Nearly 26 years later, the Columbine High School massacre officially claimed another life.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, in a newly completed autopsy report, ruled last month’s death of Anne Marie Hochhalter, a 43-year-old paralyzed in the 1999 shooting, was a homicide.
Hochhalter died of sepsis, with complications from paraplegia due to two gunshot wounds serving as a “significant contributing factor,” Dr. Dawn B. Holmes, a forensic pathologist in the coroner’s office, wrote in the 13-page report.
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Columbine survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter remembered by family, loved ones
Holmes’ ruling that “the manner of death is best classified as homicide” means the death toll from the April 20, 1999, school shooting has increased to 13 students and one teacher. The two killers took their own lives.
Hochhalter, who died in her Westminster home on Feb. 16, was paralyzed after being shot in the back. She spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair with ongoing health issues. However, loved ones told The Denver Post after her death that despite her medical complications and grief, she never wanted to be portrayed as a victim.
Read the full story from our partners at The Denver Post.
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