Chapter 13

INSTANT CELEBRITY

Back in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, the reverberations from the news that Adam Leroy Lane was a suspect in the slashing death of a New Jersey woman felt like an aftershock.

Before we learned the news, I was out with Kevin when my cell phone rang. It was Chelmsford Police Chief Jim Murphy. He asked us if we had time to swing by the police station. Realizing this was rather unusual, I didn’t ask him what it was about over the phone. I knew it had to be something important. We finished up what we were doing and went directly to the station.

Entering Chief Murphy’s office, we were asked to have a seat at the large conference table, and an eerie feeling came over me. Then Deputy Chief Scott Ubele, Assistant District Attorneys Tom O’Reilly and Kerry Ahern, and Detective George Tyros and Sergeant Todd Ahern all began to file into the office. They nodded or whispered greetings to us but didn’t say much else. The mood was certainly mysterious, even ominous. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Chief Murphy to speak first.

He did, and this was when Kevin and I learned for the first time that the trucker who’d invaded our home had killed a woman the day before he’d attacked our daughter. The news was startling and horrifying. Even though none of us had believed that this had been the first time Lane had attacked someone, the realization that he had taken a life was chilling. We weren’t told any details of the murder, aside from the similarities to his attack on Shea. However, any second-guessing about what Lane’s true intentions had been when he’d entered the room where our daughter was sleeping could now be put to rest; it was not robbery, not rape, not kidnapping. It was clear that he’d been planning to repeat the heinous act from the previous night and slaughter our daughter in cold blood while we slept in the next bedroom. I understood then that it would probably have happened just that way if the air conditioner in our bedroom had been functioning. Over the rattle and hum of the unit’s highest setting, there was no way we would have been awakened by Shea’s desperate struggle or her terrified whimpers. That was as horrifying a realization as I could imagine.

Just then, Kevin and I were asked if it was alright if the two lead detectives from New Jersey could come in and meet us, lifting me from my reverie. Kevin and I had no objections, and the men were led into the office, and the door was closed behind them. They introduced themselves as Detective-Sergeant Geoffrey Noble, from the New Jersey State Police, and Detective Lieutenant Jeff Farneski, from the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office, and stated that they were working on the murder of Monica Massaro. They told us that they had been in Massachusetts for the past week working with Detective Tyros to build a case against Adam Lane. They also told us about their interview with Lane, and his admission of guilt.

As I looked around at the faces in the room staring back at me and Kevin, the gravity of the moment really hit home for me. I was instantly besieged with conflicting emotions. On one hand, it was a relief to know that it seemed the trucker’s confession to the killing would almost certainly ensure that he’d be behind bars for a long time, hopefully for the rest of his life. The home-alarm monitoring system that we had installed soon after the attack could not provide the same peace of mind as would the iron bars and razor wire of the state prison. At the same time, this security came with the steepest of price tags: the life of a vibrant and beautiful young woman. I felt guilty that my relief came at the expense of someone else.

 

 

We became instant celebrities of sorts. The national media beat a path to our door, somehow getting our home phone number and calling us at all hours of the day and night. Representatives from such programs as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Maury Show, The Montel Williams Show, 20/20 and Dateline NBC contacted us requesting interviews and appearances.

However, talking about our experience on these syndicated shows would put the pending criminal cases against Adam Leroy Lane in jeopardy, and out of respect for Monica Massaro’s family (and those of Lane’s unknown other victims), we declined these offers without regret.

All the publicity was personally disruptive, to say the least. For me, Kevin, Shea and Ryan, it made it a challenge to concentrate on our day-to-day responsibilities and obligations. We were all as equally amazed by everything that had happened as anyone else, and felt fortunate and blessed that things had turned out the way they did, but we did not for one second believe that any of us were heroes. Not even my husband, though he’d certainly proved himself to be more than capable of holding his own against a more formidable opponent. I know that the experience had left Kevin with an even deeper appreciation for the police; now he had a newfound respect for what they did on a daily basis. We all did.

Some of the praise, I’ll admit, made us feel good. We received many letters and some cards from Monica Massaro’s family and loved ones, which helped make our own trying times more bearable. Also, there through all this were Detective Tyros, Chief Murphy, and Assistant District Attorneys Kerry Ahern and Tom O’Reilly, who stayed in constant communication with us during the weeks leading up to Lane’s motion hearing. It went both ways, and if they needed us for anything, we made ourselves available.

Additionally, we were assigned a victim advocate, Dora Quiroz, who was always accessible to provide us with immediate information and the answers to all of our questions when everyone else was busy. Victim advocates are specialized counselors who act as a liaison between the state attorney’s office and the victims of crime and their families. Dora Quiroz provided our family with much-needed support, which extended onto a personal level, and she greatly aided our ability to cope with the enormity of the strange and unfamiliar situation we found ourselves in.

During this time, our main concern continued to be for our daughter, Shea. She might have appeared fine to outsiders, but we could see that she had been deeply affected by her experience. There would be a natural tendency to rely on alcohol, or other drugs, if she became distressed and felt she needed to escape. Our fear was that it could possibly be a release for her repressed feelings of anxiety stemming from her close encounter with death. Assistant District Attorney Kerry Ahern recommended a psychologist who was affiliated with both the court and the school system. Ahern felt it was important that Shea have a safe outlet and an impartial sounding board who was not her family or friends to express her thoughts and emotions. Kevin and I agreed with this assessment, even though Shea was strongly against it. She didn’t feel she had a problem, or would ever develop one, but it was not worth the risk to us. The trauma she suffered could have lasting repercussions, but addressing it quickly and thoroughly was crucial in preventing serious setbacks later on in her life.

There were bumps in the road along the way for Shea, but they were met with unwavering support and guidance from all around the community. We deeply appreciated all of it, particularly the concern expressed by school officials, including Shea’s high school principal, Allen Thomas, who personally expressed to us his sincere concern and commitment to Shea’s well-being and assured us that her academic needs would be met, no matter what.