[Wild Irish Rogue]

" This is the most disturbing part. He was unarmed and she was in another car miles from her house. Yet she picked him up and took him back to where the weapons were at. Very strange ...."

Whatever this gal had to do or say to stay alive was heroic -up until she helped Nichols move the dead INS agent's SUV.
The dynamics of this story changed when she did that.
And I like you, find that part of the story troubling.

From her interview in the AJC :

"Around 6:15 a.m., Nichols says that before sunrise he needs to move the truck he is accused of stealing from Wilhelm."

"She agrees to follow him in her car. He leaves the guns under her bed."

"As they drive, Smith thinks about calling 911 on her cellphone, but she decides against it.
She fears police will come and surround them.
There'd be a shootout."

Helping him move the agent's car did not help anyone find Nichols. It thwarted the police investigation.
She is in her car, with a cell phone, Nichols is on foot,apparently-yet, she feared that " they " would be involved in a shoot out.
Nichols stashed the guns under her bed,why would there be a shoot out ?
Certainly she would have told the 911 operators that he was unarmed.A stand off maybe, if the cops could have found his car and corraled him.
Once she sped off and called 911- if there had been a shoot out- it would seem that the only one in danger-would have been Nichols.
She brought him back to her house-where he was again in possession of his guns.
He could have snapped and killed her or left her alive and left the aptmnt, to kill more innocent people.

[over3Owithabrain]

It's not really more risky to have the cops after him in his car with no guns, than in a crowded apartment complex with all his guns, is it?

She made several moves that were either miraculous or something entirely different. Most here say miraculous. I'm open to that possibility, but not sure yet. Time will tell.

[HairOfTheDog]

Once she sped off and called 911- if there had been a shoot out- it would seem that the only one in danger-would have been Nichols.

If she sped off, he would speed off as well, leading to at the very least a chase that would have put a lot of people at risk. Escape, he's done before. It would not have been as clean as it eventually turned out. Had her gamble failed, there'd be a little more rationale to criticize, but as it is, she won the gamble. It could not have turned out better.

[cyncooper]

Whatever this gal had to do or say to stay alive was heroic -up until she helped Nichols move the dead INS agent's SUV. The dynamics of this story changed when she did that.

That is correct, but not in the way you think. It is when he began to decide to let her go.

[AUsome Joy]

The police here in Atlanta said that she did everything right. Whether you agree or not, because of her actions no one else died.