Coroner report: Columbine survivor's death ‘best classified as homicide'
Anne Marie Hochhalter, a survivor of the Columbine High School mass shooting, died on Feb. 16 at her home, according to her former principal, Frank DeAngelis. Hochhalter, 43, suffered two gunshot wounds during the massacre, where two seniors shot and killed 12 students and one teacher, then killed themselves. Another 21 people were injured by the gunfire.
Father shares impact of Thornton traveling nurse's death in Montana river
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office released a copy of her autopsy report on Wednesday.
The report stated that two gunshot wounds Hochhalter suffered in 1999, resulting in her use of a wheelchair in the 25 years since, likely turned into further issues and led to her death. The report said that Hochhalter died of 'sepsis due to Streptococcus pyogenes.'
'Complications of paraplegia due to two remote gunshot wounds are a significant contributing factor,' the report stated. 'The manner of death is best classified as homicide.'
Hochhalter's family previously said that they suspected she died of natural causes stemming from her injuries in the shooting.
Hochhalter spoke out in 2016 in support of the mother of one of the shooters who released a book reflecting on the mass shooting, especially concerning her relationship with grief and battles with shame.
Hochhalter wrote at the time in a lengthy Facebook post that she wasn't sure she would ever read the book, but said she had forgiven the mass murderer's mother.
In 2012, Hochhalter also spoke publicly in support of the families and survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
'I really hope the good stories will come out and show a community can come together just like Littleton did after Columbine,' Hochhalter said. 'I feel kind of helpless when I hear about these things and I want to help, I just don't really know how.'
'Thank God somebody reported': Parents react to Ponderosa High School bomb threat
The Associated Press reported that Hochhalter struggled with intense pain from her gunshot wounds over the past 25 years. Yet her brother said she was tireless in her drive to help others — from people with disabilities to rescue dogs and members of her family.
'She was helpful to a great many people. She was really a good human being and sister,' her brother, Nathan Hochhalter, said to The Associated Press.
Hochhalter attended the 25th anniversary vigil in April with her brother, who was trapped in a classroom during the shooting. She had not attended the 20th anniversary event because of post-traumatic stress disorder, she said in a social media post last year.
'I've truly been able to heal my soul since that awful day in 1999,' she wrote.
Others killed in the Columbine mass shooting were Rachel Scott, 17; Daniel Rohrbough, 15; William David Sanders, 47; Kyle Velasquez, 16; Steven Crunow, 14; Cassie Bernall, 17; Isaiah Shoels, 18; Matthew Kchter, 16; Lauren Townsend, 18; John Tomlin, 16; Kelly Fleming, 16; Daniel Mauser, 15; Corey DePooter, 17.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
‘American Idol' boss moved to $4.5M mansion ‘to be safe' but had a break-in just weeks before her murder
The 'American Idol' executive murdered alongside her husband in their multimillion-dollar Los Angeles home had moved there 'to be safe' — but had a break-in just weeks before they were killed during a suspected burglary, a family friend has revealed. Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70, had beefed up security at their Encino home after a perp recently broke in while they were sleeping, the close friend told Fox News. 'They added spikes to the top of the fence… They had spikes on the other side of the fence, and obviously updated their video surveillance as well. They had video surveillance already,' said the family friend, who didn't want to be otherwise identified. Advertisement 3 Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas DeLuca, are seen in an undated photo. Facebook The initial break-in was while they slept in the middle of the night, the friend said, saying it was just weeks ago. 'Their dog woke them up in the middle of the night… That's what ran them off,' the friend recalled. Advertisement 'I think they said they broke a glass and the dog started barking, and the people ran off.' After ramping up security and surveillance, the couple — 'two of the nicest people you'll ever meet' — told friends they didn't believe the suspect would show up again, the pal said. Meanwhile, it previously emerged Kaye had reached out to a private security firm in the weeks before the bloodshed amid fears for her safety. 3 Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas DeLuca were killed in their Los Angeles home on Monday. 4CRNS, WCP / BACKGRID Advertisement 3 The suspect of the murders is seen standing in front of a row of garages at a residential complex, with numerous cops surrounding him. TMZ 'She felt threatened by somebody because of somebody around their home or around their neighborhood who felt suspicious,' Kris Herzog, owner of the Bodyguard Group of Beverly Hills, told NBC Los Angeles. The couple never ended up hiring the company. Advertisement Kaye and Deluca were found dead inside their home on Monday after cops were called to carry out a welfare check. The suspect, 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian, was arrested Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear if Boodarian is also a suspect in the initial break-in just weeks before the slayings. Cops believe Boordarian had been burglarizing the home, which last sold for around $4.5 million in 2023, on July 10 while the couple were out. He allegedly opened fire on them when they returned home and busted him, police said. The couple were found four days later with gunshot wounds to the head in separate rooms — Kaye in the pantry and Deluca in a bathroom. Detectives don't believe Boordarian knew the victims.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after cease-fire goes into effect
Druze leaders and Syrian government officials reached a ceasefire deal mediated by the United States, Turkey and Arab countries. Convoys of government forces started withdrawing from the city of Sweida overnight as Syrian state media said the withdrawal was in line with the ceasefire agreement and the military operation against the Druze factions had ended. It remained unclear if the ceasefire would hold after the agreement was announced by Syria's Interior Ministry and in a video message by a Druze religious leader. A previous agreement Tuesday quickly broke down after being dismissed by prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri. Advertisement The escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province of Sweida. Government forces that intervened to restore order clashed with the Druze militias, but also in some cases attacked civilians. The Syrian government has not issued a casualty count from the clashes, but some rights groups and monitors say dozens of combatants on both sides have been killed, as well as dozens of largely Druze civilians killed in sectarian attacks. Advertisement Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, says at least 374 combatants and civilians were killed in the clashes and Israeli strikes, among them dozens of civilians killed in the crossfire or in targeted attacks against the minority group. Videos circulated on social media showed government forces and allies humiliating Druze clerics and residents, looting homes and killing civilians hiding inside their houses. Syrian Druze from Sweida told The Associated Press that several family members who were unarmed had been attacked or killed. Al-Sharaa appealed to them in his address and vowed to hold perpetrators to account. 'We are committed to holding accountable those who wronged our Druze brethren,' he said, calling the Druze an 'integral part of this nation's fabric" who are under the protection of state law and justice, which safeguards the rights of everyone without exception. The Druze community had been divided over how to approach al-Sharaa's de facto Islamist rule over Syria after largely celebrating the downfall of Bashar Assad and his family's decades-long dictatorial rule. They feared persecution after several attacks from the Islamic State militant group and al-Qaeda-affiliates the Nusra Front during Syria's 14-year civil war. While it first appeared many Druze hoped to resolve matters diplomatically, with al-Sharaa promising an inclusive Syria for all its different communities, over time they became more skeptical, especially after a counterinsurgency in the coastal province in February turned into targeted attacks against the Alawite religious minority. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Advertisement
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ex-pilot called himself messiah on climate-change mission, day before alleged hijack
The day before the suspected hijacking of a light aircraft triggered a security scare at Vancouver's airport this week, former commercial pilot Shaheer Cassim posted on social media that he was a 'messenger of Allah' sent to save humanity from climate change. A 39-year-old man with the same name has now been charged with hijacking, constituting terrorism, over the incident on Tuesday that saw Norad scramble F-15 fighter jets before the light plane safely landed. RCMP say the suspect had an 'ideological motive' and allegedly seized control of the plane at Victoria International Airport after threatening a flight instructor, before flying to Vancouver. Images posted on social media depicting the arrest of the Cessna's pilot on the north runway of YVR show a bearded man who resembles climate activist Cassim. In his Facebook post on Monday, Cassim says he's the 'messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace.' He warns of 'abrupt runaway global warming' that will cause humans to go extinct within a few years. In 2012, Cassim held a news conference before going on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness for global warming. His Facebook profile says he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island. The airline's former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, said in an interview that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent. But Lars Banke said Cassim left the airline after getting 'bored' and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end. Diana Banke said she was 'very surprised' to hear of Cassim's charges, saying he was quite young when he worked for them and was 'like a kid.' 'Something would (have to) be going on that's not normal,' Lars Banke said. 'He was, I would say, a caring person.' Diana Banke said she remembered Cassim 'doing a really long bicycle trek,' and that he brought a dog along with him. Lars Banke said he recalled that Cassim was somewhat interested in environmentalism, but he was unaware of any kind of religious beliefs. 'He never spoke religion with us,' Diana Banke said. Cassim's online posts include musings on religion, climate science, and advocacy for tolerance and peace, including a claim 'the Angel Gabriel appeared before me and gave me a message from Allah.' 'I'm really surprised that he would've done something like this,' Diana Banke said. His Facebook profile says Cassim attended high school in Lloydminster, Alta., before studying aviation at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He also describes himself as the editor of a blog devoted to the impact of climate change on the Arctic. It includes hundreds of posts since 2011, many of them highly technical, with the latest entry made on Saturday. It is titled: 'Will humans go extinct soon?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.
