Richard, Nancy, and Baby Langert

Meet Richard and Nancy Langert, a young twenty something couple with everything to live for. In addition to their love for each other, they were expecting their first child...



The concept of a random act of violence is a frightening one. The more terrifying version is a world where a stranger breaks in to your home and murders you, just because.

It was a time to celebrate, Nancy 25 and Richard 28, were expecting their first child. Upon returning home from a Saturday night out, they were ambushed by their killer. He proceeded to handcuff Richard and force the couple in to the basement of their home. In that basement, the killer shot Richard point-blank in the back of his head with a 357 Magnum.

At that point, the killer turned the gun on Nancy and her unborn child. As she crossed her arms to cover her unborn baby, the killer fired twice directly in to her belly. The impact of those shots was so powerful that the unborn baby was, as described by the coroner, exploded. The sex of the unborn baby couldn't be determined.

Nancy was left in that basement to bleed to death. Evidence suggests that while she bled to death, she tried to make it upstairs to phone for help, made noise to try to draw help, and finally crawled to where her husband lay dead. In her own blood she drew a heart and the letter u with the last of her life here on earth.

Love You.

The perpetrator of this crime was 16 at the time of this crime. It took several months for the police to locate the killer, because he had no real ties to the couple. Once he was identified, police found the gun he used to kill the couple, press clippings about the murder, and poems about killing them. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to Life without Parole.

The reason this individual chose to kill Nancy and Richard? They lived across the street from a Police station. The killer killed them because he wanted to see what it would feel like to shoot someone. He wanted to execute this sinister plan across the street from the police station because he could do it right under the Police's nose.

It is incomprehensible the grief this family must have suffered at the hands of what can only be described as a monster. Is it really a compelling argument to ponder whether this individual was fully developed mentally? That he somehow did not understand the consequences of his actions?

As the Supreme Court decision comes closer regarding juvenile sentencing, we all need to remain aware and vigilant that this type of perpetrator is impacted by decisions that examine what you may consider lesser crimes.