Columbine Victim’s Death Due to Health Issues Linked to 1999 School Shooting Classified as Homicide

DENVER—The passing of a woman who was partially disabled due to the Columbine High School shooting has been classified as a homicide, increasing the fatality count of the 1999 incident to 14.

Anne Marie Hochhalter succumbed to sepsis—a response to infection—and complications stemming from her paralysis were deemed a “significant contributing factor” in her death, as indicated by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office in an autopsy report released on Thursday. She was 43 years old.

Initially, her family and friends believed her death was linked to natural causes arising from her injuries sustained during the shooting, which resulted in the immediate deaths of 12 students and one teacher. The two student shooters took their own lives. Due to the suspected role of her paralysis in her passing, the investigation was handed over to the office that previously reviewed the fatalities from the school shooting.

Nathan Hochhalter, her brother, stated that a pressure sore, a common issue for individuals living with paralysis, led to sepsis. He acknowledged that he anticipated his sister’s life would be shorter due to her paralysis, but her premature death came as a shock.

“We didn’t think it would be this dire this early,” he expressed.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Hochhalter faced severe pain from her gunshot wounds but relentlessly worked to manage the complications of her injuries and maintain an optimistic outlook, as described by family and friends. They noted her unwavering commitment to assist others, particularly those with disabilities and members of her family, alongside her passion for dogs.

Hochhalter opted to forgive the mother of one of the assailants, expressing in a 2016 letter to Sue Klebold: “A good friend once told me, ‘Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill and expecting the other person to perish.’ It only inflicts harm on yourself. I have forgiven you and wish you only the best.”

Her own misfortune deepened six months post-shooting, when her mother, Carla Hochhalter, took her own life. Anne Marie Hochhalter noted that her mother suffered from depression and did not consider the shooting to be a direct cause of her mother’s demise.

Following her mother’s death, she became the “acquired daughter” of a family who also lost a child in the Columbine shooting, Lauren Townsend. Sue Townsend, Lauren’s stepmother, reached out to support Hochhalter in her grief, leading to Hochhalter frequently joining their family for dinners and vacations.

“She brought a light to our lives that will shine for a long time,” said Townsend.

Hochhalter participated in a vigil commemorating the 25th anniversary of the shooting last year, after having missed a similar event five years earlier due to post-traumatic stress disorder, as she detailed in a social media post.

This time, she reported being overwhelmed with fond memories from her childhood and emphasized her desire for the deceased to be remembered for how they lived rather than how they died.

“I’ve truly been able to heal my soul since that tragic day in 1999,” she shared.

By Colleen Slevin