Apparently the prosecutor felt that both defendants were bad men that needed to be removed from the street by what ever means he could come up with, and he may be right. At any rate, what the jurors perceived as truth became reality. Unless one of the cases is overturned in appeals, both of those men will really pay for the same crime. Perception is reality, reality is perception has long been an advertising maxim. If an advertiser can get the public to believe a product is the most popular of its kind everyone will start purchasing it and it will become the most popular.
Perception is reality and reality is perception.
What this comes down to is that if someone can get enough people to believe something is true those people act as if the belief is true, whether it is or not. This is closely related to another evolution of the truth I have observed. As with many mutations of thought this one starts out with a little bit of reality. Everyone in this country is equal. Everyone in this country is free to think whatever they want to think.