Residents in the Blossom Hill section of Manheim Township are still struggling to come to grips with last month's triple homicide, which shook the tranquillity of their tree-lined streets to the core.

A half-mile away, neighbors in the Cobblestone Court development are coping with the fact that an accused killer lived just down the street.

Though the brutal crime and its aftermath touched each neighborhood in a different way, residents in both shared the same overwhelming feeling: relief.

On Saturday, police arrested 16-year-old Alec D. Kreider of 1264 Cobblestone Lane and charged him with the killings of Tom and Lisa Haines and their 16-year-old son, Kevin.

The three were stabbed in their home on Peach Lane in Blossom Hill in the early morning hours of May 12. Maggie Haines, 20, escaped and fled to a neighbor's home to call police.

"There is a huge exhale of relief today," Sheldon Martin said as he and his wife, Naomi, walked their dogs near the Haines home Sunday afternoon.

But while neighbors are breathing a little easier, they also are "disturbed" that the brutal crime was allegedly committed by a teenager, Mr. Martin said.

"That's a tough one. It's frightening in so many ways. The fact that a young person could do such a thing, but also that he continued living a 'normal' life in between — that he continued to go to school and be part of the community," Mr. Martin said. "There's also an overriding sense of mystery as to what motivated him."

The Martins, who live on Wicklyn Drive, a few blocks from the Haines home, said they didn't know the Haines family, but Mrs. Martin said she would often see Kevin at the bus stop when she took her morning walk.

"I would say hello to him," she said. "The whole thing is just so sad. That's really the best word I can use to describe it."

While residents of Blossom Hill have become accustomed to the presence of police and media during the last five weeks, those living in Cobblestone Court were still getting used to the attention Sunday afternoon.

"This is the most activity I've seen in the 10 years I've lived here," Edward McKee said of the development, which is composed of condominiums and single-family homes. "This is normally a very quiet neighborhood."

McKee, who lives near the Kreider home, said he couldn't recall ever seeing Kreider in the neighborhood and didn't know anything about the family.

And though he said it is a "little unnerving" that an accused killer was living mere yards away, McKee said most neighbors are just glad someone is in custody.

"(Blossom Hill) isn't that far from here, and those murders made a lot of people uneasy," he said. "We're all glad it's settled. I think we'll all sleep a lot easier."

One young couple, who asked not to be identified, said they live directly behind the Kreider home. They said they, too, feel a sense of relief since the arrest.

"It didn't really make me too nervous because these things, more often than not, are personal," the man said. "But, sure, it definitely makes us feel safer knowing there is no killer on the loose."

Jennifer Padurano, who just moved from East Lampeter into a home across the street from the Kreiders on Saturday, said she knew nothing about the murders and didn't know what to think when she saw police and media in the neighborhood over the weekend.

"My son came in and told me one of the cameramen from the news told him there was a murder," she said. "I thought they were just playing with him — I didn't really believe it. But then my husband saw the paper this morning ... It's unreal."

Padurano, originally from Queens, NY, said her family moved to Cobblestone Court because it was quiet.

And things did quiet down by Sunday afternoon.

"There was a lot of activity yesterday," Padurano said as she sat on the front step with her school-age sons, Steven and Vinny. "There were a few reporters here today, but since then I haven't seen anyone around, absolutely no one. People seem to be keeping to themselves."

Email: jtodd@lnpnews.com