Parents whose daughter, 6, was killed in Newtown massacre reveal they met with Adam Lanza's father



The parents of a six-year-old girl who was gunned down in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have revealed they met with the father of killer Adam Lanza.

Robbie and Alissa Parker said they wanted to speak with Peter Lanza as part of their grieving process and because they needed to 'get something out of their system'.

Their daughter, Emilie Parker, was one of the 20 children murdered by Adam Lanza during his shooting rampage at the Connecticut school on December 14. He also shot dead six staff members.

Scroll down for video

Grief: Alissa and Robbie Parker said they met with Peter Lanza for an hour to 'get something off their chest'

Alissa Parker told CBS This Morning that the meeting with the murderer's father had been her idea, and that it lasted for around an hour.



While she and her husband did not disclose when the meeting took place or what they discussed, CBS will air the rest of the interview on Friday and reveal more details about the conversation.

But the Parkers did reveal that they wanted to ask Peter Lanza about his son's medical history and about his relationship with his parents. He shot dead his mother Nancy before driving to the school.



'I guess the reason why I felt strongly that I needed to tell him something,' Alissa Parker said. 'And I needed to get that out of my system. I felt very motivated to do it and... I felt really good about it, I prayed about it, and it was something that I needed to do.'

'Closure': They met with Peter Lanza (left), the father of gunman Adam Lanza (right), for more than an hour



Robbie Parker, who was the first parent to speak out about his murdered child following the tragedy, said that their family has gone through 'a little bit of everything' since losing Emilie.

'You went from the absolute worst experience that you could ever imagine to have to go through as a parent... to being completely overwhelmed with outpouring of love and support from so many people,' he told CBS.

Last week, it emerged that Adam Lanza kept a 7-ft-long spreadsheet detailing previous gun massacres, including their death tolls and the weapons they've used.

But the Parkers, who have continued to meet with detectives since the deaths, said they just take this new information as it comes before moving on.

Missed: Their oldest daughter Emilie, right, was gunned down on December 14 with 19 other children

Angelic: The Parkers said they do not pay attention to news about Lanza as it does not bring Emilie back



'It always brings with it a period of sorrow, pain, and you deal with it and you just move on,' Alissa said. 'The outcome is still the same, regardless if it was planned, not planned... It doesn't change that our child's gone.'

Speaking live on CNN a day after the massacre, Robbie Parker said that he was praying for the shooter's family and held no anger towards them. He also paid tribute to his slain daughter.

'My daughter Emilie would be one of the first ones giving her love and support to all of the victims, because that’s the kind of person she is,' he said, pausing a moment to take a steadying breath.

'As the deep pain begins to settle in our hearts, we find comfort in the incredible person Emilie was and how many people she was able to touch in her short time on Earth.

'Emilie's laughter was infectious, and everyone who met her would agree that the world was a better place because she was in it.'

Pain: The Parkers are pictured after they found out their daughter had been murdered in December

For his part, Peter Lanza has kept a low profile since the day of the shooting, when a reporter told him that his son was responsible for the murders.



Neighbours of Peter Lanza and Shelley Cudiner said the pair packed up their car and left their affluent home in the Stamford suburb of Westover, Connecticut, shortly after being informed.



The news reporter who told Lanza that his son had committed one of the worst mass shootings in American history described the moment in the Stamford Advocate.



'His expression twisted from patient, to surprise to horror,' wrote Maggie Gordon. 'It was obvious that this moment was the first time he had considered his family could be involved. '

Peter Lanza is a vice president of taxes for GE Energy Financial Services and divorced Nancy Lanza in 2009 due to 'irreconcilable differences.'

Killed: Nancy Lanza, Adam's mother, became his first victim when he shot her in the face in their home



Remembered: A memorial in Newtown after the shootings shows the names of Lanza's victims

More than a week after the massacre, Peter Lanza collected his son's body and released a statement saying the family was also asking why his son would go on a shooting spree.

'We too are asking why,' he said in a statement. 'Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are.'



Twenty children and six adults were killed when Lanza opened fire on the once-peaceful town of Newtown, Connecticut, sending ripples of shock to through the nation and rekindling the gun debate.

The grade school shooting was one of the worst in history, second only to the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, where 32 people were shot dead.