Demolishing the House in Crandon

Today, the house where Tyler Peterson murdered six and seriously injured one is being demolished.

Last night, a vigil took place at the site.

"The house has got to go," said Bill Farr, pastor of Praise Chapel Community Church and chairman of the committee that bought the property near downtown to convert it to a memorial.

...A somber crowd of a few hundred people gathered Friday night at a vigil outside the white, two-story home due to be torn down Saturday. Many wore maroon T-shirts that said "Crandon Angels, rest in our hearts," and had the victims' names printed on the back.

...The crowd held lit candles as Farr ended the vigil, saying the house represented a "black cloud of darkness and despair," but the memorial will honor the victims and make it a place of peace, love and healing.

Jennifer Blank, mother of victim Jordanne Murray, said she would be there for the demolition, calling the house a constant reminder of something horrible.

Lee Smith, the mother of victim Aaron Smith, said she has anxiously waited for the house to be removed. The location is near the Post Office, so she couldn't always avoid it.

"I don't come by here unless I have to," she said.

"We will always remember what happened here, but once the house is gone we can move forward a little bit. We are never going to forget."

...Workers who are volunteering their time and equipment planned to rip the home down Saturday and haul it away. The remains are to be buried in an undisclosed landfill in another state to make sure no one ever obtains a piece.

...Only two victims' relatives have wanted to go inside, he said.

One family that did felt relief, Farr said. "They felt that they were finally able to say goodbye."

The plan has always been to demolish the home - initially by burning it down. It just took longer to do than originally hoped, Farr said.

"We plan to replace it with something more positive, something more beautiful, something more edifying," he said.

The idea is a six-sided gazebo, with each wall dedicated to one of the victims and a water fountain in the middle, said Sue Hill, treasurer of the Fountain of Youth Memorial Fund. The hope is to finish construction by the one-year anniversary of the shootings.

I hope the demolition of the house brings the families and friends of the victims some peace.
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Video of the vigil, from TMJ4.

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Profiles of the victims: Bradley Schultz, Lindsey Stahl, Jordanne Murray, Aaron Smith, Leanna Thomas, Katrina McCorkle, and Charlie Neitzel.

Only Charlie Neitzel survived.