Did Rand commit unnecessary murder?

[FanofKnotai]

In DR Rand is sitting by his fire after waking from the dream where he almost killed Perrin when riders approach. The riders ask to share his fire and he agrees. Right before he slices off the leaders head and kills the rest of the men. Never was there any justification for this. Or did I miss it? It appears as if he assumed they were darkfriends without even an ounce of proof. What gives?

[wotfan4472]

This is pretty much a case of darkfriends, according to Jordan.

Remember, that there was a Grey Man present, after he killed everyone.

My theory is that he reacted to that Grey Man, and its presence in the group was proof they were darkfriends.

[Sabio]

He didn't know the greyman was there until the end when he wondered where the extra guy came from and said something like bad luck dude.  Not sure at that time he even really knew what a greyman was.  RJ confirmed they were DF's even the lady but not sure he ever explained how Rand knew or how he knew the Lady was the most dangerous.  I always took it as why are these people traveling so late at night and they didn't seem surprised he was there.  I think to Rand it was clear they were searching for him.

[WheelofJuke]

All the above. 

Also,

Spoiler

In later books, Rand seems to look back at this incident with a certain guilt towards having killed a woman pre-emptively. It seems like there's no moral ambiguity in that they are pretty clearly dark friends; regardless, he seems to be morally conflicted with the actual violence towards a woman, and IIRC that it was pre-emptive.  

 

This is all much later when he's conflicted over, and keeping track of, and reciting nightly, all the people who lost their lives because of him.

 

[Chivalry]

This bothered me the first time I read the book. I had to re-read that section a few times to convince myself she wasn't just an innocent caught up in Rand's (apparent) madness.

[Agitel]

People often forget that Perrin also warned Rand that there was a party of darkfriends approaching.

[DojoToad]

And don't forget Ishy was scrambling Rand's brains at the time.  He was not in his right mind, was paranoid, scared, and just trying to figure out how his life had turned upside down.

 

He was walking the razor's edge and anything unexpected could have made him snap - darkfriends, bandits, rude caravanners, or total innocents...

[FanofKnotai]

All off these reasons are reasonable. I think the Perrin one probably is the most legitimate, even if the book never alludes to it. Although I still feel it’s very vague and ambiguous. Although I had never considered that maybe he “felt the evil” of the grey man even if he didn’t know he was there until after he murderalized (I like making up words just as much as I like making up justifications) the entire group. But even still I can let slide…?

[Kalessin]

There's also Moiraine's comment very early on in TEotW about how the One Power gives those who touch it, a heightened awareness of creatures of the Dark One such as Trollocs and Myrddraal, and also that Rand has been attacked consistently in both his dreams and in the body by Baalzamon's agents, so he probably knew there was a gray man somewhere, though in his stage of understanding, he probably wasn't aware of anything other than a vague feeling of, "There's something not quite right about these people." Similar to Perrin smelling the gray men about to attack him and their party in that inn where the disgracefully underdressed singer is singing on a table ... ?

[muddasssir]

In fact there was also another scene i don't remember whether it was part of the same sequence or a different one. Rand shouts defiance as to how the DO is sending people to kill him in different guises in the shape of her parents, friends and even Egwene. Who was his supposed flame at the time. Therefore, he was paranoid enough to go for a preemptive strike and as you all mentioned he would have sensed the wrongness of Grey Man. Not understanding what is wrong he reacted immediately with extreme prejudice and mortal force.