Man convicted in NH home invasion has daughter

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A man convicted of killing a Mont Vernon woman and maiming her daughter during a 2009 home invasion has a daughter of his own.

Steven Spader, 21, is serving a life sentencing for killing 42-year-old Kimberly Cates and injuring 11-year-old daughter in October 2009. Medical and other records unsealed by a judge this week include a letter Spader's mother wrote to the court mentioning his daughter, who was born in January 2010.

"(The mother) brought her to us when she was 5 days old. We all cried," Christine Spader wrote, according to the Telegraph of Nashua. "Steve wrote us a letter begging us to see if he could see the baby and he would be the best father in the world. We sent him photos. (The mother) came to the trial one day. I think to say goodbye."

The documents, originally filed under seal for Spader's sentencing hearing in April, were released this week at the request of The Telegraph and New Hampshire Union Leader.

Spader was granted a new sentencing hearing after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that children cannot be automatically punished the same way as criminal adults without considering their age and other factors. But Spader, who was a month shy of turning 18 when he hacked Cates to death with a machete, asked his lawyers not to seek a lighter sentence. The judge imposed the same sentence he received originally — life without parole, plus 76 years.

The newly released documents describe how Spader was adopted at five days old, had a happy childhood and loving family but then became a troubled teenager who threatened his father with a knife and claimed to be in a violent street gang. His parents brought him to psychologists and psychiatrists and spent tens of thousands of dollars on residential treatment programs.

While Spader was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and major depression as a teen, a psychiatrist hired by his defense lawyers said he did not observe any major mental illness when he met with Spader in June 2010.

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Information from: The Telegraph, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

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