Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Horror in the home

The Petit family murder story out of Connecticut is just horrible. I know some people will say it's getting all kinds of attention because the family is rich, white and attractive, but that's not it. It reminds me of a trial I attended back in Minnesota for a high-school law class, where two drug addicts broke into a house (this time, of an African-American family) and raped the little girl. She had been watching "Wonder Woman" at the time of the break-in, I'll always remember that. It stuck in my head that if only Wonder Woman had been real, and able to come through the screen and help that little girl, she surely would have.

The idea of being a good family, asleep in your home, and having this kind of nightmare smash into your life is just chilling. In many ways, it's reminscent of "In Cold Blood."

My mom tells a story of leaving me alone once when I was in my early teens so she and my dad could go somewhere not far away. They came home and I was asleep, but two guys were roaming around our isolated rural driveway. I forget what their excuse was -- if they said they were lost or claimed they were hunting or whatever -- but it definitely put a chill into my mom's heart. And with the Petit case in the news, it gives me shivers to look back.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It truly is awful and heartbreaking what happened to that poor family. I grew up in the town right next to where it all happened...and things like that NEVER happen around there. My boyfriend and I are moving at the end of the month, and after this happened, we decided the first thing we are going when we move is changing the locks on the doors, changing the deadbolt, adding a bar lock, and beefing up the locks on the windows. My heart goes out to the father, Dr. Petit (who had an office in my old Dr.'s office). Sorry to ramble so much, but this literally strikes so very close to home for me. It could have just as easily been my parents and younger sister...

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, call me cynical, but something about this just doesn't sit right with me. They killed the wife and daughters, but not Dr. Petit? Doesn't that seem a bit strange to you? Why would he be the only one left alive? I'll grant you, I have a very suspicious nature, but I don't know, this just doesn't add up to me. I think it will be very interesting as the investigation and trial goes on to see what else comes out.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper said...

Anonymous: If there's reason to be suspicious, as with Scott Peterson, I'm as suspicious as anyone, but I think it's kind of horrific to suggest the dad was involved here. His 11-year-old daughter and wife were raped. I think he survived because they shoved him out of the way in the basement and quick set fire to the upstairs to hide their DNA from the sexual assaults. Just disgusting.