone that night and apparently did not miss it right away, she was so tramatized by being brutally raped that she or someone thought to have the service terminated the next day.

It seems to be a very revealing cell phone?

[darbymcgill]

Mangum dropped the cell phone that night and apparently did not miss it right away,

I guess "right away" is a relative term, but the initial police report indicates she was robbed of $2000 and a $300 Sanyo cellular phone...

If she had missed it instantly "right away" she never would have left the house w/o it....