Some crimes are so horrific that, given the facts, just about uniformly recoils from them. When a perpetrator becomes a symbol, though, the most obscene acts can be recast into a political story about grievance, loyalty, and revenge.
What I’m about to explain is why some verdicts are more about settling emotional debts than attaining a fair outcome. Once you understand this, the support for Lindsay Clancy begins to look much less mysterious: