I suspect that they'd do the omerta thing and just bury the story

I don't think an in-court mob lynching is their objective, just that they'd defend it. Burying the facts of the story and supporting the narrative echos of it is the far more common action taken: hands up, don't shoot.

Michael Reinoehl

Well, nobody but the feds even knew where the guy was. He was clearly fucking crazy and went on the lamb. They not only couldn't make him a hero, they didn't even have communication to idolize him. They tried a half-assed martyr narrative, but the abandoned it since it just wasn't worth the effort.