2 Charged After Sandy Hook Memorial Defaced In Southington

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Two people were charged after the Sandy Hook memorial mural was vandalized in Southington, police said.

Lorenzo Cavallo, 20, of Plainville, and Gina Lombardi, 21, of Bristol, were charged with first-degree criminal mischief Thursday. Cavallo's bail was set at $150,000 and Lombardi's was set at $10,000, police said.

The mural is on detached garages at 245 Summer St. The property owner donated the back of one structure for a mural painted in remembrance of the 26 children and adults killed in the 2012 Newtown school shootings.

Police said there have been "incidents" in the past at the site, but the latest was the first that involved defacing the mural. Police said the mural was spray-painted, covering the butterflies that represent the shooting victims.

Southington police, with the assistance of Plainville police, identified Cavallo and Lombardi as the culprits, according to a warrant.

Lombardi was apologetic during a police interview, saying she did not know the significance of the mural and was not intentionally defacing the memorial, according to the warrant.

Lombardi said she was "frustrated with law enforcement over an incident in Plainville, felt helpless and had a bad knee jerk reaction," according to the warrant.

Lombardi confessed to partially vandalizing the memorial and confirmed Lorenzo was also responsible for "adding additional graffiti," according to the warrant.

Several attempts to contact Cavallo went unanswered, but police eventually tracked him down and he surrendered, according to the warrant.

According to the property owner, the cost to repair the mural was estimated at $2,500. Additional graffiti at the side of the building is expected to cost another $200 to fix, police said.