You know, was Warren Mears really that bad? I mean, yes, he tried to rape Katrina, but he probably didn’t realize it was rape! I mean, how many stories do you read where someone mind-controls a woman into having sex with them, and it wasn’t treated like a big deal? My Owen Harper did it, and DID ANYONE EVER MENTION IT AGAIN? No.
And note that Warren didn’t kill anyone on purpose. Katrina was an accident. With Tara, he meant to kill Buffy. And Buffy has superpowers, and is going to die young anyway, so that’s different. The security guard in Smashed probably turned out fine.
I'm joking, I promise.