‘Raising Adam Lanza,’ Sandy Hook’s Mysterious Assailant Investigated Tonight On PBS

Raising Adam Lanza airs tonight on PBS — and for the first time, Sandy Hook Elementary’s mysterious gunman will be in the spotlight.

In Sandy Hook’s horrific wake, Raising Adam Lanza will be the first in-depth look into the young man behind the deaths of 27 people, 26 at the Newtown primary school and 20 of whom were first-graders. Given the sheer number and predominant youth of Lanza’s victims, little attention has been given to the man responsible, one who left an unusually small digital footprint in a world where most young humans leave a social media legacy.

PBS explains Raising Adam Lanza today ahead of tonight’s premiere, and the public broadcaster explains that while Lanza’s legacy was relatively scant, a joint investigation between the network and the Hartford Courant, the paper that spearheaded much of the on-scene Sandy Hook coverage, has gleaned some insight into the man behind the massacre:

“Adam Lanza left behind a trail of death and destruction, but little else. He left no known friends, no diary. He destroyed his computer and any evidence it might have provided. His motives, and his life, remain largely a mystery. In collaboration with The Hartford Courant, FRONTLINE looks for answers to the central—and so far elusive—question: who was Adam Lanza?”

A cub scout leader who knew Adam Lanza speaks in Raising Adam Lanza, and Marvin LaFontaine says that even as a kid, Adam balked at much human interaction.

He explains:

“Adam was a quiet kid. He never said a word… There was a weirdness about him and Nancy warned me once at one of the Scout meetings… ‘Don’t touch Adam.’ She said he just can’t stand that…. He’d become teary-eyed and I think he would run to his mother.”

Below is a preview clip for Raising Adam Lanza, airing on PBS tonight at 10 PM.

Watch “Don’t Touch Adam” on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.