The parents of virgin killer Elliot Rodger have said it is 'hell on earth' knowing that their son is responsible for so much heartbreak in their first formal statement. 'We are crying in pain for the victims and their families,' Peter and Chin Rodger said in a statement that was read by family friend Simon Astaire on Good Morning America on Thursday. 'It breaks our heart on a level that we didn't think possible. The feeling of knowing that it was our son's actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as hell on earth.' Astaire spoke about the Rodgers six days after their son stabbed three male students in his home - including two of his roommates - before gunning down two female students and another male. Scroll down for video . Statement: Simon Astaire, a family friend of Chin and Peter Rodger, read out a statement on their behalf on Good Morning America last week, saying that they are 'crying in pain' for the victims and their families . 'They have literally diminished in size,' Astaire, a long-time family friend and British author, said. 'They are crippled in pain. Every part of it is talking about [the other victims], not their son.' He explained that they were always worried that their troubled son would kill himself but after they received his 140-page manifesto - in which he detailed his plan for 'retribution' after girls failed to show any interest in him - last Friday, they realized that others might be in danger too. '[Chin] read the first four lines and she knew something was wrong,' Astaire said. She then clicked on his YouTube page and found terrifying videos in which he outlined his plan to 'slaughter' women. She called his father, Peter, from whom she is divorced. They realized they had to get to Santa Barbara as soon as possible and jumped in their cars. But during the drive, Chin heard about the massacre involving a black BMW - the one his mother had bought him - on the radio, Astaire said. Heartbroken: It is claimed Rodger's father Peter, pictured, is concerned about his son's use of anxiety drugs . Ripped apart: Peter Rodger is pictured left with . his daughter Georgia. Right, Georgia and her mother, Chin. The parents . are said to be more devastated about the six other victims than about . the death of their own son . The friend added that he had known Rodger most of his life but always thought he was an awkward child, who would shake whenever he was approached. 'I thought he was the loneliest person I've ever seen in my life,' he said. 'He fooled everyone for a very long time. He was a tragic figure. He is in many ways a monster.' Astaire's interview comes three days after he spoke to MailOnline and said that the parents were grieving more for the other victims than they were their own son. 'It is incredibly hard to be in their . company, because they are so distraught,' he said at the time. 'It is hard to be near them . because they are so devastated.' He also . insisted his friends had done everything they possibly could to avert . the massacre, from taking him to doctors to racing to the campus in a . bid to stop him. Killer: Elliot Rodger, pictured, stabbed three friends and gunned down three other students in California . Since the . shocking incident it has been revealed that police had contact with . Rodger three times while he was living in Isla Vista, but they failed to . see any warning signs. On one occasion, a family member called and asked officers to check on Rodger because they were worried about his mental state. In . his warped 141-page manifesto, he describes the incident, saying: 'If . they had demanded to search my room ... (t)hat would have ended . everything. For a few horrible seconds, I thought it was all over.... [T]he police would have searched my room, found all of my guns and . weapons, along with my writings about what I plan to do with them. 'I would have been thrown in jail, denied of the chance to exact revenge on my enemies. I can't imagine a hell darker than that.' Victims: Rodger's first victims included his roommates Weihan Wang, left, and Cheng Yuan Hong, right . Gunned down: George Chen, left, was also found . stabbed to death in their home - although he did not live at the house - . while Rodgers gunned down Chris Michael-Martinez, right, when he opened . fire at a deli . Loss: Katie Cooper, left, and Veronika Weiss . were standing outside a sorority house when they were shot . But . Rodger’s parents don't blame the authorities at all. Mr Astaire said: . 'They don't place any blame on the police, because Elliot fooled . everyone, no one knew the man he was turning into. 'He . seemed a sensitive guy, there was nothing aggressive about him, there . was no anger. No one recognizes the person portrayed in the manifesto. He didn’t act in that way, he was just in his own world. He didn’t once . speak about guns. 'If . you look at the amount of therapists they took him to, it is clear he . did all he could. He's writing with anger, but he constantly references . how they tried to make him feel better.' Sadness: Students mourn the victims who were killed by Rodger in a candlelit vigil .
Peter and Chin Rodger are 'crying in pain' for their son's six victims and their families, they said in a statement that was released by a friend .
The friend, author Simon Astaire, said they are only talking about the loss of the six victims, rather than their son Elliot .
On the day of the killings, his parents rushed to find him after receiving his manifesto but heard about his shooting spree on the radio .
The parents of virgin killer Elliot Rodger have said it is 'hell on earth' knowing that their son is responsible for so much heartbreak in their first formal statement. 'We are crying in pain for the victims and their families,' Peter and Chin Rodger said in a statement that was read by family friend Simon Astaire on Good Morning America on Thursday. 'It breaks our heart on a level that we didn't think possible. The feeling of knowing that it was our son's actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as hell on earth.' Astaire spoke about the Rodgers six days after their son stabbed three male students in his home - including two of his roommates - before gunning down two female students and another male. Scroll down for video . Statement: Simon Astaire, a family friend of Chin and Peter Rodger, read out a statement on their behalf on Good Morning America last week, saying that they are 'crying in pain' for the victims and their families . 'They have literally diminished in size,' Astaire, a long-time family friend and British author, said. 'They are crippled in pain. Every part of it is talking about [the other victims], not their son.' He explained that they were always worried that their troubled son would kill himself but after they received his 140-page manifesto - in which he detailed his plan for 'retribution' after girls failed to show any interest in him - last Friday, they realized that others might be in danger too. '[Chin] read the first four lines and she knew something was wrong,' Astaire said. She then clicked on his YouTube page and found terrifying videos in which he outlined his plan to 'slaughter' women. She called his father, Peter, from whom she is divorced. They realized they had to get to Santa Barbara as soon as possible and jumped in their cars. But during the drive, Chin heard about the massacre involving a black BMW - the one his mother had bought him - on the radio, Astaire said. Heartbroken: It is claimed Rodger's father Peter, pictured, is concerned about his son's use of anxiety drugs . Ripped apart: Peter Rodger is pictured left with . his daughter Georgia. Right, Georgia and her mother, Chin. The parents . are said to be more devastated about the six other victims than about . the death of their own son . The friend added that he had known Rodger most of his life but always thought he was an awkward child, who would shake whenever he was approached. 'I thought he was the loneliest person I've ever seen in my life,' he said. 'He fooled everyone for a very long time. He was a tragic figure. He is in many ways a monster.' Astaire's interview comes three days after he spoke to MailOnline and said that the parents were grieving more for the other victims than they were their own son. 'It is incredibly hard to be in their . company, because they are so distraught,' he said at the time. 'It is hard to be near them . because they are so devastated.' He also . insisted his friends had done everything they possibly could to avert . the massacre, from taking him to doctors to racing to the campus in a . bid to stop him. Killer: Elliot Rodger, pictured, stabbed three friends and gunned down three other students in California . Since the . shocking incident it has been revealed that police had contact with . Rodger three times while he was living in Isla Vista, but they failed to . see any warning signs. On one occasion, a family member called and asked officers to check on Rodger because they were worried about his mental state. In . his warped 141-page manifesto, he describes the incident, saying: 'If . they had demanded to search my room ... (t)hat would have ended . everything. For a few horrible seconds, I thought it was all over.... [T]he police would have searched my room, found all of my guns and . weapons, along with my writings about what I plan to do with them. 'I would have been thrown in jail, denied of the chance to exact revenge on my enemies. I can't imagine a hell darker than that.' Victims: Rodger's first victims included his roommates Weihan Wang, left, and Cheng Yuan Hong, right . Gunned down: George Chen, left, was also found . stabbed to death in their home - although he did not live at the house - . while Rodgers gunned down Chris Michael-Martinez, right, when he opened . fire at a deli . Loss: Katie Cooper, left, and Veronika Weiss . were standing outside a sorority house when they were shot . But . Rodger’s parents don't blame the authorities at all. Mr Astaire said: . 'They don't place any blame on the police, because Elliot fooled . everyone, no one knew the man he was turning into. 'He . seemed a sensitive guy, there was nothing aggressive about him, there . was no anger. No one recognizes the person portrayed in the manifesto. He didn’t act in that way, he was just in his own world. He didn’t once . speak about guns. 'If . you look at the amount of therapists they took him to, it is clear he . did all he could. He's writing with anger, but he constantly references . how they tried to make him feel better.' Sadness: Students mourn the victims who were killed by Rodger in a candlelit vigil .
The parents of virgin killer Elliot Rodger have for the victims and their families,' Peter and Chin Rodger said in a statement that was read by Simon Astaire, a family friend of Chin and Peter are 'crying in pain' for the victims and their kill himself but after they received his 140-page mother had bought him - on the radio, Astaire said to be more devastated about the six other