FL - The second life of Larry Swartz: Friends remember murderer

[cusilton]

Dear Stromber,
??? I'm confused. Larry Swartz is the topic.
Christy

 

[Stromber]

Sounds like a helluva guy. Glad that he touched your lives in a positive way.

 

[Otise]

As an adoptive parent, you go into adoption loving your children and feeling that you are going to give them the best life possible, but also determined to do whatever is necessary to help these kids grow up to be properly educated and self sufficient. With a fetal alcohol child, those ideals quickly blow up in your face. They have behavioral problems that seem minor through grade school, many are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. They're disorganized, have difficulty with dates and time, and sometimes get suspended from the bus for fighting or being disruptive. Then, their grades begin to slide in Jr. high and keep going downhill in High School. They typically just stop doing their schoolwork and fail most if not all their classes, at that point, they are only interested in socializing in HS, not academics. Many drop out of high school. If they are not "allowed" to drop out, they will run away from home.

They are defiant to an extreme where if they are told they cannot go somewhere or do something they want, they will sneak out. I know "normal" kids may sometimes do this, but the difference is, a fetal alcohol teen can get caught after sneaking out and not be the least bit remorseful for what they did, but angry at the parent for giving them consequences. If grounded for their behavior, they will sneak out while they are grounded. They live like they have nothing to lose and are angry at anyone who tries to stop them. Most "normal" teens have some direction and a means to get to a future they have chosen for themselves, while fetal alcohol teens don't plan, can't seem to get organized, and appear to have no motivation, they just let things happen. They are usually compulsive liars, they will fantasize, and relay it to you as though it was the God's honest truth, frighteningly they tend to believe their own lies.

They are prone to fits of rage and can be a physical threat to those closest to them. Fetal Alcohol victims find it difficult if not impossible to control their impulses, for that reason, they can get into trouble for improper sexual conduct, theft, compulsive lying (for no reason), and as you can imagine, other problems that would crop up without any impulse control. Many Fetal Alcohol Effected babies end up in the prison system in their adult lives.

I adopted both of my daughters. My oldest daughter has ADHD & the youngest has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I still remember the birth mother proudly telling us how she loved to party & drank excessively while she was pregnant with my youngest. I wish mothers-to be who drink alcohol & use drugs could realize how much damage they are doing to their unborn child.


Rest in Peace Larry Swartz.

 

[cusilton]

Just wondering who is chicolink, and how do you have a copyright for this article?

 

[Stromber]

Just wondering who is chicolink, and how do you have a copyright for this article?

Chicolink is registered in Reston, VA. Pretty close to Maryland where someone we both know lived. Just a thought.

 

[Joe Glenn]

I remember this case well. Although I never completely understood Larry's motive,
I always suspected there was more to the story then met the eye. I always felt that Larry was driven to this by something his parents did. I never felt it was an impulsive move on the spur of the moment. Something had to be building up inside of him for years, After reading the book "SUDDEN FURY" I have a better understanding of what Larry went through. When a child is belittled, criticized, ridiculed, bounced from one foster home to another and made to feel like an unwanted reject all his life, it eventually takes it's toll as it did with Larry. Larry's older brother Michael is currently serving a life sentence for the stabbing murder of William Bell. The motive was robbery. I believe this happened around 1990-1991. Although I never met Larry, I did meet Michael and get to know him. I was employed at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center at the time.
I also got to know Ronald Scoates who was an accomplice in this murder. Of the Swartz's 3 adopted children, Annie is the youngest. To the best of my knowledge, Annie is the only one who has not had a run in with the law. I have often wondered how her life turned out. Although Bob and Kay Swartz were highly respected and well thought of in their community, they didn't have a clue about raising children. If they loved their adopted children, they certainly didn't know how to express their love and affection. There needs to be a balance between love and dicipline and it seems that all they knew was discipline. I recently learned of Larry's death and I was saddened to find this out.
I was glad to hear that Larry had made a new life for himself and found happiness. His life's story is such a sad one. I recommend the book: "SUDDEN FURY" By Leslie Walker to anyone who wants to know more about Larry and his life.
There are so many "What ifs" What if the ax wasn't in the house? Would Larry still have killed his mother? The ax presented opportunity, and Larry reacted on impulse.
Larry's 18th birthday was quicky approaching and he feared he would be put out as Michael was. The tension and uncertainy of wondering if he would have a roof over his head had to be playing heavy on his mind. Enlisting in the military was an option that Larry should have considered. May Larry, Bob and Kay all rest in peace.
Such a sad ending...

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

Anyone have any links, that I can read about this case, and his childhood?

 

[Recovering-Lurker]

Anyone have any links, that I can read about this case, and his childhood?

I found this site which has some archived articles:

http://www.geocities.com/murder_stories3/a_family_torn_apart.html

 

[robert180197]

Yesterday morning I went to a friends House to help him put windows in and there was a news story and it was a bad crime and me and him started talking about the death penalty he said that he was thought that for murder it was O.K. and I am against it except for multiple Rape or child molestation I had told him that I knew someone who had killed his parents and that he had only got 12 years and we went an I looked up the name Larry Swartz on line and found out he had died.


Flashback 1984 I was 20 years old and sitting in the Baltimore county detention center for the tenth time in two years I was arrested for attempted daytime house break in and I had been there before for shoplifting twice and criminal trespassing twice the other six times where for violation of probation. I had run away from home at age 17 weighing 87 pound at six foot one inch tall and I knew how to survive but I did not know how to live life. From the time I had run away till then I had basically lived in the wood and behind the old luskins building on rt. forty across from the old golden ring mall I would steal change from the water fountain in golden ring mall to eat and that was the criminal trespassing charge. Several months prior to my 18Th birthday while I was living in and abandon bus in Essex I was also raped. I had run from a life of physical and verbal abuse from the hand of my father then step father and mother.

The one who was the worst was my mothers physical abuse Thinking back it always reminds me of the song "life is a lemon" from "meatloaf" My mothers eyes would go blank as she hit me again and again - with her stating I was no good and I was just like my father. I could never remember anything before my sixth birthday because that was right after my brother died (unknown causes) and at seven years old I knew that it was easier to get hit then to watch my 5 older brothers and sisters be hit so even at seven years old I was a hard child to handle and my mother had me when she was 24 years old yes she had her first child at 16 and she kicked out one a year for six years and she always blamed me because she could have no more.


I had a presentence investigation done and it stated that I needed help but would not get it on my own and that they believed that I should go to patuxent institution. I was sentenced to seven years with the courts recommendation for patuxent( I later found out that it was an illegal sentence because the charge only carried 3 years but seven years was the minimum sentence for patuxent).

I was fast tracked through M.R.D.C.C and a week later I was sitting in Patuxent Institution with Larry as my first cell mate and for approximately four months he was my cellie while we worked through our problems but you can imagine my shock when that first night he had told me he was in for killing his mother and father.

Watching the movie or reading the book will in no way tell you what Larry went through in that Hell house but as I got to know Larry and the more that I found out the more I excepted him and what he had done Yes it was wrong but he had his reasons and I believe that yes it was pent up anger but so much more that was happening that he finally did what he did and I believe that at the time the anger was not about what was happening to him. I will not say anything more about this except that I heard what the police reports said and I heard what Larry said happened that night and the book and movie is about 65% fiction. I believe Larry was a torchered soul and I hope God forgives him for what he did and he will be in heaven when and if I get there. Except the lawyer and maybe his wife ( I believe he may have told her everything ) people have no ideal of who Larry was at 18 years old and what was happening in that house.

Larry I will always remember you as a good person rest in peace.

Robertmiller429@hotmail.com

 

[robert180197]

Please read this link for the history of patuxent Institution


[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patuxent_Institution[/ame]

 

[believe09]

I am bumping this thread because I just read an amazing blog/story about this case and listened to an incredible episode of This American Life...

The Story

This was written by the daughter of the people who adopted Larry after he left prison.

The Episode of This American Life

Check out Act 2. Not only does this cover the story I referenced above, but it includes an interview with Amity's dad. Listen all the way to the end. It is amazing.

 

[FinallyFree]

I lived in the same area around the same time, & I know exactly the sort of apathy abused children like him faced. I don't know if he ever asked police for help-if so he would would have dealt with the same cops I did & gotten the same result. For those who haven't experienced it, being abused as a child is an insurmountable horror. Children in the best homes think 18 is so far away they can't imagine being that old & "free"-imagine how far away it seems to those suffering. I tried police, then running away (didn't make it out of the state the first few times), then a couple failed suicide attempts, before finally succeeding in escaping at age 15 (as a runaway.) I'm a pacifist (I was a complete vegetarian at the time & even now refuse to eat factory farmed foods) so while I never seriously planned to kill my father, when things got really bad & there was no way out (like after I threw up the chemicals I drank or ripped off the plastic bag I duct taped around my head), I did fantasize about it. Not because I hated him that much & wanted to release any anger (though as an adult I did celebrate when I found out he finally died) but because at those moments it seemed like the only way the torture would end. I'm sure many abused children-particularly those that have tried to kill themselves to escape-have entertained thoughts of taking a different life and ending their torment. My heart bleeds for this poor man and what he went through. I look forward to meeting him in heaven (though now that I'm free I hope that day doesn't come anytime soon.) RIP Larry Swartz.

 

[Kcou111]

It's not that Larry was a bad person who reformed and became a good person.
Good and bad is a spectrum in all of us, I think. If given the the right (or wrong)
circumstances we're all capable of bad actions and good actions. You know the old phrase, "if not for the grace of God, there go I". Not everyone who is homeless, rejected and lonely since birth commit such an unspeakable act, but as this site tells...the statistics arn't good. I believe all of us have limits that can be reached that can render us to cross the line of self control. Being a murderer was never the essence of Larry's being. Getting to know the people from his past (from childood through his imprisonment), I've learned that he always had a good heart. He took the weak, powerless, lost ones under his wing. He watched over them and showed them acceptance. Even animals!
I have a house full of stray rescued animals that Larry brought home. He seemed to want to give what he never recieved.
A story was told to the world in the form of his life.
Thanks for your interest and for seeing the person with a more generous hearted vision.
Christy

Are you the same woman from the book?