Paul. The repercussions are more severe for a person that hires a contract killer than for the person that actually carries out the murder.JB would never admit to hiring a hitman!
According to Julie Mugford, that's exactly what Jeremy did - or said he did.
That part of her story is more bizarre than any of it.
Not if it is true - in part.
A theory -
In my mind, and as previously posted, I can believe in the third party, but only with JB's knowledge.
Having explained to the hitman how to get in the house undetected, JB leaves the loaded gun out for him in the hope that 10 bullets (possibly 11) can kill them all or the hitman also brings his own .22 gun.
Because we do not know the actual start positions of two of the people killed (SC and Ralph) it is difficult to determine what actually happened in each of the rooms, but a wounded Ralph is eventually lead to the kitchen to be killed near the phone. Realising this Ralph puts up a final fight, but sadly to no avail.
The hitman eventually kills all, and makes it look like SC committed suicide to deceive the police, basically what JB was eventually convicted off.
JB is waiting at Goldhanger to receive a call from the hitman to say the deed was done. the hitman leaves the phone of the hook. JB then calls the police later about a "made up" call from his father etc..
This would go someway to explaining the lack of marks on both JB and SC, why JB could appear calm whilst with the police, the battering of Ralph, the clinical murder of the twins, and the final overkill in the dispatching of the adults.
JB can convincingly claim he was not at whf during the murders.
JB then tests JM by telling her what happened and the name of the hitman (to make her feel more complicit); however JB did not disclose the correct name of the hitman.
JB had friends (I don't know how psychotic) that he could have paid with drugs cash and that person has subsequently "disappeared".
JB could not / cannot disclose a third party as it would do his original / current predicament no good, intstead he is relying on the possible position that he was not actually at whf during the murders.
(IMO)