Contact: Craig Cable, 970-292-4697

MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- On the five-year anniversary of the Amish schoolhouse massacre, the shooter's mother has broken her silence in an interview.

The filmed interview with Terri Roberts, mother of shooter Charles Roberts, will be screened at Lifetree Café locations across the country next week.

On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts backed his truck up to the entrance of the West Nickel Mines School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He barricaded himself inside and shot 10 young Amish girls. Five died. Roberts killed himself before police could enter the one-room schoolhouse.

Roberts' mother, who was working nearby at the time of the shootings, was embraced by the Amish community. Amish members stunned observers when they openly forgave the killer and his family. The Roberts family is not Amish.

In the interview, Roberts describes how the Amish victims' families offered their forgiveness, and how they have treated her since that day in 2006. Roberts maintains contact with some of the families. Each week she spends time with one of the girls who survived the shooting, but is severely disabled.

Roberts said the wheelchair-bound girl "smiles and recognizes (me), but to think the parents would invite me into their home and allow me to be a part of their family on a regular basis . . . that's lived out forgiveness."

The interview will be a part of the Lifetree program, entitled "Amazing Grace," which will be offered to the public in locations throughout the country during the week of October 2. Locations and times can be found at www.lifetreecafe.com.

Lifetree Café is a place where people gather for conversations about life and faith in a casual coffeehouse-type setting.

An excerpt from the Roberts interview may be seen here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwp-Tixjap0