Is it uncommon for countries to leave their traitors alive? Saudi Arabia has had public beheadings, it's not unusual for a place like that to murder a guy who was sitting in the USA and publishing the talking points he was getting from Qatar.

The idea that he was 100% a noble crusading journalist is pure propaganda.

This whole story is artificially amplified. Has everyone woken up and suddenly learned what punishments in Saudi Arabia are like?

Take for instance Chelsea Manning - someone who made the US government look bad by leaking diplomatic cables. Torture, solitary confinement, all sorts of inhumane conditions. Is it that much of a stretch to see a monarchy like Saudi Arabia chopping up their guy for making them look bad? Not really. It's what you would expect in a place like that.

It's always been that way, and everyone has known about it. To pretend as if it's unexpected is quite insincere and reeks of some alternative agenda. The way Khashoggi is presented to the public as some kind of hero is really telling.