The second life of Larry Swartz: Florida friends remember murderer

[marylandmissing]

The second life of Larry Swartz: Florida friends remember murderer as 'God's gift to life'

He lived on a narrow street with ranchers and carports, where trucks park on the lawns and working-class people scrape by.

There is a lake across the street where on a good day the kids can catch catfish or bass. Neighbors often gather for a cigarette and a beer, talking long into the night about their kids and their problems with work.

It could be anywhere in middle America, but this is outside Orlando, Fla., the home of Disney World. Life here is anything but a fantasy of animal characters and amusement rides.

It was the last of many homes for Larry Swartz, who at age 38 had found the happiness that eluded him most of his short life.

Larry died near his Florida home on Dec. 29, nearly 21 years after murdering his adoptive Cape St. Claire parents. His crime, which later became the subject of a book and made-for-television movie, is one of the most remembered in county history.[size=1]