Officials in Newtown, Conn. voted on Wednesday night to raze the home of the killer responsible for the 2012 shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The spacious yellow colonial, which according to Lorenzo Ferrigno of CNN sits on a hill on a grassy 2-acre property, was one of the two crime scenes during the December 2012 shootings. Ike Ejiochi and Pat Eton-Robb of the Associated Press reported that neighbors have been begging the city to tear down the house; one resident noted that it was "a constant reminder of the evil that resided there."
"Not only is the property a constant reminder of the evil that resided there - those of us who walk, run, drive, ride or otherwise must pass it multiple times a day, are having a hard time moving on," neighbor Dave Ackart wrote.
The Associated Press reported that the Newtown Legislative Council voted to approve a proposal by the board of selectmen to raze the 3,100-square-foot home and keep the land as open space. Pat Llodra, one of the selectpersons, told the Associated Press that she expects the Lanza house to be torn down once winter passed.
Mary Ann Jacob, chair for the Newtown Legislative Council, indicated to CNN that there was no timetable to destroy the home. However, she said that a town meeting will be held as a formality; afterwards, "the demolition can take place as soon as [it] is practical."
According to the Associated Press, Llodra hesitated to elaborate on demolition costs, but she estimated it to be around $27,000.
Legislative Council member Philip Carroll suggested that money from a Sandy Hook fundraiser could be used to pay for the demolition, given that it still had $260,000 left. The Associated Press reported that it originally raised $1.2 million.
"The money for the demolition can come from this fund," Carroll said.
The Associated Press added that Llodra has asked town attorneys to write something into the deed that would prohibit Newtown from profiting off any future development or sale of the land.
"Any proceeds, should the property ever be developed, would be for the benefit of the victims," Llodra said.
To prevent the possibility of anything from that house becoming memorabilia, the Associated Press reported that everything inside the house has been removed and incinerated, right down to rugs and lighting fixtures.
According to CNN, the site was the home of Adam Lanza, 20, and his mom, whom he shot to death in her second-floor bedroom on Dec. 14, 2012. He would later take his rampage to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 20 first-graders and six educators before taking his own life.
