House Where Kentucky Firefighter Was Killed Sold At Auction

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- The house where a Lexington firefighter and another woman were shot to death during a standoff last February has been sold at auction.

G.M. Leachman purchased the 1,426-square foot house on Saturday for $103,950.

On Feb. 13, Fontaine Hutchinson, the previous owner of the house, and Lexington firefighter Lt. Brenda Cowan were gunned down in the yard. Another firefighter, Jim Sandford, was shot but survived.

Patrick Hutchinson, who is accused of fatally shooting his wife and Cowan, is confined to Central State Hospital for treatment of mental illness.

Leachman said he's sensitive to the house's history and would allow the victims' families to hold a memorial there if they desired.

``I'm sorry there was a tragedy here,'' Leachman said. ``That was the No. 1 thing on my mind. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a house auction. You can't do anything about the past.''

Leachman plans to live in the two-bedroom, one-bathroom fieldstone house.

Fontaine Hutchinson willed the house to her daughters, Kira Van Houten-Gurnee of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Dawn Fitzpatrick of Lexington. Patrick Hutchinson has no financial ties to the house.

During Saturday's auction, a visibly upset Fitzpatrick stood off to one side of the courtyard, surrounded by friends. She didn't comment on the sale price of the home, but said: ``I was happy to let someone else enjoy it. It's time to move on.''

The property sold for higher than its assessed value for tax purposes. It was last assessed in January 2004 at $93,500.

A crowd of more than 45 people gathered in front of the house on a cold, gray and drizzly morning for the auction.

The auction began with an opening bid of $85,000.

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