I was listening to an interview with Mark Furman a few days ago. Furman made a comment that crazy did not mean dumb. He thought this guy had spent up to 4 years planning this. He thought the guy had stashes of money and supplies spread in multiple locations. Also since he was a cop, he knows how they think and operate and would be using that against them. It is a race against time and resources. The longer he evades, the more it costs and the end result would be a reduction in resources and effort expended.
When he set his vehicle on fire, it was like bait. The investigators rushed there. He knew that. He also knew that they would get the VIN and identify it as his. So why burn it? I my mind, think David Cooperfield. While they where watching one move, he was doing another completely unwatched.
This will not turn out well but rest assured, there will be a movie.
I believe you got something there