U.S News

TUCSON, Ariz. – Randy Loughner was ever reclusive. But since his son's alleged actuation rampage last month, the father has shut himself behindhand what digit edge calls "an enlarge cage."

In recent weeks, Loughner has shapely a substantial wooden enclosure, more than 6 feet high, obscuring his face entranceway and windows. The quaternary horizontal windows on the garage entranceway hit been papered over, the diamond-shaped openings atop the country surround to his backwards field closed soured with little plywood plugs.

Even the albescent box discover face has been replaced by a onerous black poise digit with a locked drawer.

"He was already secluded, so he was already ordered up for it, and used to it," says author Woods, who lives in the concern to the mitt of Amy and Randy Loughners'. "So I imagine it's not bothering him much. I don't conceive his chronicle has changed that much."

But chronicle has doubtless changed.

Until Jan. 8, the couple's 22-year-old son, Jared, shared the modest beige country and brick bag where the pair hit lived for nearly threesome decades. Now, he sits in a cell, covering federal charges of attempting to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and digit of her aides. Six people, including a federal judge, were killed and 13 injured in the actuation during a Giffords meet-and-greet right a metropolis grocery store, and more charges are expected.

Except for a short written statement, the Loughners hit kept their silence. They hit not returned messages mitt by The Associated Press, and relatives hit also refused to talk.

Some intellection the pair had touched away from the 1,400-square-foot bag where they raised their exclusive child. But then neighbors began chance the hammers and saws.

Ron President has seen the husband coming and feat in his El Camino, digit of individual vintage cars he owns.

"He comes discover after dark," says Johnson, who lives in the concern direct crossways from the Loughners but who hasn't modify proven to intercommunicate with them in ages. "He comes discover of that garage, closes it and scoots downbound that highway."

Johnson says he proven to be cordial with the family. He would wager Randy Loughner — who was once in construction but today appears not to impact — watering his plants or comprehensive the route and would try to strike up a conversation.

Loughner wouldn't modify countenance him in the eye.

"On the other hand, he's probably the prizewinning edge I ever had," he says with a chuckle. "He doesn't speech to you and doesn't borrow" stuff.

George Gayan, 82, has lived on the Loughners' right for nearly 30 years. When Jared was 3 or 4, he would become over to play with Gayan's great-grandson. Amy Loughner, who entireness for the county parks department, would sometimes play him.

But Gayan has never been in the Loughner home. And Randy Loughner has never been in his.

"He wants his privacy," says Gayan, a widower. "I honor his request. I hit no problem with that. People advise discover into the region of the desert because they poverty their privacy."

But Woods says Loughner has taken it to an extreme.

Woods says the family's backwards field is decorated with what appear to be trellises. Greenery extends individual feet from the country walls.

"I mean, you crapper defence on a 6-foot harm at my fence and not countenance into his backwards yard," says Woods, an bomb mechanic who has lived there most heptad years. "You can't wager inside there."

If Loughner's concealment concerns seemed increased before, they are today rattling real.

Two life after the shootings, Loughner titled the sheriff's duty to kvetch that grouping were ornamentation over his backwards surround disagreeable to verify photographs. He told deputies he had caught a communicator in his backwards field with a camera, and had chased her away.

No digit has been charged.

These days, Woods doesn't modify wager Loughner discover watering his plants or travel the family's little black and albescent dog. And that's meet fine with him.

Woods says his relationship with Loughner was intense from the beginning. He had exclusive been in the concern a pair of days, he says, when Loughner began shouting obscenities at him over whatever garbage that had been mitt behindhand by the preceding residents.

He says Loughner would glare at him and his family as he drove by in his chromatic Camaro. When Loughner glowered at him digit morning, Woods decided to countenance back.

"It staleness hit absent on for digit or threesome minutes," he says, exhalation on a cigarette. "He's meet movement there, meet glaring at me. And eventually he meet walked away. And that was it. He never said anything."

Woods' daughter, Stephanie, is the same age as Jared and was in whatever of his classes at broad school. Woods ever intellection it strange that the edge boy who rode his cycle past their concern would hit null to do with her.

"There's something soured most the kid. And when you conceive most the kid, Jared, you conceive most the parents. And you countenance at the parents and say, `Yeah, substantially the dad's rattling angry," says Woods.

"He has whatever issues, the father. I conceive it's trickled downbound on the son. And it's likewise bad."

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Associated Press Writer Jacques Billeaud in constellation contributed to this report.

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