2) Is there anything he might say ... anything at all ... that would lead you to conclude that "yeah, this guy's OK"?
He doesn't owe me any kind of explanation. If he likes the way things are going now, he should remain in hiding. Maybe he doesn't need to work anymore. Maybe he has other people who can bring him provisions. Maybe he can have his food delivered to his house. If he runs out of money, maybe his family can start hunting in dumpsters behind markets. It just seems to me that he might want to try a different strategy.
I think if he comes out of hiding and tries to give an honest account of why he was doing what he was doing, people might begin to see him as more human than his current image suggests. I agree with you that it probably isn't easy to satisfactorily explain any of this, but he should have the courage to try. None of us are perfect and most everyone understands that. Almost any image will be better than the "terrified and hiding in a bunker" image that he is projecting right now.
What do you think he should do?
Hire an attorney then refer all questions from the media to Peter Johnston /Rosslyn Safaris,
Isn't easy? Try "impossible". Not because there is no reasonable explanation, but because the feeding frenzy attacking him will accept no explanation. Most members of that mob come across to me as abysmally ignorant, insufferably arrogant, and completely irrational.
His best bet would be to tell the mob to fxxx off. It's all they deserve. It won't do any good, but it's better than groveling.
You didn't answer my question. Is they anything he could say that you, personally, would find a satisfactory explanation?