I remember reading a long time ago that the devil or demons can leave a stink behind if they come to "visit". I think it was in an article to do with spiritual warfare.
My "guess" is that is what you were experiencing. I suppose that in the annals of spiritual warfare it's probably not unusual.
I've often said that the night my father died he appeared in my room. The last I saw was him giving a terrifying scream and shaking from head to foot. Then he promptly disappeared.
I don't normally mention this but a few minutes later there was a strong stink in the room.
Prior to his departing scream we had a real conversation. Most of the time he was looking at something behind and above me with a look of awe on his face (I suspect he was looking at the judgement seat), or trying to hide his face behind his hands (at those times I think he was seeing less salubrious aspects of his life in the front of the divine gaze and he couldn't stand it).
I wasn't allowed to see whatever it was. Whenever I turned arouind to see what he was looking at all I could see was the wall. I probably would have been struck dead if I had viz. "No man can look at my face and live".
For what it's worth when he started the final episode he turned to my left. Had the divine throne been directly behind me then it would also have been to the "left" of the throne.
In anthropromorphic terms, Christ spoke about the sheep going to His right, and the goats to His left. But the episode with my father was private revelation, so you can do what you like with it.
As for the stink, I think my father had just disappeared into Hell with one almightly scream, and Hell was still sort of "present" in the room. I was an atheist at the time and so had no real idea what was going on. I did my best to ignore it but I'm afraid the memory was there to stay. And I don't remember dreams - I couldn't tell you the contents of a single dream in my life, but I remember that episode from 44 years ago almost word for word.
So my guess is that the OP was getttig a taste of demonic reality. After all if the criminals did repent and turn to Christ, the devil would not like it. He was making his displeasure known with the OP's prayers.
Whenever I get a bit of demonic hassling at night, I find the "Hail Mary" seems to be helpful. Catholic exorcists say Mary seems to be very important in exorcisms. Protestant exorcists of course use prayer and scripture (as do Catholics), but the Catholics seem to think Mary is very effective.
Catholics traditionally consider the month of May as a time of particularly deep Marian devotion. Contemplation on the exalted life, mission, role and dignity of the Virgin Mary is rich and efficacious for growth in faith, hope, and love. Scripture, Tradition, and the saints attest to the role...
catholicexchange.com
The testimonies of experienced exorcist priests have proven valuable to the broader church. We believe and testify that Jesus Christ is victorious over any and all diabolical spirits. Also, it’s important to believe and testify that the Holy Trinity chose the Virgin Mary to be the most formidable vessel of victory against the diabolical. In our real, and constant battles, Mary defends us from the wiles of the devil. Affirming this, exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth quoted St. Bernard, “We venerate Mary with all the impetus of our hearts, of our affections, of our desires. That is how He wants it, He who established that we receive everything by means of Mary”. This is the experience that all exorcists learn first-hand every time. (G. Amorth, Nuovi racconti di un esorcista, Roma, 1992, pp 220-221.)
