“Since the day of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Courant has worked to advance the understanding of how so heinous a tragedy could happen and we applaud today’s decision as we feel these documents are necessary for us to tell a complete story in our reporting,” said Andrew Julien, the Courant’s publisher and editor-in-chief. “Understanding what a mass killer was thinking not only paints a clearer picture of the individual, it helps us identify and understand red flags that could be part of a prevention formula for future mass shootings.”</s>HARTFORD, Conn. — Police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of the Newtown school shooter to the public because they are not exempt from the state's open record laws, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The justices issued a 5-0 decision in favor of The Hartford Courant and state Freedom of Information Commission, whose order to police to release shooter Adam Lanza's belongings had been overturned by a lower court judge. It's not immediately clear when the items will be released.

Lanza, 20, fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, after killing his mother at their Newtown home. He fatally shot himself as police arrived at the school.

The motive for the shooting was never made clear. A report by the Connecticut Child Advocate said Lanza's severe and deteriorating mental health problems, his preoccupation with violence and access to his mother's legal weapons "proved a recipe for mass murder."

State police searched the Lanza home and seized guns, ammunition and his belongings, including his personal journals.

Among the belongings were a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and a notebook titled "The Big Book of Granny." The notebook contains a story that Lanza wrote in fifth grade about a woman who uses her "rifle cane" to kill people at a bank, hockey game and Marine boot camp.

The book also contains several chapters with the adventures of "Dora the Beserker," influenced by a popular children's television show. When Granny asks Dora to assassinate a soldier, she replies: "I like hurting people ... Especially children." In the same episode, Dora sends "Swiper the Raccoon" into a day care center to distract the children, then enters and says, "Let's hurt children."

Effect of Newtown shooting 5 years later

State police already have released some of Lanza's writings, along with thousands of pages of interviews, documents and other evidence from the investigation. But the full contents of the spreadsheet and the "Granny" notebook have not been released.

The Courant requested to view 35 items seized from the Lanza house, but state police rejected the request citing privacy rights under the state's search and seizure law.

The newspaper appealed to the Freedom of Information Commission, which ruled the belongings must be released to the public because the search and seizure law doesn't specifically bar documents seized from people's homes -- and not used in prosecutions -- from being released to the public. State police appealed to Superior Court, where Judge Carl Schuman agreed with state police and overturned the commission's ruling.

Andrew Julien, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Courant, said Lanza's belongings are important for understanding mass shootings.

"Understanding what a mass killer was thinking not only paints a clearer picture of the individual, it helps us identify and understand red flags that could be part of a prevention formula for future mass shootings," he said Tuesday.

The state attorney general's office, which represented state police, declined to comment Tuesday. The office could ask the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision or possibly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

State police officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Justice Raheem Mullins wrote in the unanimous decision that the court must "narrowly construe" language in state law that allows exceptions to public disclosure, "otherwise any statute governing an agency's general treatment of records becomes a possible restriction on disclosure."

"The trial court pointed to nothing in the express terms of the search and seizure statutes that creates confidentiality in the documents or otherwise limits the disclosure, copying, or distribution of the documents," Mullins wrote. "Indeed, the search and seizure statutes are silent on the issues of confidentiality, copying, or disclosure to the public."</s>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut Supreme Court says state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of the Newtown school shooter to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws.

The court ruled 5-0 Tuesday in favor of The Hartford Courant and state Freedom of Information Commission, whose order to police to release shooter Adam Lanza's belongings was overturned by a lower court judge. It wasn't immediately clear when the items will be released.

The 20-year-old Lanza fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and killed himself as police arrived.

State police had seized Lanza's belongings from his Newtown home and rejected the Courant's request to view the items, which included a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and violent stories he wrote.

FILE - This undated identification file photo shows former Western Connecticut State University student Adam Lanza, who authorities said opened fire inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. The Connecticut Supreme Court said state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of Lanza to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws. (AP Photo/Western Connecticut State University, File)</s>The Connecticut Supreme Court says state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of the Newtown school shooter to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws.

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Supreme Court says state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of the Newtown school shooter to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws.

The court ruled 5-0 Tuesday in favor of The Hartford Courant and state Freedom of Information Commission, whose order to police to release shooter Adam Lanza’s belongings was overturned by a lower court judge. It wasn’t immediately clear when the items will be released.

The 20-year-old Lanza fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and killed himself as police arrived.

State police had seized Lanza’s belongings from his Newtown home and rejected the Courant’s request to view the items, which included a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and violent stories he wrote.</s>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Supreme Court says state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of the Newtown school shooter to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws.

The court ruled 5-0 Tuesday in favor of The Hartford Courant and state Freedom of Information Commission, whose order to police to release shooter Adam Lanza’s belongings was overturned by a lower court judge. It wasn’t immediately clear when the items will be released.

The 20-year-old Lanza fatally shot 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and killed himself as police arrived.

State police had seized Lanza’s belongings from his Newtown home and rejected the Courant’s request to view the items, which included a spreadsheet ranking mass murders and violent stories he wrote.</s>FILE - This undated identification file photo shows former Western Connecticut State University student Adam Lanza, who authorities said opened fire inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. The Connecticut Supreme Court said state police must release disturbing writings and other belongings of Lanza to the public because they are not exempt from state open record laws. (AP Photo/Western Connecticut State University, File)</s>HARTFORD, Conn. — Some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter's personal belongings, including personal journals containing stories about hurting children and a spreadsheet ranking mass murders, must be released to the public because they are not exempt from open record laws, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Thousands of documents already have been released from the investigation that ended without determining a motive for the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, but the writings could provide insights into the thinking of the shooter, Adam Lanza.

The Hartford Courant and other media organizations requested to view Lanza's belongings, which were seized by authorities during a search of Lanza's home and described in a state police report released about a year after the shooting. State police rejected the requests, citing privacy rights in the state's search and seizure law.

The Courant appealed to the state's Freedom of Information Commission, which in 2015 ordered state police to release the documents. But Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman overruled the commission in 2016 — a decision overturned Tuesday in the 5-0 Supreme Court ruling.</s>Journals and other personal belongings of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza are not exempt from open record laws and must be released, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The justices issued a 5-0 decision in favor of The Hartford Courant, which has been fighting since 2015 to view items seized from the Lanza house. The 21-page decision rejected arguments by the state that releasing the items would violate privacy rights under Connecticut’s search and seizure law.

“The trial court pointed to nothing in the express terms of the search and seizure statutes that creates confidentiality in the documents or otherwise limits the disclosure, copying, or distribution of the documents,” Justice Raheem Mullins wrote. “Indeed, the search and seizure statutes are silent on the issues of confidentiality, copying, or disclosure to the public.”

In this Dec. 18, 2012, file photo, a police cruiser sits in the driveway of the Colonial-style house where Adam Lanza lived with his mother.

Lanza shot his mother in their Connecticut home on Dec. 14, 2012, before slaying 20 first-graders and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He then killed himself.

The court order relates to 35 items, including notebooks and a spreadsheet ranking mass murders by name and how many people were killed, according to the New York Daily News. It also pertains to an eight-page document titled “me,” in which Lanza shared his personal beliefs on topics such as relationships, culture and voting.

“We feel these documents are necessary to tell a complete story in our reporting,” said Andrew Julien, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Courant. “Understanding what a mass killer was thinking not only paints a clearer picture of the individual, it helps us identify and understand red flags that could be part of a prevention formula for future mass shootings.”

This undated identification file photo shows former Western Connecticut State University student Adam Lanza, who authorities said opened fire inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

It was not made clear when the requested items would be released to the public.

The state attorney general’s office, which represented state police, has not yet indicated whether it will ask the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.</s>FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2012, file photo, a police cruiser sits in the driveway of the home of Nancy Lanza in Newtown, Conn., the Colonial-style house where she had lived with her son Adam Lanza. Some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter's personal belongings, including personal journals containing stories about hurting children and a spreadsheet ranking mass murders, must be released to the public because they are not exempt from open record laws, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. The Hartford Courant and other media organizations requested to view Adam Lanza's belongings, which were seized by authorities during a search of Lanza's home and described in a state police report released about a year after the shooting. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File) (Jason DeCrow)</s>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter's personal belongings, including personal journals containing stories about hurting children and a spreadsheet ranking mass murders, must be released to the public because they are not exempt from open record laws, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Thousands of documents already have been released from the investigation that ended without determining a motive for the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, but the writings could provide insights into the thinking of the shooter, Adam Lanza.

The Hartford Courant and other media organizations requested to view Lanza's belongings, which were seized by authorities during a search of Lanza's home and described in a state police report released about a year after the shooting. State police rejected the requests, citing privacy rights in the state's search and seizure law.

The Courant appealed to the state Freedom of Information Commission, which in 2015 ordered state police to release the documents. But Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman overruled the commission in 2016 - a decision overturned Tuesday in the 5-0 Supreme Court ruling.

"We feel these documents are necessary to tell a complete story in our reporting," said Andrew Julien, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Courant. "Understanding what a mass killer was thinking not only paints a clearer picture of the individual, it helps us identify and understand red flags that could be part of a prevention formula for future mass shootings."

It's not immediately clear when the 35 requested items will be released. The state attorney general's office, which represents state police and declined to comment Tuesday, could ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling or possibly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. State police officials did not return messages seeking comment.

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2012, file photo, a police cruiser sits in the driveway of the home of Nancy Lanza in Newtown, Conn., the Colonial-style house where she had lived with her son Adam Lanza. Some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter's personal belongings, including personal journals containing stories about hurting children and a spreadsheet ranking mass murders, must be released to the public because they are not exempt from open record laws, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. The Hartford Courant and other media organizations requested to view Adam Lanza's belongings, which were seized by authorities during a search of Lanza's home and described in a state police report released about a year after the shooting. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

Among the disputed documents are a spreadsheet ranking mass murders by name and number killed and a notebook titled "The Big Book of Granny." The notebook contains a story that Lanza wrote in the fifth grade about a woman who uses her "rifle cane" to kill people.

Police also so far have not released an eight-page document titled simply, "me," which was described in a police inventory as "detailing relationships, ideal companion, culture, voting, personal beliefs, describes doctors touching children as rape." Another, named "tomorrow," apparently contains details about the author's "desires, list of the benefits of being thin and negative connotations associated with being overweight, list of goals ...".

Some of the other requested items include a folder containing hand-drawn, comic-style pictures and stories about Pokemon-type characters; a packet of educational materials from the Sandy Hook school to Lanza's mother including report cards and an educational plan addressing his mental health issues; a list of problems and requests from Lanza to his mother; and a story about a relationship between a 10-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man.

A report by the Connecticut child advocate said Lanza's severe and deteriorating mental health problems, his preoccupation with violence and access to his mother's weapons "proved a recipe for mass murder."

Lanza's medical and school records included references to diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, the child advocate's office said. The 2014 report said Nancy Lanza backed her son's resistance to medication and from the 10th grade on kept him at home, where he was surrounded by an arsenal of firearms and spent long hours playing violent video games.

In Tuesday's court decision, Justice Raheem Mullins wrote that the court must "narrowly construe" language in state law that allows exceptions to public disclosure, and that "otherwise any statute governing an agency's general treatment of records becomes a possible restriction on disclosure."

"The trial court pointed to nothing in the express terms of the search and seizure statutes that creates confidentiality in the documents or otherwise limits the disclosure, copying, or distribution of the documents," wrote Mullins. "Indeed, the search and seizure statutes are silent on the issues of confidentiality, copying, or disclosure to the public."
The Connecticut Supreme Court rules that all documents, journals, and belongings of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza be released to the public because of lack of exemption from the state's open record laws.