The criminal shouldn't be able to sue to begin with, but yes, if your life is in danger, don't go for a single shot. If this convict had a gun, he wouldn't have hesitated.
Why can't you counter sue the perp for the mental anguish, loss of consortium (say if the wife doesn't feel safe to have sex in the house), etc that his crime caused.
I do find it funny that he is also claiming loss of future earnings. I imagine the cross examination: "and how many robberies per night did you plan to commit, and what was the average take?"