Demolish the House?

[Belinda]

Maybe the owner could tear the house down and build a business on it. He has taken huge losses already, through no fault of his own. I am wondering if his business has been crippled as well, with the removal of some of his equipment, plus the media attention. I feel very sorry for him. He is in a terrible position and will need to do whatever he can to repair the damage to his finances.

If the cheapest way to deal with the house is to repair it and re-rent it, I would understand that. I hope insurance or the police department cover this type of thing. I've never heard how it works before. I don't think enough damage was done that is could not be made habitable. He should not be responsible for the repairs to the home as he had nothing to do with it. His property has been damaged and he should be compensated for that by whatever means.

 

[impatientredhead]

Maybe the owner could tear the house down and build a business on it. He has taken huge losses already, through no fault of his own. I am wondering if his business has been crippled as well, with the removal of some of his equipment, plus the media attention. I feel very sorry for him. He is in a terrible position and will need to do whatever he can to repair the damage to his finances.

If the cheapest way to deal with the house is to repair it and re-rent it, I would understand that. I hope insurance or the police department cover this type of thing. I've never heard how it works before. I don't think enough damage was done that is could not be made habitable. He should not be responsible for the repairs to the home as he had nothing to do with it. His property has been damaged and he should be compensated for that by whatever means.

If he has insurance on the unit his personal policy should cover the immediate costs and they will seek reimbursement from the county for the property damage.

We had a gun stand off in an old neighborhood I use to live in, they decided to evacuate the neighborhood and kicked down our fence to get to our sliding glass door to evacuate our home (we were not involved in the incident at all). The county paid for the damage. It was a pain in the *advertiser censored* though.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

With luck, any demolishing will wait until after the convictions, just in case. But afterwards, whatever they want. I have mixed feelings about memorials being at the possible site of the killing, for some reason, though. I can't explain it.

 

[panthera]

With luck, any demolishing will wait until after the convictions, just in case. But afterwards, whatever they want. I have mixed feelings about memorials being at the possible site of the killing, for some reason, though. I can't explain it.

I agree. Until someone is tried and convicted it still has value as evidence. MOO

 

[ella971]

With luck, any demolishing will wait until after the convictions, just in case. But afterwards, whatever they want. I have mixed feelings about memorials being at the possible site of the killing, for some reason, though. I can't explain it.

I understand and I'm with you. I think I can say why I don't think they should have a memorial. We of course don't know all the details but If Z was my girl and she suffered and may have died there it would seem wrong in my heart. It would be the last place I would pick for a memorial.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

I understand and I'm with you. I think I can say why I don't think they should have a memorial. We of course don't know all the details but If Z was my girl and she suffered and may have died there it would seem wrong in my heart. It would be the last place I would pick for a memorial.

ITA.

Yes, I think that is it. A memorial would be better put in a place she enjoyed, not a place she suffered and died.

But then I second-guess myself, thinking about concentration camp memorials, and how they have greater impact at the site itself, and I wonder to what extent a memorial is for the victim(s) or the living, as a word of comfort and/or warning...

I see it differently as a mom and as a historian/citizen, I guess.

So, yes, I have mixed feelings.

 

[ella971]

If it was my daughter no way would I want that for her. Z is not my daughter and yet I feel love for her and her spirit and I want something better for her. I want everything for her.

 

[Meagain]

I can see tearing it down because it IS a tear down. Bad house. But that's about it. Tho it seems like a bad area next to commercial, etc.

 

[big4dropout]

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/03/crowd-taunts-baker-evicted-ar-505700/

Snipped: his landlord said the police search had rendered his property uninhabitable.

It isn't our place to judge what MC does or doesn't do with the house. Saying he should donate it is like me walking up to any of you and saying, "you know, you really should donate $100,000 to my favorite charity."

The property owner isn't Bill Gates. MC is a friend of a friend, and a $100K house isn't pocket change to this family, regardless of what EB seemed to think when she wrote a ransom note for $1,000,000. Also, the family has been through a lot with this ordeal, and though it pales in comparison to whatever Zahra went through, they have done nothing wrong and would greatly appreciate any prayers or thoughts we can spare.

It sounds like, from what others have said, that it is standard procedure to be reimbursed for these types of damages, and I sincerely hope that is the case, because I can only imagine how hard it will be for MC to find a tenant even after months of repairs have been done.

 

[Capri]

Saturday, Coffey was heard telling a small group of people at the house that he is considering bulldozing it. He said repairing the house would not be cost-effective because Hickory police did an estimated $30,000 in damage to the 900-square-foot house when they removed sections of the walls during their search for evidence of what happened to Zahra.

I hesitate putting this up because I know some will be upset by it, but it pertains to the case. I know many are upset over the tree removal, , but let's also consider that the man who owns the house and property is a businessman and it may not be economically possible for him to repair the house.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/22/zahra-memorial-taken-down-ar-557303/

 

[Belinda]

I wonder what he will do with the property if he knocks the house down? It may be advantageous to have it re-zoned and put a business there or rent the land out to a business.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Thank you Capri. I read that as well this morning.

I'm wondering about homeowner's insurance. Would a HO policy have paid for this LE damage? What about locally? Doesn't the PD or community gov't have something in place for a victim's fund?

I guess what I'm asking is why is this property owner left holding the bag for $30k in repairs?

I feel for this man. He had absolutely NOTHING to do with all of this yet his family is being victimized over and over. First, by the crime that occurred in the home and second by the damage LE did in retrieving evidence and investigating said crime.

Such a shame. I hope his family has a nice, quiet, comfortable Thanksgiving. They sure deserve it.

 

[Belinda]

That is something that has really confused me as well. Surely there must be something in place that makes things right in these situations. Obviously this is not the first time LE has had to tear up a property for evidence. I wonder how we could find out what the protocol is for resolving the damage done to the home?

 

[orb4me]

Thank you Capri for starting this topic. I have never given much thought to private property in these kinds of situations. I know there are cleaning services that clean this sort of thing. Hotels as I understand, remove everything, encluding carpet, wall paper etc. and then completly redo that room. Most Hotels today are build as cubicals, so it not that hard to do. Fire and police/deputies clean up car accidents with a water hose. Surly they have home owners insurance that covers damaged rentals?

JMO, I feel the tree should be removed. In the long run its going to be a play ground for teens, the ground is pasture and farm, so the amount of tresspassing and damage would be great.

 

[daisy7]

Any bashing of the landlord is NOT allowed. This posts lands at random.

 

[Belinda]

I don't know what is the best plan for the house. I do feel strongly that the owner needs to be made whole in some manner. He has done nothing wrong and should not suffer irreparable harm because of the acts of someone else. I just don't know how these things are normally handled. Are the owner's of such places just left to pick up the pieces?

 

[Mountain_Kat]

I don't know what the landlord will decide to do with the house and property. Whatever he decides to do with it is his business, and his alone, as far as I'm concerned.

Having said that, I personally hope he tears it down. Not just for his own emotional well being, but also for the emotional well being of his neighbors and the community as a whole. I can't see one positive thing to be gained by leaving that house stand as a macabre reminder to everyone.

JMO

 

[Melanie]

If you look at NC's Victim's Compensation Services:

The program does NOT compensate victims for damaged or stolen property or for pain and suffering.

http://www.nccrimecontrol.org/Index2.cfm?a=000003,000016

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing a fund be set up for this property owner vs. tearing down his house. The Bakers did this to him, an innocent victim.

MOO

Mel

 

[tehcloser]

He is a victim. He needs to be compensated, but being angry with the police is not going to help him. Will he be able to do anything with it until the police have said they are done with it? Didn't they say, they might go back at some point if the need arose? Surely he will wait until he knows for sure they don't need anything else.

 

[Belinda]

I wonder if homeowner's insurance would cover something like this? I would suspect not, but there has to be some way to compensate these victims. I can't believe the system is set up that the innocent must absorb the cost of the police action. Maybe the police department itself pays for this? However, I think if he was going to be compensated for repairs, he wouldn't be considering tearing it down due to the cost of the repairs. This really bothers me. This man did nothing wrong and shouldn't have to pay the price for what others have done.