[pepsi_junkie]

I've lived next to nuts. They come at you over stupid stuff, taking offense to nonsense like your landscaping lights are too bright or you didn't make a sufficiently wide path when you shoveled snow. At first you play along because you just want peace but you soon realize you can't just lay low and follow their orders because those orders get more nutty and rigid. They want to tell you not to park in the driveway, not to leave your garage door open, when you can have friends over, etc etc. You get mad, you might even have words. I've been there.

I'm about the most benign neighbor you can have, I keep my property up, I promply shovel snow and mow the lawn, I don't have parties often and when I do they are in the daytime typically and never loud. Even if a neighbor is letting their property fall apart I may grumble under my breath but keep my mouth shut. But crazy folk will find something to get pissed about, no matter how hard you try to be the model neighbor.

I never in furstration put a shovel full of snow on their walk (GASP!) but our relationship was far from cordial and I place 100% of the blame on a control freak nut next door. I didn't get shot but if I had it's no comfort to know that Freepers would watch the incident and say I had it coming.

[BradyLS]

I’m sorry you’ve had to live next to bad neighbors. You sound alright to me.

The story says the Goys visited Spaide first with the snow and abuse. Then came the tragedy. Further back, I don’t know.

Based on the story I read and the neighbors you describe, I still think the Goys would be alive if they had left Spaide alone.

I’m with you that Spaide was crazy and did murderous, life-in-prison-at-best wrong. But I don’t get the impression he would have gone that far if the Goys had been good neighbors that behaved like you.