Home Invader: ‘I Have Torn Apart Families and Ruined Lives’

Home invasions are the nastiest of all burglaries. They usually involve some type of force, and there is often a weapon involved. In this one particularly brutal and deadly home invasion, the perpetrator and his cohorts used a machete.

Back in 2010, the Boston Globe reported, “A woman hacked to death with a machete and knife in her home was alive for all 32 slash and stab wounds that split open her skull, sliced through bones and pierced organs, a medical examiner testified.”

Steven Spader, who created a gang called “Disciples of Destruction,” was 17 years old at the time of his murderous rampage. Spader’s gang broke into the woman’s New Hampshire home while she and her daughter slept.

Spader, who stated, “Through my impulsive actions, I have torn apart families and ruined lives,” was resentenced last month to life in prison plus 76 years. His resentencing was required due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life sentences for those under the age of 18 at the time they killed amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. It’s amazing to me that any law would consider any punishment of any kind for this kid as cruel and unusual.

Superior Court Judge Gillian Abramson stated on the April court date, ‘‘The circumstances of these horrific crimes and the extent of the defendant’s planning and participating warrant the imposition of life without parole and maximum consecutive sentences.’’ Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin stated that Spader is a ‘‘psychopath. It’s not a phase. It’s not something he’s going to grow out of; it’s who he is.’’

The chances of something this nasty even happening to you is slim. But there is a chance, so at least install a home security system and keep it turned on while you are at home.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.