IMO it’s not an excuse AT ALL. However, the financial stress plays into motive. There were other issues at play as well.
I do not think the jury will be swayed. It was a heinous crime. What interests me, and many others, is what would cause this man, who by many accounts was a loving husband & father, to do this? We may never know. But we are looking to analyze it—-never excuse it.
Stressors that may affect one person a certain way may not be the same for another. I tend to think in C.W.’s case, he had an underlying PD or mental health issue & specific stressors (financial, emotional, etc.) caused something to flip a switch.
Would that happen to most “normal” people? No way. But how else could someone who is able to hold a job, maintain relationships, actively participate in his community, have no history of violence (that we know of)...literally squeeze the life out of his wife and young children & then dispose of them in that way?