Peter Lanza, whose son Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, met with the family of one of those young victims this week.
The hour-long meeting was said to be an effort for the family to find closure in the tragedy.
“I felt strongly that I needed to tell him something, and I needed to get that out of my system,” said Alissa Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed in the shooting. “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.”
Parker spoke to CBS This Morning about the meeting, which was her idea. Alissa told CBS that she asked Peter Lanza about his son’s medical history and Adam’s relationship with both of his parents.
The remainder interview is being broadcast on Friday, promising more details about the meeting with Adam Lanza’s father.
Alissa’s husband, Robbie Parker, was the first parent of a child killed to speak after the December 14 massacre. At a news conference in December he spoke of Emilie and her memory.
“She was beautiful. She was blond. She was always smiling,” he said. “I’m so blessed to be her dad.”
Adam Lanza lived with his mother Nancy, who was killed by Adam before the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
It wasn’t disclosed whether Peter Lanza discussed his plans for the massacre. Earlier this week it was revealed that Adam Lanza planned the school shooting for years, and kept a detailed spread sheet that read like a doctoral thesis.
Adam Lanza’s planning included information from other massacres, written out in nine-point font on paper that required a special printer. The documents reportedly included more than 500 names of potential victims, a list of other school massacres, and what weapons were used.