Any ideas why families wouldn't join verdict watch?. I think if it was my family I would?
I'm guessing, but suspect it has something to do with whether you (the parents/family members) believe the accused to be innocent. Guy Paul Morin's parents were there throughout both his trials; they were later compensated by the government for having exhausted their life savings and retirement accounts to defend him. Truscott's family stood up for him throughout.
Bernardo's family, though they did and still do support him in what ways they can - visits etc. - did not attend the trial or sentencing. There was little doubt PB was guilty - he denied the actual killing of the girls (and I believe him, but that's another story) but under the law he was guilty of M1 even were that true, because it occurred in context of kidnapping and sexual assault.
I belonged to AIDWC for years and heard of more such cases but the details escape me now. I'm sure both MS and DM have family members who know that their relative/son has committed crimes even if they may not believe murder is one of them, and they can't possibly wish to confront the negative publicity that would ensue from their being present along with victim's families. Though, as has been said (sorry, I don't remember by whom) the relatives of the accused are victims too, though of a different sort. I don't personally subscribe to the idea that we can just "blame the parents" for raising "spoiled brats" that turned into murderers. Empirical evidence suggests that upbringing, while very important, is FAR less determinative than we like to think. Biology and the peer group are (together) more influential in many cases. And
we just do not know how hard those parents (or mostly moms) tried to get appropriate help for their deviant kids. In less affluent homes, the families often lack the resources or the knowledge of where to seek help - and in any event, the help may be ineffective.
Certainly DM's obvious sense of entitlement (etc) screams "spoiled brat" but it may be that many efforts were made to reel him in and all were failures. We really have no information about this.
Let's just pretend that MB actually was the ideal mom who bent heaven and earth trying to get DM on the straight and narrow and all her efforts were futile. She would KNOW that most of the world would think it's largely her fault - why would she appear in public to be reviled? Bad enough to have a child so deviant. I've known parents with some pretty damaged, even dangerous, kids - in spite of everything, they still loved that child and held out hope that something would make a difference. They hang in there.
I'm not sure I would have that kind of strength, to be honest.