Booth's Escape Route

[Natty]

I have to agree with Betty.
During war, soldiers are prepared to kill and act on orders that instruct them to do so. It is possible that a person could eventually become hardened by repetition of such acts, but from all accounts, Lewis Powell was a newbie when it came to the business. He even admitted to his spiritual adviser that he had not knowingly killed anyone before. He was extremely contrite and depressed after the attack and seemed to show signs of regret even during the act itself, when he began referring to himself as "mad". This "cold blooded killer" did not even know how to load his gun with the proper bullets.

He was just a kid, 20 years old, following orders and making a serious mistake. There is nothing about his past or anything after the attack which suggests this kind of behavior came naturally to him, or that he would have repeated these actions in the future, either of which would be on the short list of prerequisites necessary to fit the profile of a "cold blooded killer".