Yes, God is Love. You cannot choose to live life in love with choosing God even if you haven't heard of Him. But don't take my word for it. It's all mapped out in the Bible. There are treasures to find there and an eternal hope.

The rapist and killer had a genuin change of heart. If God knows the heart and cheracter, he knows who goes to Heaven. He also helps us in living better lives so we never commit sins again. Maybe here and there we mess up, but God is merciful and forgiving. It's here on earth that we practice living heavenly priciples so we can move to heaven and call it home.