No, less guilty in this context refers to her looks. Think of it this way, Helen Thomas in a wet t shirt would be considered death penalty guilty (the far end of the guilty scale). Now visualize the most gorgeous woman you can think of. That is Not Guilty part of the scale.
This woman apparently is not not guilty, but is less guilty than Helen Thomas.
Got it?
I get the guilty/not guilty thing. I just want to make it clear where I stand apart from the looks.