25 years ago, a senseless crime
rattled and repulsed East Tennessee,
a family from Knoxville was shot and
left to die on the side of a road.
Only the toddler survived well.
Today, Peter Lillelid Hayer is 27 years old.
After spending most of his life in Sweden,
he's moved back to the United States,
settling in Connecticut.
We traveled there to hear his
story of overcoming tragedy and
why he returns to East Tennessee.
Life can take drastic turns sometimes,
unfortunately for a quite horrible
in a horrible way, of course.
But it can go for the better as well.
Peter Lillelid Hayer knows that
from experience he and Caitlin,
his wife of two years,
are building a life in Stamford, CT.
Living that better he speaks on.
The drastic horrible turn he
mentions happened 25 years ago.
On April 6th, 1997, then two year old Peter,
6 year old Tabitha and their parents,
Vidar and Delfina, Lillelid.
We're driving back home to Knoxville from
Johnson City at a rest stop in Greene County.
A chance meeting with six young
people from Kentucky turned deadly.
They kidnapped the family,
forced Vidar to drive his van to
a remote Rd in order to steal it,
line them up along a ditch
and gunned them down.
Peter shot twice, was the sole survivor.
He lost an.
High and the ability to walk
without assistance 2 days later,
the killers were caught in the stolen van
at the Arizona Mexico border crossing.
Back in Green County, an angry
mob was waiting.
But for. For my whole life,
I have no recollection of.
Anything to do to my my first two years
in the United States in Tennessee
after the shooting, his aunt,
his father's sister, Ronnie Hayer,
and her husband owed adopted Peter,
raised him as their own.
In Sweden thousands of miles away from
the horror of that night in April.
In 2007, WBIR traveled to Sweden to
see Peter's life as a 12 year old.
10 years ago I been shot in.
Yes, shut in the rig and head.
And I always known. The story
there's no there was never any one
moment where they broke it to me.
Peter's adoptive parents also made
sure he grew up knowing the stories
of Tabitha, Delfina, and Vidar.
I always looked at pictures of.
My mom and dad growing up since there
were photo albums when both of them.
We're young before kids, of course.
From that point of view,
it's no doubt that there were
my mom and dad, of course.
25 years later, Peters creating
new memories with Caitlin
and it touched me very deeply.
I was very affected by it. And.
I honestly feel very blessed
to be a part of his story.
The couple recently traveled
to Sweden to see family and are
planning a trip to East Tennessee.
In fact, Peter has made a
number of visits over the years.
Why, why, why do you come back?
What what? What brought you back?
Well, this is my birth time, my birthday.
Knoxville that is of course.
And I know. Know some people
there they know who they are.
It makes for a good place to visit.
Seeing the folks there just have a good time.
During one trip, Peter reunited with
the Knoxville police officer who kept
watch at the door of his hospital
room in the days after the shooting.
Despite the senseless crime that
took so much, Peter isn't bitter.
He's grateful for the people
of East Tennessee living in a
place he once called home.
Attention, time, energy and foremost love.
Well focused on me.
Which of course to. It's a huge understate.
It's meant to say I appreciate that.
Robin, you mentioned that Peter was
raised by his father's side of the family,
but he also has a connection to the
mother's side as well. Very, very
much so yes, he he told me he's
always stayed in contact with
Delphine's family as a boy.
He travelled to the US regularly to see them,
and he's especially close to Delfina's
sister who lives in New York City,
which is about 45 minutes away from
where he lives in Stamford, CT.
So they are close.
That is great news to hear,
and we appreciate you with the update.