Secrecy Shrouds Sandy Hook Shooting Investigation

[Purveyor]

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A prosecutor is planning to release a report Monday on the investigation into the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but the public will have to wait longer for the state police's full accounting of the crime.

The decision to continue withholding the bulk of the evidence is stirring new criticism of the secrecy that has surrounded the probe since a gunman killed 20 children and six educators inside the school on Dec. 14.

While the gunman took his own life and authorities are not contemplating any prosecutions, the lead investigator, State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III, has gone to court to fight the release of 911 tapes, consulted privately with victims' families on what might be included in the report and resisted calls from Connecticut's governor to divulge more information sooner.

In defense of their handling of records, investigators have cited the scale of the criminal investigation — perhaps the most extensive in Connecticut's history — and consideration for the victims' families, some of whom have lobbied for tighter restrictions on public information and complained of being harassed by conspiracy theorists.

Dan Klau, a Hartford attorney who specializes in First Amendment law, said the decision to release a summary report before the full evidence file is a reversal of standard practice and one of the most unusual elements of an investigation marked by secrecy.

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http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Secrecy-shrouds-Sandy-Hook-shooting-investigation-5007901.php

[Stargazer09]

1. I can understand the reasoning behind the secrecy

In this case, the gun nuts are getting desperate to silence the families, to keep the world from hearing the truth about how one gunman was able to horribly murder all of those teachers and children so quickly.

I respect the rights of the families to privacy. I do, however, want the details released to the public. They can redact the names and identifying details, but the information needs to be publicly released.

The only way we are going to move forward on gun control is by letting everyone understand the consequences of not controlling them.

[FarCenter]

2. Most likely it is the mental health records that are sensitive

or the contents of the 911 calls if the callers recognized Adam or referred to his mother from past interactions.

So far, investigators have released little more than search warrants, which detailed an arsenal of weapons found inside the Lanza home. The information that authorities have not revealed includes the timeline of the police response to the shooting, any mental health records for Lanza and whether investigators found any clues to a possible motive for the rampage.

http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20131124/bulk-of-evidence-will-be-withheld-when-sandy-hook-shooting-report-is-released-monday