The Family urged its members to disregard media reports about Rodriguez and Smith, and a spokesperson for the group said reports neglected to show Smith as a victim. Former members' reactions to the death ranged from calling it "a monumental event" in the group's history to a devastating situation that was "the only way anybody's listening" to stories of abuse within The Family. Experts on cults noted Rodriguez's anger towards The Family was understandable but that the murder was unjustified. Cult specialist Rick Alan Ross regarded Rodriguez's case as an example of someone who suffered in "one of the most horrifically abusive and destructive cults in American history".