bbm
I respectfully disagree about the idea that MS would not likely have committed murder had he not been influenced by DM. I think they were both psychologically spoiled goods, and they each had the capacity within themselves to kill people. They found in one another someone of the same demented type who had fantasies of being involved with crime and to hell with the cost to any victims. If MS didn't find a willing partner in crime with DM, he would have found one in another, IMO, and vice versa. MS was the one to my recollection that already had connections to guns through his friendship with MWJ and IMO, that association would have escalated to include who knows what for MS. For MS, and for DM, it was all just a matter of time and opportunity before their secret proclivities found the right outlet for the expression of their inner demons.
It's too easy to see MS as a victim - I fell for that trap myself - but I think prosecutors in both murder trials did a fine job of convincing the juries that both DM and MS were equally brutal and ultimately guilty. After all, both DM and MS got sound convictions for Murder 1 and that was the first step to justice for Tim Bosma and Laura Babcock, IMO. Let's hope Justice Code takes the next steps required.
All MOO.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not seeing Smich as a victim. However, what I see is a kid that was selling dime bags and spraying graffiti before he hooked up with Millard. He wasn't a choir boy, and undoubtedly would have gotten in more trouble at some point, however the likelihood that he would have become a murderer if he hadn't met Millard is pretty slim.
Just like the case of Bernardo and Homolka, one can argue that both of them played an equal role in the actual murders. If Bernardo hadn't met Homolka, it is quite likely that he would eventually kill somebody due to the type of crime he was involved in and the escalation of the violence associated with those crimes. On the other hand, if Homolka had never met Bernardo, chances are very good that she would have led a completely normal life.