Megan Basham recently posted something that stopped me in my tracks. In her post, she pointed out two disturbing stories that perfectly capture a trend I’ve noticed for years: the Left increasingly shows compassion for those who commit horrific crimes, effectively defending criminals while ignoring or even vilifying the victims. One story involved Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles calling for compassion toward the man who brutally murdered Iryna Zarutska. The other showed ABC reporter Matt Gutman describing the murderer of Charlie Kirk in shockingly tender terms, calling his messages to a transgender partner “touching” and “riveting” while describing the killing itself as merely “jeopardizing” Kirk’s life.
This growing trend of defending criminals while erasing their victims reveals a moral collapse that is destroying justice in our culture.
This is the mindset I want to expose here. Because this is more than sloppy reporting or one mayor’s poor choice of words. It is the fruit of a worldview—one that consistently prioritizes defending criminals over standing with their victims. And it is the same worldview driving “soft on crime” policies across America today.
When Compassion Is Given to Killers, Not Victims
The murder of Iryna Zarutska should have united the city of Charlotte in grief and righteous outrage. Instead, Mayor Vi Lyles used her public platform to call for compassion—not for Zarutska’s family, but for the man who stabbed her to death.
This is where the problem begins. When leaders make compassion for the guilty their priority, it leaves victims and their loved ones abandoned. It sends a chilling message: that the suffering of the innocent matters less than the struggles of the violent.
Scripture could not be clearer on this point. God is merciful, but He is also just. In Isaiah 5:20, He warns: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” That is exactly what happens when public officials invert compassion and side with murderers over their victims.
ABC’s Romanticizing of Charlie Kirk’s Killer
As if that weren’t alarming enough, ABC News aired a segment about the man who murdered Charlie Kirk—and instead of centering on the evil of the act, reporter Matt Gutman focused on the killer’s “touching” and “loving” texts to his transgender partner.
ABC reporter Matt Gutman even called the killer’s texts to his partner “very touching.”
Gutman even said:
“We have an alleged murder… but also it was touching… he repeatedly called his roommate who is transitioning him ‘my love’ and ‘I want to protect you my love’… it’s this duality… he jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk… and then on the other hand, he was speaking so lovingly about his partner… a very interesting and riveting conference.”
There it is again—that word: “jeopardized.” Not murdered. Not assassinated. Just “jeopardized” his life. As if it were an accident, or an unfortunate mishap, rather than the cold-blooded execution of a man in front of children.
This is the pattern. The killer gets humanized. His feelings are highlighted. His crime is softened. And the victim—Charlie Kirk—is barely even mentioned.
This is not journalism. It is moral inversion. It teaches the public to sympathize with the perpetrator and forget the victim entirely.
The Left’s Pattern of Defending Criminals
Why does this keep happening? Because for much of the Left, the end justifies the means.
Many who embrace leftist ideology genuinely believe they are doing good. They see themselves as the compassionate ones, standing with the marginalized, trying to “heal” a broken world. But because they do not ground their worldview in God’s Word, they measure morality by outcomes rather than obedience to God’s standards.
They think:
— “If excusing this murderer helps us understand mental health, it’s worth it.”
— “If shielding illegal aliens from deportation gives them a better life, it’s worth it—even if it’s against the law.”
— “If softening justice creates ‘equity,’ it’s worth breaking the rules.”
This is how defending criminals becomes a virtue in their minds.
It’s the same mindset that fuels sanctuary cities—places that openly defy federal law to protect illegal aliens because they “just want a better life.” Their goal may sound noble, but it directly violates God’s command to uphold justice and obey governing authorities.
Biblically, compassion is never meant to come through lawlessness. You cannot love your neighbor while ignoring justice. Romans 3:8 even warns, “Why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.”
In other words: God does not bless rebellion, even when it’s dressed in the language of compassion.
How This Mindset Creates Soft-on-Crime Policies
This worldview doesn’t stay confined to media commentary or mayoral speeches. It shapes laws.
Because the Left sees criminals as victims of “systemic oppression,” they often treat actual victims as collateral damage. The logic goes like this: “We must show mercy to offenders—even if it means less justice for victims.”
This is why leftist prosecutors push for:
— Bail reform that releases violent offenders back into neighborhoods
— Lenient sentencing for repeat offenders in the name of “equity”
— Dropping charges for theft, trespassing, or even assault to reduce incarceration rates
And what has it produced?
— Soaring crime in major cities
— Innocent people living in fear
— Victims feeling forgotten or betrayed by a justice system that seems more concerned with the criminal’s comfort than their pain
This is what happens when you replace God’s standards of right and wrong with human feelings. When truth becomes fluid, justice collapses. This obsession with defending criminals while disregarding the innocent has become a hallmark of leftist ideology.
God’s Way Is Different
God’s Word offers a completely different framework.
Romans 13:1–4 explains that civil authorities are “God’s servant for your good… an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
In Proverbs 28:5, Scripture says, “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.”
God is full of mercy—but His mercy never erases His justice.
He commands us to protect the innocent, defend the oppressed, and punish evil.
That means showing compassion to the sinner without excusing the sin, and honoring victims rather than glorifying their killers.
True compassion never requires lying about evil.
The Church Must Reject False Compassion
As Christians, we must be clear:
— Murder is evil.
— Lawlessness is sin.
— Compassion belongs first to the innocent, not the guilty.
We cannot be swept up in the Left’s narrative games, where perpetrators become martyrs and victims are erased. When we excuse or soften evil, we participate in the lie that people can do wrong to achieve good.
God’s way is better. His way brings life, healing, and real justice.
So when the world sides with criminals, the Church must stand unwaveringly with the victims—and with the God who defines good and evil.
Arch Kennedy
Bold, Unfiltered, and Unafraid
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