Metro

Adam Lanza’s father helping provide answers for parents of Newtown victim

The father of the man who killed 20 kids at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. is now helping to provide answers for parents of one of the victims.

Alissa and Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was among those killed in Adam Lanza’s shooting spree, met with Lanza’s father, Peter, for more than an hour on January 23, the couple revealed on “CBS This Morning.”

The meeting was “very” emotional, Robbie Parker told CBS. Peter Lanza and the Parkers offered their condolences to each other and he was receptive to what Robbie had to say, Robbie told CBS.

The Parkers saw Lanza’s father as one of the few remaining sources of answers to questions people had about his son’s actions.

“I wanted to tell him that there was a lot of hope and opportunity to gain from this that he held the keys to,” Alissa Parker told CBS.

“There was information and things to be learned from what happened and without his cooperation, that would go nowhere,” she added.

Peter Lanza had the most information about Adam Lanza’s medical history and things he had gone through, the Parkers believed.

While they won’t reveal exactly what Peter Lanza told them about his son’s motive and mental health, the Parkers told CBS they left with an understanding that there might soon be more answers to questions people have about the tragedy.

When asked why they weren’t angry with Peter Lanza, Robbie Parker said they quickly realized they had to come to terms with what happened to their daughter and being angry was a waste of time and energy that they could devote to being parents to their two remaining girls, Madeleine and Samantha.

The Parkers said their faith and the Newtown community helped them come to peace with what happened, CBS reported.

The Parkers also said they didn’t hold Peter Lanza solely responsible for what happened on December 14 in Newtown, noting that it wasn’t his decision to do what his son did, but they did acknowledge that Peter has “made mistakes.”

Alissa Parker said that it wasn’t her burden to carry to judge Adam Lanza or his mother Nancy. “I do hold him accountable, but I feel like God will determine that,” she said. “He’s in a place where the judgment will happen, and I don’t have to judge him, and I’m at peace with that.”

And she acknowledged that Nancy has “a lot of accountability” for her son’s actions.

Robbie Parker said the shooting has made people more aware of what they can do to prevent something like this from happening again.