Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

Columbine High School Massacre (Part II)

Search warrant press conference

Also on April 30, high-rankingofficials of Jefferson County (Jeffco) and the Jeffco Sheriff'sOffice met to decide if they should reveal that Michael Guerra haddrafted an affidavit for a search warrant of Harris's residence morethan a year before the shootings, based on his previous investigationof Harris's website and activities. Since the affidavit's contentslacked the necessary probable cause, they decided not to disclosethis information at a press conference held on April 30, nor did theymention it in any other way.

Over the next two years, Guerra'soriginal draft and investigative file documents were lost. InSeptember 1999, a Jeffco investigator failed to find the documentsduring a secret search of the county's computer system. A secondattempt in late 2000 found copies of the document within the Jeffcoarchives. Their loss was termed "troubling" by agrand jury convened after the file's existence was reported in April2001. It was concealed by the Jeffco Sheriff's Office and notrevealed until September 2001, resulting from an investigation by theTV show 60 Minutes. The documents were reconstructed and released tothe public, but the original documents are still missing. The finalgrand-jury investigation was released in September 2004.

Christian martyrdom

In the wake of the shooting, victimsRachel Scott and Cassie Bernall came to be regarded as Christianmartyrs by Evangelical Christians. Christian churches used themartyr narrative of Scott's and Bernall's deaths to promotethemselves and recruit members.

The closest living witness to Scott'sdeath, Richard Castaldo, once claimed Harris asked Scott if shebelieved in God, and murdered her after she answered "Youknow I do," but this appears to be untrue.

Considerable media attention focusedupon Bernall, who had been killed by Harris in the library and whoHarris was reported to have asked, "Do you believe in God?"immediately prior to her murder. Bernall was reported to haveresponded "Yes" to this question before her murder.Emily Wyant, the closest living witness to Bernall's death, deniedthat Bernall and Harris had such an exchange. Joshua Lapp thoughtBernall had been queried about her belief, but was unable tocorrectly point out where Bernall was located, and was closer tosurvivor Valeen Schnurr during the shootings. Likewise, anotherwitness, Craig Scott, claimed the discussion was with Bernall.However, when asked to indicate where the conversation had beencoming from, he pointed to where Schnurr was shot. Schnurr herselfclaims that she was the one questioned as to her belief in God.

We are Columbine

Classes at Columbine were held atnearby Chatfield Senior High for the remaining three weeks of the1999 school year. In August 1999, students returned to the school,and principal Frank Deangelis led a rally of students clad in "Weare Columbine" shirts.

Secondary casualties

Six months after the shootings, AnneMarie Hochhalter's mother killed herself. Several former studentsand teachers suffer from PTSD. Greg Barnes, a student who witnessedSanders get shot, committed suicide in May 2000. Survivor AustinEubanks, who was injured during the shooting, became heavilymedicated, developing an opioid addiction. Eventually overcoming andlater speaking publicly about the addiction, Eubanks died from anaccidental overdose in 2019 at the age of 37.