We're closing in on 100 days since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School put Newtown, Connecticut in our hearts. And since Adam Lanza was named as the person responsible for killing dozens of innocent children and adults, including his own mother, people have been filled with questions about the killer's father. Now at least one of them has been answered. Peter Lanza has reportedly come out of hiding to speak with some of the parents affected by the Sandy Hook massacre.
Alissa and Robbie Parker are the parents of little Emilie, one of the 6-year-olds murdered by Adam Lanza on December 14. And it was them who reached out to Peter Lanza. Fortunately, he answered.
After all, he owes these people an explanation, doesn't he?
I should be clear. I do not blame Peter Lanza for what his son did. There's no sign that he could have foreseen his child's murderous rampage or that he had anything to do with it.
Technically, Peter Lanza is a victim in this national tragedy. He lost his child in one of the most tragic ways possible. Because he didn't just lose his child in a physical sense; Peter Lanza also had to face that his own son was a monster.
But while America owes Peter Lanza a piece of our sympathy, it doesn't excuse him from his duty as a human being. He owes it to the parents of his son's victims to be open with them, to answer whatever questions they might have.
Not legally, but morally.
Peter Lanza holds these parents' chance at closure in his hands. As Emilie's mom told CBS News:
I felt strongly that I needed to tell him something, and I needed to get that out of my system. I felt very motivated to do it and then I felt really good about it and prayed about it. And it was something that I needed to do.
So far it seems the Parkers are the only parents to get a sit-down with Peter, and CBS has yet to divulge the rest of its interview with them about the conversation. We do know the senior Lanza answered questions about his son's medical history and familial relationships.
It's a start. But what about the other families?
Twenty-seven lives were taken by Adam Lanza three months ago. One was Lanza's ex-wife, Nancy. But 26 others had no familiar connection. And each of them deserves answers. Each one has something to gain from talking to Peter Lanza.
Even as he grieves, here's hoping he understands just how much of a difference he can make for these families.
Listen to the Parkers talk about how they're learning to cope without their daughter:
Do you think Peter Lanza owes it to the other families to speak with them as well?
Image via CBS News
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Comments 18
I think if he WANTS to talk to parents and it will help both come to terms with what happened then he should sit down with them but no I don't think he should have to answer to anyone for what his grown son did.
He doesn't owe them anything.
What's he going to say that could possibly alleviate their pain? I don't think he owes anyone anything. He lost his child that day, too. Everyone deals with their grief in their own way, looking for answers that simply don't exist.
I think we're only saying this because of the number of victims involved and the fact that they were children. It would be nice if he felt he had something helpful to say to the families and was willing to do that but I don't know that he "owes" it to them. And I think if this were a single murder or any other sort of crime this wouldn't even come up. Julio Acevedo killed that couple in Brooklyn whose baby later also died and there's been no call for his family to help explain why he was speeding that night. Insight into mental conditions that might have caused Adam to go on that rampage might help criminologists and mental health professionals but I don't see where it helps the families or where the father owes them an explanation of his sons medical history.
No
He owes these families nothing! Although he is the parent of the shooter, he is also a parent who lost his child. To infer that he owes the families answers or some kind of explanation is completely out of line.