Okay. . .so he waits until hour 26 to kill them.
The police and courts are limited on what they can do in these situations. That's why it's a good idea to have a gun and know how to use it, particularly if you feel someone is posing a threat.
in 24 hours, they could have had time to get defensive plans in place. like find and purchase a gun. find a different place to stay temporarily.
also 24 hours may have cooled the guy off, or may have given police enough time to find reason to hold him longer.
or, you could be absolootely right, and things would have happened exactly the way they did 1 day later, and people would be complaining about the police releasing the guy. *shrug*