A few years ago an SAA 747 capt on his way home with his wife asked her to stop so he could pop into a local store for a packet of cigs. She double parked while he popped into the shop. That was the last they saw of him. He was found 12 years later living as a homeless hobo on the streets. It took some real effort and time to get him to go back home. Maybe sometimes, the world just becomes too much and for that person, they just want to get off the bus.
That's a whole hell of a lot different than what this Capt. did!
It's one thing to quietly go off alone, in the street, quite another to endanger an entire flight as alleged.