Lake Rd. Residents Return To Ravaged Area
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: December 26, 2012
Residents on Lake Road are getting their first chance to return to their neighborhood, what some are calling a war zone.
Seven homes burned to the ground. One of them belonged to John Kohut. He returned to Lake Road for the first time Wednesday.
"It's mixed emotions because of the two deaths and everything. It's hard. It really hasn't sunk in yet. I'm trying to explain it to myself. How it happened or why it happened I'm not sure," Kohut said.
Like so many others, John watched minute by minute his home go up in flames early Monday morning.
"It's a tragedy," he said. "I'm just shocked by it. I watched it burn. I felt helpless. There's nothing you can do. People ask why. You can't really explain it. It hasn't sunk in yet."
So many unanswered questions that neighbors know will never be answered. What's even more shocking is that they knew suspect William Spengler. He was their neighbor bill who lived at 191 Lake Road.
"He was always friendly to me. I offered him a beer once and he turned it down," Kohut said.
"He came over here and talked to me. Probably four or five times. I had conversations with him for more than 20 minutes. He was different but he seemed to be a nice guy," resident Nick Marino said.
But on Christmas Eve police say Spengler set a deadly trap. That killed two people and destroyed seven houses.
"It's a war zone. It looks like a war zone. We have a bay window in our kitchen and it looks in that direction and its a completely different view. And to know he was after the whole road is scary," resident Jennifer Fordham said.
Seven homes burned to the ground. One of them belonged to John Kohut. He returned to Lake Road for the first time Wednesday.
"It's mixed emotions because of the two deaths and everything. It's hard. It really hasn't sunk in yet. I'm trying to explain it to myself. How it happened or why it happened I'm not sure," Kohut said.
Like so many others, John watched minute by minute his home go up in flames early Monday morning.
"It's a tragedy," he said. "I'm just shocked by it. I watched it burn. I felt helpless. There's nothing you can do. People ask why. You can't really explain it. It hasn't sunk in yet."
So many unanswered questions that neighbors know will never be answered. What's even more shocking is that they knew suspect William Spengler. He was their neighbor bill who lived at 191 Lake Road.
"He was always friendly to me. I offered him a beer once and he turned it down," Kohut said.
"He came over here and talked to me. Probably four or five times. I had conversations with him for more than 20 minutes. He was different but he seemed to be a nice guy," resident Nick Marino said.
But on Christmas Eve police say Spengler set a deadly trap. That killed two people and destroyed seven houses.
"It's a war zone. It looks like a war zone. We have a bay window in our kitchen and it looks in that direction and its a completely different view. And to know he was after the whole road is scary," resident Jennifer Fordham said.
