62-year-old William Spengler, an ex-con who spent 17 years in prison for killing his grandmother with a hammer in 1980, used the same make and model .223 caliber semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle as the mass murderer in Newton, Connecticut earlier this month.

Before collecting up a shotgun, revolver and semi-automatic .223 caliber rifle yesterday morning, Spengler wrote a two to three page rambling letter then set fire to his house. The remains of Spengler’s sister was found after firefighters went through the burned out rubble of his home. It is unclear at this time whether the sister was killed before or perished in the flames. The discovery of her body brings the death toll to three plus the shooter. A neighbor of the killer said that his sister, Cheryl Spengler, lived in the home with Spengler, but in the opposite end of the dwelling as they hated each other.

Although the police did not release the contents of the letter that the ambusher left, they did release a sentence of the type-written message to the public. The excerpt said, “I still have to get ready to see how much of the neighborhood I can burn down, and do what I like doing best, killing people.” The location of the found letter was not released to the public either.

Spengler took up a spot near his home behind a small hill and waited for the responders to come to the fire. Dressed in dark clothing, armed with three weapons and plenty of ammunition, Spengler opened up on the responders as two drove up in a fire truck and another two arrived in their own vehicles.

Spengler fired at Volunteer firefighter and police officer, 43-year-old Lt. Michael Chiapperini through the windsheild as he pulled up at the scene. Spengler also shot and killed 19-year-old dispatcher Tomasz Kaczowka

The first officer to the scene exchanged fire with the gunman Firing off four rounds towards Spengler, the officer said over the radio that he thought the gunman went down during the volley.

Spengler’s mother, who lived at the home along with Spengler and his sister, died in October of this year.

Seven homes were destroyed in the inferno.