hometown LOVELAND, CO
“ONE MORE HUG, MOM, ONE MORE KISS,” said 9-year-old Brittany Burnett to her mother, Jennifer. Dad Brian had just strapped their girls — identical twins Brittany and McKayla as well as Amber, 5 — into the family’s sedan for a trip to buy school supplies. Jennifer had a lot to do at home and had decided at the last minute to stay behind. She kissed Brittany, an angelic child who, despite struggling with cerebral palsy, was always smiling. Then she shut the door and waved goodbye.
The car headed south in Brighton, CO, passing farms and horses. A few miles away, Vladimir Gunin, a 57-year-old Russian émigré, was driving west. He had barely eaten or slept in over a day, but had been drinking heavily. As he…