He killed the blackmailer's girlfriend, who certainly was trashy, but probably didn't deserve to die. He killed cops who were doing their job, and didn't deserve to die. And this was just a few days of his career, which, if typical, suggest that he had killed lots of other similar people in the past. He was a dangerous psychopath, and sorry, but having a bad childhood is no excuse.
yeah! see? That's what I'm saying. He killed WAY too easily and frequently in the short period the film take place to pass him off as some nice guy gone wrong. He deserves worse than an easy death!
On November 6, 2012 god blessed Americaagain.

He killed the blackmailer's girlfriend, who certainly was trashy, but probably didn't deserve to die. He killed cops who were doing their job, and didn't deserve to die. And this was just a few days of his career, which, if typical, suggest that he had killed lots of other similar people in the past. He was a dangerous psychopath, and sorry, but having a bad childhood is no excuse.

TESAB:
You nailed it with your comeback. I support you in everything you countered to the OP's hope that Ladd would die a "worse death". Ladd's character was psychologically messed up and his last actions
did
offer him redemption for me, too.
Enrique Sanchez

The only "innocent" person he shot was the unlucky policeman who confronted him. He did spare the life of the Preston character, because he showed some conscience, after all. It was important to him to make sure Veronica Lake felt he had honored their agreement, which he didn't; but he died happy. It felt like a redemption to me; he was kind to cats (except when he felt he had to kill the cat or be betrayed, but he didn't like doing it and felt more remorse over that than killing the blackmailer and his girlfriend. At the end, he was kind to a humana huge jump for him. I loved the movie.

I was hoping Robert Preston would up and die played the cop like such a milksop except when he was verbally bullying girlfriend Ronnie and Al and Ronnie would go on the lam together.

Raven was a bad guy, but he was horribly abused as a child and maybe until Ellen came along, nobody was ever kind to him. He called her a friend-I don't think he had any idea what a friend is, but to him, a little kindness went a long way. This film always makes me wonder about consequences-how a little kindness or a little meanness might go a really long way.
http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/

I don't think his death redeemed him. His last act was honorable and he did genuinely care that they did some good but I don't think the movie played him off as a hero. He didn't die in a Christ-like pose.

Stripping under the name Malcolm Sex, I pleased the ladies by any means necessary.

That's Noir for you, making a person like this more understandable and appealing.
"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

We really do not know how many "innocent" people he killed. His mother is not innocent, the blackmailers are not really innocent, the policemen are not really innocent and people who hired him are not really innocent. It is not like he went out and shot random stranger during the daylight. He really seemed like a pretty nice guy, he even got that girl a dressed which he tore. Obviously he was also a messed up psychopath with severe mental difficulties, but he really did not strike me as a particularity evil character.