The Price Of Forgetting Horror

Wisconsin Community Pulls Together To Demolish Haunted House

(CBS)  Structurally, there was nothing wrong with the house. Theoretically, someone could have lived there.

And yet on a recent sunny Saturday morning the town of Crandon, Wisc., did what it says needed to be done.

They demolished it, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

The night before the demolition a local American Indian tribe - along with priests, pastors and townspeople by the hundreds - all gathered to bid good riddance to their collective nightmare.

"As this house is demolished tomorrow we will chase the black cloud of darkness and despair surrounding it away," a speaker at the ceremony said.

"The memories are never going to be gone but the house will be gone."

"Are you going to feel better when it's down?" Hartman said.

"You have no idea," a young man said. "As soon as it is taken down, the sun will shine."

It all began last October when police were called to the house 18-year-old Jordanne Murray was renting. Jordanne and five of her friends had gotten together that night for a pizza party.

Not on the guest list: Tyler Peterson, a local sheriff's deputy and Jordanne's abusive ex-boyfriend. He showed up shortly before 3 a.m. with a rifle and a vengeance - killing all six and himself.

In the months that followed, the people of Crandon struggled with the loss - they buried their dead. But the reminder remained. It was such a haunting reminder, pastor Bill Farr says the community really had no choice.

"This is an infection, until you get it out you can't heal," Farr said.

But again, because there was nothing really wrong with the house, the owner couldn't afford to just give it up. So folks around town started collecting donations - selling candles and bracelets - and eventually raised enough to pay the man fair market-value for the house. They spent $72,000 just to tear it down. A catharsis - that by all accounts was well worth the investment.

Today the site of the Crandon massacre is nothing but new grass. Scars are fading and efforts underway to build a memorial - maybe a fountain or a statue, or maybe just quiet, empty place for remembering … and forgetting.

[meinnv]

A fitting memorial would be to re-build a house for battered women & children. The existing structure served as a reminder of someone''s evil & psychotic behavior, so I can agree with tearing it down, though I am not in 100% agreement, as I feel it could have been remodeled.

But to not put a home on that property to benefit battered womean & children would perpetuate the tragedy even more. And, would benefit no one, meaning those deaths were in vain.

And, yes I know, there was nothing about domestic violence mentioned, but considering that it was the ex-boyfriend that caused this massacre, it would make sense to build a structure to provide a "safe haven" to those who are in that situation.

[rwsmith29456]

They own the house and can do with it as they please. And I wouldn''t want to be in their place to make that decision. I''m not superstitious but if something reminded me and bothered me as much as this house did them, I''d want to get rid of it, too. Apparently a lot of people in that town felt that way.

I read some of the terrific comments posted concerning the video (GrammaWhamma and ditto322 I remember), also some by seriously disturbed and idiotic individuals - Guess some people have to get attention any way they can.

[blackyowe]

There is a garage next door to me where a women killed herself and we can''t seem to shake it. I would be happy to see it torn down. I have no idea why it bothers me so much looking at it but it does. The lady was born in my house and died in that garage!

[homespunlady]

If tearing down that house helps them heal from this senseless loss of life then it was their best choice.

Does anybody know what became of the lone survivor?
Seems the families of these kids requested the media leave them all alone shortly after it happened and whether Charlie Nietzel recovered or not seems to have
disappeared. Hopefully he has.

[erasmus81]

"Oh brother, like tearing down the house is somehow going to erase everything..." Posted by newster1 at 12:44 AM : Jul 12, 2008

I bet tearing down that house erases NOTHING.

[erasmus81]

sid
I think you are just acting. If you were as screwed up as you claim to be i am sure you would have been locked up a long time ago. Goog acing though, you play the part so well. Posted by patriot12436 at 10:19 PM : Jul 11, 2008

He does play the part well, doesn''t he?

[erasmus81]

"If your going to report get it right!"
Posted by BROOKEALBERS at 08:13 PM : Jul 11, 2008

They ain''t ever going to get it right.

[shelzz1]

This title was very misleading. Hopefully most people will be able to figure out that there were no ghost-busting freaks here.

[crazycwp]

smurfcrusher, maybe you don''t believe in ghosts,spirits,etc, but lots of people including me do. Those of us who do have experienced the paranormal know who the fool is. And by the way there was no "ghost" in that house, just bad memories. I for one would live in a tent before I would move into a house where so many kids lost their lives. I''ll bet your an atheist to aintcha

[ybotheratall]

It''s very tasteless for the media to call this a haunted house. It makes one think there''s a "Ghost Hunters" theme to this article. The words healing and cleansing should have been used. Those who criticize what they did in the rude posts below? Very sad and disrespectful.

[cerberusii]

Everyone deals with their demons the best way they can. It is the American way to rid of things that bring unpleasant memories; very few will think otherwise. If the whole town pitched in, bought the house from the owner and canned it! well..so be it...other writters think of the homeless, I would disagree...how many of those ''homeless'' have full range of motion on upper and lower extremeties and are capable of using a hammer and/or a shovel to earn a living?, but I am moving away from the topic here. I think that the town should build a school in the same spot, to teach and guide new generations if they want to make a difference. Their engaged relationship with their offspring can and will make a difference.

[dowjones20k]

Not sure what to think .. but understand the reasoning ..

Obviously the kook who murdered all of these folks was a sicko/whacko and was just an evil, vengeful piece of garage ..

But with 300 MILLION peoples in this country alone and adding ... we should expect nothing less .. as we continue to cram the planet with people, surely this kind of mayhem will only manifest itself ...

Seems to go along with many other decisions Americans make .. if we wipe away all the memories .. then maybe the past will just go away ... except for the families of the victims ... who will ALWAYS remember ...

Tearing down the house will only remove the material place where the tragedy occured, not the horror or FACT it did occur

Good luck ...

[grammawhamma]

I live a few towns away from where this happened. The sub title of this article is misleading. No one thinks the house is "haunted". It is just a haunting (disturbing) memory for this small community that lost so many loved ones that gruesome day.

[ditto322]

I think that if people want to buy the house and then destroy it then so be it.They can do with it as they will,and if it makes them feel resolved over the events that ocurred there then ok.its peoples opinons that are allowed and free will that decides...so leave them alone..

[oneworldusa]

Most homeless people are homeless because they choose to live their lives on public assistance like welfare and WIC, etc. Others are homeless because they have more kids and dogs and cats than they can afford to have. Others are homeless because they overextended themselves to ''keep up with the Joneses.''

I have no sympathy for these people whatsoever. I do have empathy for hard-working people who bothered to have themselves educated who have fallen on hard times not because they had to have thier overpriced mansions, and therefore have chosen to live within their means, but due to corporate or government cuts have lost their jobs.

[oneworldusa]

The town bought the property, they should do with it as they wish, as long as it is within regulation in their area, which seems to be the case.

[smurfcrusher]

I think someone''s been watching Harry Potter on a bit too much ditchweed.

It''s SO much better to destroy a good home, instead of letting a homeless family live there for a time and actually get some benefit.

Unbelievable.

[smurfcrusher]

These people are haunted by stupidity.

There''s no such things as ghosts and spirits. Do they burn witches on the side, when nobody''s looking?

Bunch of fools.

[nothappyatall]

Build a permanent memorial, yeah that''ll make everyone forget like tearing the house down does.