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The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
Each week, The Murder Book will present unsolved cases, missing persons, notorious crimes, controversial cases, and serial killers, exploring details of the crime scenes and the murderer's childhood. Some episodes are translated into Spanish as well. The podcast is produced and hosted by Kiara Coyle.
The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
Unraveling Columbine: The Human Impact and Investigation of Columbine Part V
Imagine discovering the fate of your loved one through a haunting newspaper photograph. We share the heartbreaking stories of families like Brian Roback, whose world was shattered by such an image, and Misty Bernard, who faced the agony of searching for answers about her daughter Cassie amidst the chaos. These personal narratives of confusion and sorrow reveal the profound impact on a community grappling with unimaginable loss. As we navigate through this emotional landscape, we reflect on the chaos and uncertainty that enveloped the families immediately after the tragedy.
Uncover the complexities of the Columbine investigation with Supervisory Special Agent Fusilier, who brought his dual expertise in law enforcement and psychology to bear on a case fraught with challenges. As detectives faced an overwhelming crime scene and initial fears of a larger conspiracy, we highlight the relentless pursuit of truth and justice. Key witnesses like Robin Anderson played pivotal roles in piecing together the story, as authorities meticulously collected evidence and confronted lingering threats of violence. Join us as we explore the emotional toll on investigators and the unwavering determination to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Welcome to the Murder Book. I'm your host, kiara, and this is Part 5 of Unraveling the Columbine Tragedy. Let's begin. The lack of bodies contributed to the problem because they were still inside the perimeter and none of the names had been released. Inside the perimeter and none of the names had been released, the school was effectively gone. Nobody but the police could get near it. It wasn't even visible from the line of police tape where everyone gathered.
Speaker 1:Students had a pretty good idea of who had been killed. All the murders had been witnessed and were were spread quickly. But so many stories had turned out to be wrong so there was a lot of doubt. Everyone seemed to have at least a few people unaccounted for, and one of the students said how can we cry when we don't know who we're crying for? And yet she had cried. She had cried most of the night, she said, and by morning she had run out of tears. No one from the service department called Brian Robo. No officer appeared on the doorstep to inform him that his son had been killed.
Speaker 1:And so the phone woke, um brian, and it was a friend calling to warn him before he pick up the, the newspaper the rock mountain uh, rocky mountain news because there was a picture. So of course brian grabbed the newspaper. He flipped past the huge heartbreak headline, the dozens of stories, the diagrams, the pictures of clenched survivors, none of whom were his boy, and he stopped at page 13. It was an overhead shot from a news shopper, but the photo filled half the page, so the subjects were large and unmistakable. Half a dozen students huddled behind a car in the parking lot with a policeman squeezed in beside them and squatting behind the wheel for cover, and his rifle mounted across the trunk, eyes to the gun sight, finger on the trigger. And there was a boy that lay unprotected on the sidewalk nearby. He was out in the open, collapsed on his side, one knee curled up toward his chest, both arms splayed motionless. The caption read his chest, both arms splayed motionless. The caption read An enormous pool of blood nearly the size of his body, stained the concrete a foot away and trickled down the crevice between two sidewalk squares. The victim was unidentified, his face blurry and almost completely obscured by the angle. But Brian Roback knew. He never turned to the next page and Danny, his son, was all Brian had. He and Sue had divorced when their son was four. Sue had remarried but Brian had not.
Speaker 1:He had his custom audio business. It was successful and he loved it. But the best part was that Danny did too. He had been tattling around the workshop since he could walk by seven. He was building wiring harnesses and running speaker wire. In junior high he started working for real weekdays after school. Brian and Sue had a friendly divorce and lived only a few blocks apart, but Danny could never get enough time with his father.
Speaker 1:The shop was such a cool hangout for a high school boy A big, greasy garage filled with power tools and $100,000 vintage cars up on blocks. Danny helped fit them with opera caliber sound systems worth more than his wealthier friend's cars. Depending on the product, the place might reek of burned rubber or prickly epoxy fumes. When Brian manned the bustle, the sweet smell of fresh-cut cherry wood wafted into the street. Danny was a natural. He loved cars and he loved sound. He liked to mess around with computer programs and was promising to take the business in a new direction, and he knew how to behave. Brian catered to some of the oldest and richest families in Colorado. Danny had grown up in their houses. He knew the drill. He was a charmer and Brian reveled in showing him off.
Speaker 1:A few months ago Danny had come to a decision. College was not for him. He would go straight into the business from Columbine, make a career out of it. Brian was ecstatic. In three years he would make his son a partner. In four weeks Danny was going to spend his first summer working at the shop full-time.
Speaker 1:Wednesday morning, as soon as he saw the picture, brian got in his car. He drove to Columbine. He stormed up to the perimeter and demanded his boy's body. The cops there said no. Not only were they not turning Danny over, they had not brought him inside. Danny was still out there lying on the sidewalk. He had weathered the elements all night. Too many bombs. The authorities said the body could be booby-trapped. Brian knew he wasn't getting a straight answer. Bomb squads had been clearing the school since Tuesday afternoon. Brian's son just wasn't a priority. Brian couldn't believe they were treating a victim's body so cavalierly. And then it began to snow. Donnie lay out on that sidewalk for 28 hours.
Speaker 1:Misty Bernard started Wednesday at 3 am. She had slept very little, drifting in and out Cassie. She was having nightmares about Cassie, trapped in the building, huddled in the dark in some closet or lying in the cold tile floor. Her daughter needed her. She's over the fence a hundred yards away. Misty thought they will not let us to get her and she's so close. She gave up and took a shower. Brad did too. They dressed and crossed the backyard.
Speaker 1:To the perimeter A cop was standing guard. Brad told him that Cassie was in there. He implored the cop give it to them straight. He said we just want to know if there is anyone still alive in there. And the cop paused and he finally said no, no one left alive. They thanked him. Misty said that they appreciated his honesty. But Misty wasn't giving up. The cop could be wrong or Cassie might be lying in a hospital, unidentified. Misty kept trying the perimeter all morning, but she was rebuffed each time. Then the parents were alerted to return to Leawood. Brad and Misty headed right over and they waited for hours.
Speaker 1:District Attorney Dave Thomas arrived around 1.30. He still had the list of the disease. It had not changed, nor had it been confirmed. The coroner required another 24 hours, so he decided to risk it. He informed the families one by one. He said I don't know how to tell you this, and this is to one of the parents by Colonel when he say this to him. He said you don't have to, it's written on your face. Misty took it hard but she didn't take it definitely Definitively. Sorry, misty took it hard but she didn't take it definitively. The DA said that Cassie was dead, but he also said it was unofficial. Hope gradually dissolved into anger. If Cassie were dead, misty wanted her body out of that library and attended to.
Speaker 1:Linda. Sanders' family awaited the news at her home by Wednesday afternoon. The house was packed with friends and relatives. Everyone knew what was coming. News crews set up a roll of cameras to capture the moment of agony and a victim's advocate told Melody, you need to be ready, be prepared to support your sister. A patrol car pulled up just before 3 pm. The deputy rang the bell and Melody let him in. Linda was still not ready to hear it and he said we have tentatively identified your husband as a victim at Columbine. Linda screamed and then she threw up.
Speaker 1:Special Agent Frank DeAngelis didn't know if he was safe yet. He woke up at his brother's house on Wednesday because he had been advised against staying at his own home. His car was sealed off inside the perimeter so an assistant principal was on his way to pick Frank up before dawn. So he was heading for meetings to figure out what to do. And what on earth were they going to do and what could he say? They were coming to hear him at 10 am.
Speaker 1:Kids, parents, teachers, anyone aching had been told to gather at Light of the World, a large Catholic church, one of the few venues large enough. They would look to him for answers. He had none. Frank had lain awake much of the night grappling with it. God give me some guidance. He prayed. Morning came and he was no closer. He was consumed with guilt. He said quote my job is to provide an environment that's safe. I let so many people down end quote Like 800 in every pew, with hundreds more students sitting at the walls.
Speaker 1:Local officials took the podium and turned, trying to console the kids who were unconsolable. The students applauded each speaker politely. Nobody was getting through. Mr D was settled for polite applause. He was hoping he wouldn't get lynched. Did he deserve to be? He had no speech, prepared, no notes. He just planned to tell them what he felt. His name was announced, he rose to approach the microphone and the crowd leaped up from the pews. They were shouting, cheering, whistling, applauding Kids who have not registered a smile or a fun, for hours were beating their palms together or pumping their fists, fighting back tears or letting them stream down their chins.
Speaker 1:Mr D buckled at the waist. He clutched his stomach and staggered around, turning his back to the audience, sobbing uncontrollably. His torso was parallel to the floor, shaking so hard. It was visible from the last row. He stood there for a full minute while the crowd refused to subside. He couldn't face them, he couldn't invite himself. It was so strange, he said later, I just couldn't control it. My body just went into convulsions. The reason I turned my back is I was feeling guilt. I was feeling shameful.
Speaker 1:He made it to the podium and began with an apology and he said quote, I'm so sorry for what had happened and for what you are feeling. End, quote. He reassured them and promised to stand by them and then he said quote, I will be there for you whenever you need it. But he refused to sugarcoat it what they were in for. He said I would like to take a wand and wipe away what you're feeling, but I can't do that. I would like to tell you those scars will heal, but they will not. His students were grateful for their candor.
Speaker 1:So many kids in Clement Park that morning would describe how tired they already were of hearing so many people tell them that everything will be all right. They knew the truth, they just wanted to hear it. Mr D ended his speech by telling them he loved them, each and every one of them. They needed to hear that too. Kids were having trouble with the parents, especially their moms, and one boy said that quote it's kind of hard for me to sit at home, like when my mom comes home. I try to stare out of the house. Lots of other boys nodded more and more, told their same stories because their mothers were so scared and the fear had not abated when they found their kids. Now they just wanted to hug them, hug them forever. Emotionally, their mothers were wildly out of sync. At first the kids needed the hugs badly. Now they needed them to stop.
Speaker 1:Most of the student body wandered the park, desperate to unload their stories. They needed adults to hear them and their parents would not do. They found their audience the press. Students were wary at first, but let the guards down quickly. Reporters seemed so understanding.
Speaker 1:Clement Park felt like an enormous confessional Wednesday. The kids would regret it. In the midst of it, a shriek pierced the media. Camp Mourners froze, unsure of what to do. More screams, different voices, same direction. Hundreds ran toward them. Students, journalists, everyone within hearing range. They found a dozen girls gathered around a single car that remained among the satellite trucks in a small lot on the edge of the park. It was Rachel Scott's car, the first girl shot dead. Rachel didn't have an assigned spot so she had parked half a mile from the school. On Tuesday no one had come to claim the car. Now it was covered front to back with flowers and candles. Messages to Rachel and Heaven had been soaked across the windows. Her girlfriends held hands and semicircled around the back of the car, sobbing uncontrollably. One girl began to sing and others followed.
Speaker 1:The Harris's and Klebold's both hired attorneys. They had good reason. The presumption of guilt quickly landed on their shoulders. Investigators didn't expect to charge them, but the public did. National polls taken shortly after the attack would identify all sorts of culprits contributing to the tragedy Violent movies, video games, goth culture, lacks, gun laws, bullies, satan. Eric did not make the list, dylan didn't. Either they were just kids. Something or someone must have led them astray. Were just kids? Something or someone must have led them astray. Wayne and Kathy and Tom and Sue were the chief suspects. They dwarfed all other causes blamed by 85% of the population in a Gallup poll. They have the additional advantage of being alive to be pursued. Their attorneys warned them to keep quiet.
Speaker 1:Neither family spoke to the press. Both released statements on Wednesday. That says, quote we cannot begin to convey our overwhelming sense of sorrow for everyone affected by this strategy. The Clebos said Our thoughts, prayers and heartfelt apologies go out to the victims, their families, friends and the entire community. Like the rest of the country, we are struggling to understand why this happened and ask that you please respect our privacy during this painful grieving period. In quote. The Harris's were more brief. They said the following quote we want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the families of all the victims and to all the community for this senseless tragedy. Please say prayers for everyone touched by these terrible events. End quote.
Speaker 1:Dylan's brother stayed home from work for several days. Byron was nearly three years older than Dylan but because of Dylan's early enrollment, just two years out of school, he was doing go-for-work at an auto dealership washing cars, shoveling snow, moving inventory around the lot. It was an entry-level job. His employers understood the need for time away and the spokesman said it's shocking for everyone. We're family here and we look out for each other. Our hearts go out to Byron, this kid's great Supervisory Special Agent Fusilier's concern Wednesday morning was the conspiracy.
Speaker 1:Everyone assumed the Columbine massacre was a conspiracy, including the cops. It was just too big, too bold and too complex for a couple of kids to half-imagine, much less pull off. This looked like the work of eight or ten people. This looked like the work of eight or ten people. Every attack of this magnitude spawns conspiracy theories, but this time they appear sound. The legacy of those theories and Jeffco's response to them would haunt the Columbine recovery in peculiar ways.
Speaker 1:Wednesday morning Fusilier entered the ghastly crime scene. Wednesday morning Fusilier entered the ghastly crime scene. The hallways were scattered with shell casings, spent pipe bombs and unexploded ornaments. Bullet holes and broken glass were everywhere. The library was soaked in blood. Most of the bodies lay under tables. Fusilier had seen carnage, but still it was awful. The sight that really stunned him was outside on the sidewalk and the lawn. Danny Robo and Rachel Scott were still out there. No one had even covered them and years later he shuddered at the memory.
Speaker 1:Agent Fusilio arrived at Columbine as an FBI agent, but he would play a more significant role as a clinical psychologist. Fusilio would play the leading role in understanding the Columbine killers. But it was luck that drove him to the case. If his son, Brian, had not been attending that high school, fusilier would not have even been assigned to the investigation. In fact it's unlikely that the FBI would have played a major role. But because Fusilier arrived on the scene, established a rapport with the commanders and offered federal support, fbi agents would play a major role on the team.
Speaker 1:Columbine was the crime of the century in Colorado and the state assembled the largest team in its history to solve it. Nearly a hundred detectives gathered in DEFCO. More than a dozen agencies loaned out their best minds. The FBI contributed more than a dozen special agents a remarkable number for a local investigation Agent. Fusilier, one of the senior psychologists in the entire bureau, headed up the FBI team. Everyone else reported to Jeff Galscate Batten, who was a brilliant detective whose work on unraveling complex white-collar crimes would serve her well. She reported to Division Chief John Kixbush, a rising star who had just been promoted to senior command. Kixbush and Fusilier each played an active daily role and consulted regularly about the overall progress of the case.
Speaker 1:The team identified 11 likely conspirators. Brooks Brown had the most suspicious story. Chris Morris had admitted to hearing about bombs. Two others matched the descriptions for third and fourth shooters. Those four perched atop the list, with D Dylan's prom date, roman Anderson, close behind.
Speaker 1:Detectives plan to question every student and teacher in Columbine, every friend, relative and associate of the killers, past or present. They have 5,000 interviews ahead of them in the next six months. 5,000 interviews ahead of them in the next six months. They would snap thousands of photographs and compile more than 30,000 pages of evidence. The level of detail was exacting. Every shell casing, bullet fragment and shotgun pellet was inventoried. 55 pages and 998 evidence ID numbers to distinguish every shard.
Speaker 1:The JFO command team hastily reserved a spot for Fusilier in the Columbine band group. The killers had made a mess of the place without setting foot inside it. Abandoned books, backpacks, sheet music, drum and instruments were strewn among the shrapnel. The door was missing, blown away by the SWAT team searching for gunmen. Much of the school looked considerably worse. Pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails had burned through stretches of carpeting and set off the sprinkler system. The cafeteria was flooded, the library unspeakable. Veteran cops have staggered out in tears. There were SWAT team people who were in Vietnam who were weeping over what they saw. The detective team was moving in. Every scrap of wreckage was evidence. They had 250,000 square feet of crime scene just on the inside. Footprints, fingerprints, stray hairs, ungotten residue could be anywhere. Crucial DNA evidence might be floating through the cafeteria and life. Explosives might still be present too.
Speaker 1:Detectives have stripped down Eric and Dylan's bedrooms, left the furniture, hauled out much of the rest. The Clevel House yielded some yearbooks, a small stack of writings, but Dylan had wiped his hard drive clean. Eric's house provided a motherlode, journals, more computer rants, an audio tape, videotaped budgets and diagrams and timelines. Eric had documented everything he would wanted us to know. Adding to the sense of urgency and conspiracy was a cryptic message suggesting more possible violence to come. Fusilier said, quote. We went scrambling for days trying to track that down. End quote.
Speaker 1:They searched the school for explosives. Again they raised the pressure on the probable conspirators. The detectives conducted 500 interviews in the first 72 hours. It was a great boost, but it got chaotic. Vatan was worried about witnesses who were growing more compromised by the hour from what they read and saw on TV. Investigators prioritized Students who had seen the shooters came first. Other detectives headed to the suspect's childhood hometowns. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1:The bodies were finally returned to the victims' families on Thursday. Most of the parents were desperate to learn how their child had died. There were plenty of witnesses, but a few were tempted to inflate their accounts and the more dramatic versions of their story tended to travel. The school set up a second official gathering for students on Thursday afternoon. The megachurches were among the only structures in the area big enough to accommodate a crowd that large, so the gathering was held at West Bowes Community Church. Crowd that large, so the gathering was held at West Bowes Community Church. This session was to be informal, just a designated place for students who wanted to find each other in one place.
Speaker 1:Mr D wasn't planning to speak until a counselor interrupted his meeting with faculty down the hall and they said Frank, they need you, you need to go out there. The students were awaiting his appearance and when he walked in they started chanting the school's rallying cry, which he had last heard at the assembly before the prom we are Columbine, we are Columbine. Each time they yelled more loudly, confidently, aggressively. Mr D had not realized until he heard them what he had been longing to draw strength from them too. He thought he was there just to provide it. This time he decided to address the tears and he said Guys, trust me, now is not the time to show your manliness. Emotion is emotion, and keeping it inside doesn't mean you're strong. That was the last time Mr D worried about crying in public.
Speaker 1:The big question facing the school was how to finish out the year. These kids needed to get back together fast, but the cops were not going to open that building for months. The administration decided to restart classes a week later at nearby Chatfield High School, columbine's traditional rival. Columbine would take over the school in the mornings and Chatfield would resume use in the afternoons. Classes would be shortened for both groups until the end of the school year. Some people suggested that the building be demolished. Some parents insisted that their kids would never set foot in that murder scene again, but others pointed out that the psychological blow of losing their high school entirely would be much worse.
Speaker 1:Reverend Bill O Mullen began preparing two funerals, john Tomlin and Lauren Townsend, who had been faithful members of the Full Hills Bible Church Bible church. When it was time for the funerals, right, the kids kept pouring into the churches. What began Tuesday night as a means to escape from their parents and find each other quickly became a habit. Night after night they returned to their churches in vast numbers, kids who had not seen an altar in years. For some it was a conscious choice to look to God in desperation, but most said it was just a place to go. The churches organized informal services at night. In the daytime they just opened their doors and gave the kids the run of the place. A handful saw a recruiting opportunity. Anyone who drove to Clement Park and stayed a few hours would find several flyers that stack under the wiper blades. We're here to listen and assist you. If you need prayer counseling, meals prepared free, hot chocolate, coffee cookies can be warm at Calvary Chapel.
Speaker 1:Eventually, investigators would escort dozens of witnesses back through the school to help recreate the attack. Mr D was first. A few days after the massacre, detectives walked him down the main hallway Dr Fusilier was with him and they passed the remnants of the trophy case and the Angelis described it exploding behind him. They proceeded down the corridor and he indicated where he had intercepted the girls' gym class. He recreated everything the shouts, the screams, the acrid smell of the smoke. None of that faced Frank DeAngelis. He was cried out by this time as stoic as the boys. He was hoping to open up.
Speaker 1:They turned the corner and Frank saw bloody smears on the carpet. He knew Dave Sanders had gone down there. He had not anticipated the stains and he said you could see the knuckle prints. He actually was on all fours and they were his knuckle prints. He was struggling. It tore me up. A trail of blood traced Dave's path around the corner and down the hall. Detectives led Frank DeAngelis to science room number three. Nothing had been disturbed and Frank recalled quote. They took me into where Dave died and there were sweatshirts there full of blood. That got to me In the science room. Frank broke down again and he turned to Fusilier. He said I was glad he was here. Most FBI guys wouldn't have done anything. And Dwayne gave. He said Dwayne, give me a hug.
Speaker 1:Aside from witnesses, the best hope for cracking the case seemed to lie in the physical evidence. The gun, first and foremost, dylan, was a minor. Eric had just turned 18. They had probably gotten help securing the weapons. Whoever turned up at the front end of those acquisitions would likely be conspirator number one.
Speaker 1:Investigators worked parallel tracks, hunting them down. Atf agents took the technical angle. They came up with a solid lifespan on the semi-automatics. Eric's carbine rifle was less than a year old. Rifle was less than a year old. It had been sold originally in Selma, alabama, and it had made its way to a gun shop in Longmont, colorado, less than an hour from Denver. They traced Dillon's Tech 9 through four different owners between 1997 and 1998, but then the records disappeared. The third owner said he had sold it to the Tanner Gun Show but had not been required to keep sales records at the time. The shotguns were a bigger problem. They were three decades old before serial numbers were required. They were impossible to trace.
Speaker 1:The bomb squad disassembled and studied the big bombs. The centerpiece of Eric's performance was a complete mess. They didn't understand explosive reactions, according to the deputy fire marshal. He said they didn't understand electrical circuitry. Officials refused to be more specific, arguing that they didn't want to give copycats any hints. The deputy marshal summarized the primary mistake as defective fusing.
Speaker 1:Detectives were having more luck working. The suspects Chris Morris had implicated Phil Duran the first day. If they could believe Morris, that could explain several guns, possibly all four. Duran was playing innocent but they knew they could crack him. And then they heard from Robin Anderson. Unloading her secret to Kelly on Tuesday night had not appeased Robin's conscience. Wednesday morning she called Zach again. This time she told him. And she told him another small lie. She said that he was the only one who knew. And then she told her mom. Robin's mom brought her down to the school.
Speaker 1:Jeffco had set up its Columbine task force inside the crime scene, headquartered in the band room. Detectives interviewed Robin with her mom by her side. Two detectives traded off questioning, one from the DA's office, one from a nearby suburbs police force. They videotaped the session and they were harsh. The first time they asked about the guns, robin visibly recoiled, according to the detective's synopsis of the videotape, and she looked to her mom for support. Did she buy the guns? They asked no, she did not.
Speaker 1:She went to the show with them, but they thought they bought the weapons. Why did they want them? She said Dylan lived out in the country so she assumed they wanted to hunt. No, they never talked about hunting people, not even as a joke. Detective asked her about the prom, the trench coat, mafia, the killer's personalities, and then returned to the guns. It was a private dealer, she said the boys paid cash. They didn't try to bargain, they just paid the asking price, somewhere around $250 to $300 a piece. No one signed anything and she never showed an ID. The shotguns had very long barrels but the dealer said they could cut them down.
Speaker 1:The detectives began to press her harder. Dylan and Eric didn't really seem like hunters, did they? And she said that Dylan lived in the mountains. There were deer all over the place and her dad owned a gun. He never used it, but he had one. Lots of people had gun collections. Eric and Dylan were into that kind of stuff. Why wouldn't they want one? She would actually ask the boys if they were going to do something stupid with the guns, she said, and they assured her they would never hurt anyone.
Speaker 1:Then they asked did Eric and Dylan tell you to keep the guns secret? And she said yes. And they asked her that didn't raise your suspicions. And she said they were underage, it was illegal. They had to hide it from their parents. Then they asked her where did they hide them? Her answer was she didn't know about Eric, but Dylan dropped him off first and Eric put his guns in the truck of his Honda, so she assumed he stashed them in the house. Later Dylan tried to hide his in his bottom dresser drawer but it was too big. He stuck it in the closet but he told her later that he cut the barrel down and made it fit in the drawer. They asked that Dylan arouse suspicions and she said no because the gun dealer had already suggested it. Robin said she never saw the guns again.
Speaker 1:The detectives moved on and they asked about a wide range of subjects. Eventually they got to the explosives. Have she has seen any? Had she helped make any? Had any of Eric and Dylan's friends assisted them? And she said no, no, and maybe Zach Heckler. Zach, why Zach? And she said well, because Zach had told her he knew more of what was going on. She told him about the call with Zach, about his admission that he knew about the pipe bombs.
Speaker 1:And the detectives say how strange. Erin and Dylan went bowling with her every week. Dylan called her every other night. They confided in her about the guns and yet they never said a word about the pipe bombs and her answer was they must not have wanted me to know. So the detectives were like come on, you're lying over and over. They mocked her about the disparity. The boys told. The boys told sack about the pipe bombs but they never told her and she said no, no, never. That's what they were like when they wanted you to know something, you knew. When they wanted you in the dark, you stayed there. They could get very secluded about it, very isolated. They kept on her. The guns were an isolated incident, she said. And Zack, he didn't know much either. He knew they were making bombs but he had no idea what they were up to. And this interrogation went on for four hours. But Robin held her ground.
Speaker 1:Bomb squads had been through the school several times and found nearly a hundred bombs of different sizes and composition. Most exploded. Some not Most were pipe bombs or crickets. But one in the cafeteria stood out. It was a big white propane tank standing upright, nearly two feet tall. It was wedged against a one-gallon gasoline can. The most ominous part was the alarm clock. There were remnants of an orange duffel bag, mostly burned away. The car bombs were also discovered with more faulty wiring. The diversionary bomb in the field was disturbing for another reason it had blown shortly after being moved, suggesting booby traps. The diversionary bomb in the field was disturbing for another reason it had blown shortly after being moved, suggesting booby traps, trip wires could be anywhere.
Speaker 1:The FBI provided a group of crime scene specialists to assist in the massive effort of documenting the evidence. At 8.15 on Thursday morning the team slugged through the cafeteria debris. Hundreds of backpacks, lunch trays and half-eaten meals had been abandoned, many of them knocked over, cinched by fire or scattered by explosions, and everything had been soaked by the sprinkler system which had run for hours. Muted pagers, buried inside the backpacks, beeped methodically alerting the kids to phone home. And as they walked an agent spotted a blue duffel bag, 10 feet from burnout orange bag with the big mom. It was bulging and sized to fit the same contraption. They walked over One of the agents' pressure pressed down so they helped over a couple of technicians. The officer was Mike Guerra, the same man who had investigated Eric Harris a year earlier. He sliced open the bag. They could see the end of a propane tank and an alarm clock that matched the other. There were still active bombs in here. How many more? They closed off the area immediately. Had the propane bombs detonated, they would have incinerated most of all of the inhabitants of the commons. They would have killed 500 people in the first few seconds, four times the toll in Oklahoma City, more than 10 worst domestic terrorist attacks in US history combined.
Speaker 1:For investigators, the big bombs changed everything the scale, the method and the motive of the attack. Above all, it had been indiscriminate. Everyone was supposed to die. Columbine was fundamentally different from other school shootings. It had not really been intended as a shooting at all. Primarily, it had been a bombing that failed. That same day, officials announced the discovery of the big bombs and their destructive powers. It instigated a new media shockwave but curiously, journalists failed to grasp the implications. Detectives let go of the targeting theory immediately. Detectives let go of the targeting theory immediately. It had been sketchy to begin with and now it was completely disproved. The media never shook it off. They saw what happened in Columbine as a shooting and the killers as outcasts, targeting jocks. They filtered every new development through that lens. Thank you for listening to the Murder Book. Next week we're going to learn more about who Dylan Claiborne and Eric Harris were. Have a great week.
