common people rely on and love such gossips!
besides, it's more likely dictators do stupid things, say WWII's germany and japan, daring to fight against almost rest of the world.
for recent examples we have bo xilai and his family. it's ahrd to imagine such a high level politician (or his wife) could be stupid enough to be personally implicated in a foreigner's death.
those people are either crazy or bold enough to ignore all common senses, advices from others, society rules and laws, that's how they are brought up, and why they be capable of doing things normal ones would never do