A sincere apology, along with providing counselling, free housing and a stable pension to take care of their living expenses - would go a long way.

Also, hatred grows exponentially, with each day they spend in prison and is multiplied by the international audience that's watching the story unfold. If you fear their hatred, the most rational thing to do is to release them and package their misfortune in tale with a happy ending.

Not doing that will lead to even more hatred and even bigger monsters.