Could I have a mulligan?

So a man kills his wife with a hammer after sex, which is the tag that raises the thing out of ordinary murder and puts it into the media. Here's what the judge reportedly said:

"Her desire to cuddle after sex does not justify the extremely violent, brutal response of the defendant."

Maybe these judges don't make enough money.

Who's at fault here? It's a remarkably stupid thing to write, but doubtless in context of trials, which are boring and slow as molasses, it didn't stand out. And you can easily imagine that if the judge sees this, he or she would say, "Well, come on now." Still, it's a remarkably stupid thing to write.

What about AP? It's catchy, of course, but is that enough? Is this really what the judge meant? Does this capture the "truth" of the murder? Does it really reflect that the judge is incompetent? If it means anything, it means that the man's mental state is in question. We don't need a judge to tell us that cuddling, while repulsive, does not justify extremely violent, brutal responses. Extremely violent or brutal, maybe, but not both together.