I'm about 9 years late with my reply.  All good questions to ponder IF there had not been cross-contamination of DNA at the lab; and IF both Gary's and Ruela's DNA were not fresh and were degraded like the victim Jane Mixer's (RIP) own DNA was.  Mixer's DNA specimens were severely degraded which makes sense since it was from 33 years ago.  But we know both Lieterman's and Ruela's DNA was NOT degraded, but on the contrary were very fresh.  Of course they were fresh, they were cross-contaminated with fresh specimens taken recently both for unrelated crimes not having anything to do with Mixer's murder.

The fact is that we can take many male citizen of that area and time and place them in a bad light, citing porn sites or nude photos or other such things and then armed with cross-contaminated DNA paint that person out as the murderer. 

The cross-contamination of DNA has already been proven so this is not in question.  Ergo, to base their case on DNA is severely wanting and leaves all those other questions immaterial.  Like asking if he remembered a news story about a murder 30 years ago and zeroing in on a discrepancy of that memory.

In the case of 48 Hours-the Ghosts of El Segundo, man shoots cop is not really comparable to a sexual sadist rape and murder.  As we all know, the sexual sadist rapist doesn't just do one act then clean up his life and never reoffend in the same manner, as in the case of a man who is drunk and shoots a cop in his youth.  There are plenty of stories of young men committing crimes in their youth, robberies, shootings, but don't go on to reoffend.  This CANNOT be said of sexual sadist rapists, nor even rapist murderers.  They go on to reoffend.  And their brutality escalates.  It's what drives them.

There is plenty of information about sexual sadist rapists, maniacal rapist murders to fill a library and one thing they all have in common is THEY DON'T STOP, it is never a one-time act.  Sexual sadist rapists and/or maniacal rapist murderers don't just rape and butcher once then "magically" return back into society never to rape and murder again. 

"That case does not have the cross-DNA issues of this case but Mr. Leiterman was the right age and in the right location to have been the killer. That seems a bit coincidental compared to if he was living somewhere else or was too young at the time."

Ah, but THIS IS the crux of the entire travesty of justice, this case DOES have the cross-DNA issues and until that is resolved no amount of piling up what-ifs matters.  The fact that there IS cross-DNA issuses sets this case apart.  If the DNA lab is located in the county where the victim Jane Mixer case was and Lieterman lived in that county and he commited a separate and unrelated crime in that county it is not odd nor unusal that his DNA would be there at that lab in that same county.

I *think* that people overthink this case only when they discount the fact of the cross-contaminated DNA and therefore focus on what-ifs.  But the cross-DNA is the big elephant in the room.