Are spammers really criminals?

With the news of the U.S. convicted spammer who shot and killed his family and then committed suicide after escaping from prison, we begin to get the feeling that spammers are more than just nuisance mailers. They are criminals. Just looking at this guys mug shot, he looks like a drug addict.

I can’t help wondering if the people who continue to spam, even as it becomes criminalized in more and more countries, do actually have a deeper criminal mindset than we think. Are these spammers the cyber equivalent to the petty thief who slowly works his way up to armed robbery or other major crimes?