Wayne Harris to Rich Long: "You trusted my son too much"

I haven't read Jeff Kass' book for a while, but I'm skipping through it now, and there are lots of fascinating little tidbits.

Here's one:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Irony of ironies.

When it comes to the hacking incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Screamingophelia wrote:

When it comes to the hacking   incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He  always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Devon wasn't suspended. She was the one who told on them. Kevin Starkey, her ex-boyfriend, was the one they targeted with the threatening letter. They also stole a history book out of his locker and Starkey had to pay for it (pg. 926). In this statement from Starkey's cousin, she said they thought Devon gave the boys Starkey's locker combo. I've always assumed she told on them because she was worried she'd get in trouble and was saving her own butt. But I don't have any proof of that.  
I agree, the hacking was mostly Dylan and Zach. I don't think Eric had a big part in it, why would he? It was Zach's GF.

thelmar wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

When it comes to the hacking   incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He  always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Devon wasn't suspended. She was the one who told on them. Kevin Starkey, her ex-boyfriend, was the one they targeted with the threatening letter. They also stole a history book out of his locker and Starkey had to pay for it (pg. 926). In this statement from Starkey's cousin, she said they thought Devon gave the boys Starkey's locker combo. I've always assumed she told on them because she was worried she'd get in trouble and was saving her own butt. But I don't have any proof of that.  
I agree, the hacking was mostly Dylan and Zach. I don't think Eric had a big part in it, why would he? It was Zach's GF.

I wonder if the time line matches up with Dylan writing that about Devon and Eric putting her on his hit list? She claims it was because Eric had a crush on her.

Dylan and Zach seemed to have forgiven her if she was the one who snitched. I remember an interview with her though and she said "what else can you do if you're bored?"

I have read this book a few times and every time I read it I sit and think about Wayne saying “you trusted my son too much”. Who would say that about their child unless they knew they were shady and getting into some bad stuff. It’s an odd statement if it’s true.

Screamingophelia wrote:

thelmar wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

When it comes to the hacking   incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He  always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Devon wasn't suspended. She was the one who told on them. Kevin Starkey, her ex-boyfriend, was the one they targeted with the threatening letter. They also stole a history book out of his locker and Starkey had to pay for it (pg. 926). In this statement from Starkey's cousin, she said they thought Devon gave the boys Starkey's locker combo. I've always assumed she told on them because she was worried she'd get in trouble and was saving her own butt. But I don't have any proof of that.  
I agree, the hacking was mostly Dylan and Zach. I don't think Eric had a big part in it, why would he? It was Zach's GF.

I wonder if the time line matches up with Dylan writing that about Devon and Eric putting her on his hit list? She claims it was because Eric had a crush on her.

Dylan and Zach seemed to have forgiven her if she was the one who snitched. I remember an interview with her though and she said "what else can you do if you're bored?"

It makes way more sense for her to be on the hit list for snitching than for her to be on it because Eric had a crush on her.

Screamingophelia wrote:

I wonder if the time line matches up with Dylan writing that about Devon and Eric putting her on his hit list? She claims it was because Eric had a crush on her.

Dylan and Zach seemed to have forgiven her if she was the one who snitched. I remember an interview with her though and she said "what else can you do if you're bored?"

July 23, 1997 is when Dylan wrote that he wouldn't mind killing Devon.
pg. 26336 is the paper signed by Dean Peter Horvath that said Eric would be suspended for 3 days for hacking into the computers and accessing peoples' lockers. The date on this is 10/2/97; he was suspended for 10/3, 10/6, and 10/7.

I don't know when she made Eric's hit list.

I also found this from the statement of Dean Chris Mikesell, pg. 5749
Mrs. Mikesell said that she recalled an incident sometime in the fall of 1997 involving Harris, Klebold, Zach Heckler, Devon Adams, and another student. She said that Heckler, Harris, and Klebold had been suspended over a situation where the three had hacked into the school’s computer system and obtained the combinations to the student lockers. Mrs. Mikesell said that Devon Adams had come to her concerned about a 9th grader who was being harassed. Apparently someone was taping harassing notes inside his locker and the student’s books were stolen.

She doesn't say that Devon told her specifically that it was Zach, Eric, and Dylan. I guess I just inferred that she did. But in Rich Long's statement he said that one of the harassing notes said something about "I'm going to kill you if you ever bother my girlfriend again," so even if Devon didn't specifically name the boys it wouldn't be hard to figure out that Kevin Starkey and Devon had previously dated and that she had moved on to dating Zach, making Zach a prime suspect.

SenSpiritedAway wrote:

I have read this book a few times and every time I read it I sit and think about Wayne saying “you trusted my son too much”. Who would say that about their child unless they knew they were shady and getting into some bad stuff. It’s an odd statement if it’s true.

It is an odd statement, and I do wonder if it's true.
I think it could probably have a few interpretations but the underlying message is that it's the teacher's fault for what Eric did. Like, if you hadn't put so much faith in him, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to get in trouble, so his screw up is on your head.
This, in my mind, actually fits with what we know of how Wayne Harris seemed to handle things. All those comments in his notebook about Judy Brown over-reacting to a minor incident, Brooks being a manipulative con artist, etc., are consistent with him pushing the blame onto other people and trying to lessen the bad things that Eric did.

I wish we knew if this interaction actually took place.

hvernon wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

thelmar wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

When it comes to the hacking   incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He  always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Devon wasn't suspended. She was the one who told on them. Kevin Starkey, her ex-boyfriend, was the one they targeted with the threatening letter. They also stole a history book out of his locker and Starkey had to pay for it (pg. 926). In this statement from Starkey's cousin, she said they thought Devon gave the boys Starkey's locker combo. I've always assumed she told on them because she was worried she'd get in trouble and was saving her own butt. But I don't have any proof of that.  
I agree, the hacking was mostly Dylan and Zach. I don't think Eric had a big part in it, why would he? It was Zach's GF.

I wonder if the time line matches up with Dylan writing that about Devon and Eric putting her on his hit list? She claims it was because Eric had a crush on her.

Dylan and Zach seemed to have forgiven her if she was the one who snitched. I remember an interview with her though and she said "what else can you do if you're bored?"

It makes way more sense for her to be on the hit list for snitching than for her to be on it because Eric had a crush on her.

a

Agreed. She claims she was super close almost besties with Rachel which wasn't the case but not because Devon didn't want to be. She was much closer with Dylan. I think Devon like a lot of teenage girls wanted to be well liked. Also my sister said the aftermath of the shkpptomgs were brutal. Suddenly everyone had been bffs with all the victims and those who had been friends or even associated with Dylan and or Eric were vilified to the point some weren't allowed at Chatfield when classes restarted and students created petitions against students that had been allowed back but people thought had been too friendly with them before even though they clearly hadn't been involved like some of the high achieving girls that took German with them and who after weren't even saying positive things they had just refused to take part on the overt insults and negativity and overkill rumors. My sister who had been a varsity pom captain, who dated varsity basketball and football guys, was a youth group lesder, who everyone knew had been super close with Rachel since Dutch Creek (elementary) and in my sisters own words was 'a preppy stuck up bitch' was afraid to even try to discuss feeling conflicted about the monster who killed her best friend and the nice kid she talked to every morning in 7th grade waiting for the bus together for fear of being called a sympathizer, being shunned or worse being mentioned to a journalist or police as someone who stood up for the two monsters or even who was glad it happened or worse helped somehow. She couldn't trust even the closest friends she had left, she said Rachel would have been the only one and of course that wasn't possible. She wrote Ietters to her in her diary at first but got paranoid and stopped, soon after beginning to party and drink to try to stop thinking about all her feelings from the shooting completely. Especially losing Rachel.

She said that paranoia and groupthink extended beyond Eric and Dylan to anything said about the victims or by the closest witnesses that had been picked up by the news and accepted as fact by students who exaggerated it as it passed around which was picked up by the news again and so on and so forth creating a huge echo chamber for the students rumor mill to be legitimized as fact by the public and the student body watching. Then when students were interviewed by more journalists or later on for most, the police, these rumors were restated as factual and very few mentioned they hadnt witnessed whatever it was first hand but had heard it on the news or as fac. That's why to this day there's so many people who still believe things were covered up beyond what was, with people using multiple student witness statements as if that's proof on it's own. The third shooter for example
Even today alumni, who while there, didnt see anything and ever since have based their beliefs on what was already an active rumor mill at Columbine on over drive, repeat some of the things disproven 20 years ago as fact like Cassie Bernall was shot after she was asked if she believed in God and she said yes.

That student wide enforcement of a status quo didnt just shut my sister up about Eric, it's why she never spoke up against Craig. He was the one who said Cassie said yes. The only two witnesses who were close to Cassie and witnesses the whole thing, Bree and Emily were too afraid to contradict him even though they saw that he was wrong and either mistaken or lying. When Val the girl who had been asked that and said yes but then no and wavered back and forth and then was asked why and said
because her parents raised her that way who while injured survived, reported that to the police and a few news agencies picked the story up, kids got nasty. She was in the hospital and didnt come back to school but even by the late summer fall when it blew up people said she was lying and she was jealous. it was insane.

So my sister said in no way would she call out Craig or what the Scott's said about Rachel or anything being publicized as fact that wasn't true. She was harsh on herself for a long time after for in her words being "'weak... a
coward" and being concerned about popularity and not being disliked instead of being able to talk through her conflicted feelings that involve anything other than Eric being an irredeemable soulless monster and anyone who didnt 100% or had been visibly friendly with either before no matter what they said after were equally as evil. as well have been one of the shooters themselves they were that bad. Anyone who questioned the victims families or the original statements of witnesses especially in the library was either a pathetic attention seeker or had no respect at all for the memories of those who had passed. A decade later when Danny R's dad was still president for CO Right to Life it was impossible to debate with him on reproductive rights because he and his supporters would pull the Columbine card, how dare you ne so nasty to a man whose son was killed at Columbine. The Mausers tried to ban his statement blaming abortion for the shootings to be part of the permanent memorial and were not just overruled they were further ostracized from the group of victims parents who almost all were conservative evangelicalism Christian of varying degrees.

Thus Darryl became the ultimate father, the Scott's the ultimate family, Rachel a radically devout Christian of her parents exact conservative evangelical beliefs and whose every belief and action was staunchly Christian for example she didnt just want to be an actress she wanted to be a Christian actress with a Christian theater company and who didn't just believe in kindness she wanted to be missionary and convert everyone through this kindness who then broadcast this unrelenting faith nonstop to everyone and and anyone she ever came in contact with and as a result was looked down on and made fun of by all of her former friends who cut her off but would rather have Jesus in her life than friends and Craig became a hero who stood up to the shooters and saved multiple lives, a popular jock (instead of a wannabe underclassman), who was really close to Rachel and admired her (instead of making fun of her clothes, her hobbies, her friends and her as a person like the rest of the family did to a lesser degree)

It was all untrue but speaking out especially in the immediate aftermath continuing for a couple of years the Columbine community enforced a party line of sorts that was developed right in the beginning, where supposed truths were based on rumors and then added onto the same way and then became facts that because the only acceptable belief. Very few places would that have happened at all or at least to the extent and intensity that it did except for in the Littleton/unincorporated Jeffco area, that's homogeneous, solidly middle class even more well off in the late 90, extremely conservative evangelical Christian that valued conformity and had enough bullying already to enforce it.

milennialrebelette wrote:

hvernon wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

thelmar wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

When it comes to the hacking   incident I still don’t know how much Eric was involved in it. He  always seemed very perioheral But I think Devon And Zack were suspended two. I don’t know why I remember Devon being involved in it

Devon wasn't suspended. She was the one who told on them. Kevin Starkey, her ex-boyfriend, was the one they targeted with the threatening letter. They also stole a history book out of his locker and Starkey had to pay for it (pg. 926). In this statement from Starkey's cousin, she said they thought Devon gave the boys Starkey's locker combo. I've always assumed she told on them because she was worried she'd get in trouble and was saving her own butt. But I don't have any proof of that.  
I agree, the hacking was mostly Dylan and Zach. I don't think Eric had a big part in it, why would he? It was Zach's GF.

I wonder if the time line matches up with Dylan writing that about Devon and Eric putting her on his hit list? She claims it was because Eric had a crush on her.

Dylan and Zach seemed to have forgiven her if she was the one who snitched. I remember an interview with her though and she said "what else can you do if you're bored?"

It makes way more sense for her to be on the hit list for snitching than for her to be on it because Eric had a crush on her.

a

Agreed. She claims she was super close almost besties with Rachel which wasn't the case but not because Devon didn't want to be. She was much closer with Dylan. I think Devon like a lot of teenage girls wanted to be well liked. Also my sister said the aftermath of the  shkpptomgs were brutal. Suddenly everyone had been bffs with all the victims and those who had been friends or even associated with Dylan and or Eric were vilified to the point some weren't allowed at Chatfield when classes restarted and students created petitions against students that had been allowed back but people thought had been too friendly with them before even though they clearly hadn't  been involved like some of the high achieving girls that took German with them and who after weren't even saying  positive things they had just refused to  take  part on the overt insults and negativity and overkill rumors.  My sister  who had been a varsity pom captain, who dated varsity basketball and football guys, was a youth group lesder, who everyone knew had been super close with Rachel since Dutch Creek (elementary) and in my sisters own words was 'a preppy stuck up bitch' was afraid to even try to discuss feeling conflicted about the monster who killed  her  best friend and the nice kid she talked to every morning in 7th grade waiting for the bus together for fear of being called a sympathizer, being shunned or worse being mentioned to a journalist or police as someone who stood up for the two monsters or even who was glad it  happened or worse helped somehow. She couldn't trust even the closest  friends she had left, she said Rachel would have been the only one and of course that wasn't possible. She wrote Ietters to her in her diary at first but got paranoid and stopped, soon after beginning to party and  drink to try to stop thinking about all her feelings from the shooting completely. Especially losing Rachel.

She said that paranoia and groupthink extended beyond Eric and Dylan to anything said about the victims or by the closest witnesses that had been picked up by the news and accepted  as fact by students who exaggerated it as it passed around which was picked up by the news again  and so on and  so  forth creating a huge echo chamber  for the students rumor mill to be  legitimized as fact by the public and the student body watching. Then when students were interviewed by more journalists or later on for most, the police, these rumors were restated as factual and very few mentioned they hadnt witnessed whatever it was first hand but had heard it on the news  or as fac.  That's why to this day there's so many people who still believe things were covered up beyond what was, with people  using multiple student  witness  statements as if  that's proof on it's own. The third shooter for example
Even today alumni, who while there, didnt see anything and ever  since have based their beliefs on  what was already an active rumor mill at Columbine on over drive, repeat some of the things disproven 20 years ago as fact like Cassie Bernall was shot after she was asked if she  believed in God and she said yes.

That student wide enforcement of a status quo didnt just shut my sister up about Eric, it's why she never spoke up against Craig. He was the one who said Cassie said yes. The only two witnesses who were close to Cassie and witnesses the whole thing, Bree and Emily were too afraid to contradict him  even though they saw that he was wrong and  either mistaken or lying. When Val the girl who had been asked that and said yes but then no and wavered back and forth and then was asked why and said
because  her parents raised her that way who while injured survived, reported that to the police  and  a few news agencies picked the story up, kids got nasty. She was in the hospital and didnt come back to school  but  even  by the late summer fall when it blew up people said she was lying and she was jealous. it was insane.

So my sister said in no way would she call out Craig or what the Scott's said about Rachel or anything being publicized as fact that wasn't true. She was harsh on herself for a long time after for in her words being "'weak... a  
coward" and being concerned about popularity and not being disliked instead of being able to talk through her conflicted feelings that involve anything other than Eric being an irredeemable soulless monster and anyone who didnt 100% or had been visibly friendly with either before  no matter what they said after were equally as evil. as well have been one of the shooters themselves they were that bad. Anyone who questioned the victims families or the  original statements of witnesses especially in the library was  either a pathetic attention seeker or had no respect at  all  for  the memories of  those who had passed. A decade later when  Danny R's dad was still  president for CO Right to Life it was impossible to debate with him on reproductive rights because he and his supporters would pull the Columbine card, how  dare you ne  so  nasty to a man whose son was killed at Columbine. The Mausers tried to ban his statement blaming abortion for the shootings to be part of the  permanent memorial and  were not just overruled they  were further ostracized from the group of victims parents who almost all were conservative evangelicalism Christian of varying degrees.

Thus Darryl became the ultimate father, the Scott's the ultimate family, Rachel a radically devout Christian of her  parents exact conservative evangelical beliefs and whose every belief and action was staunchly Christian for example she didnt just want to be an actress she wanted to be a Christian actress with a Christian theater company and who didn't just believe in kindness she wanted to be   missionary and convert everyone through this kindness who then broadcast this unrelenting faith nonstop to everyone and and anyone she ever came in contact with and as a result was looked down on and  made fun of by all of her former friends who cut her off but would rather  have Jesus in her life than friends and Craig became a hero who stood  up  to the shooters and saved multiple lives, a popular jock (instead  of a  wannabe underclassman), who was really close to Rachel and admired her (instead of making fun of her clothes, her hobbies, her friends and her as a  person like the rest of the family did to a lesser degree)

It was all untrue but speaking out especially in the immediate aftermath continuing for a couple of years the Columbine community enforced a party line of sorts that was  developed right in the beginning, where supposed truths were  based on rumors and then added onto the same way and then became facts that because  the only acceptable belief. Very few places would that have happened at all or at least to the extent and intensity that it did except for in the Littleton/unincorporated Jeffco area, that's homogeneous, solidly middle class even more well off in the late 90, extremely conservative evangelical Christian that valued conformity and had enough bullying already to enforce it.

I always found people that age so many people were your "best friend" especially if you did theatre together and you were around each other a lot... 

I think when people die in this way too, they are looked at so differently than who they really were. 

There was a scene in Veronica Mars after kids died in a bus crash and one of the characters was listening to this really popular girl talking about his friend and how close they were and just shook his head because he knew they didn't hang out in the same circle what so ever. 

Also what you said about Val, it reminds me of something Yumeko, here on the board said and I am paraphrasing, I haven't seen her around in a bit.. so I don't want to quote her out of turn, but she was in the library and at some point, if you were not injured, you were nothing. Regardless of what you saw that day or who you lost.  Have you read the book "That's not what happened' it is loosely based on Val and Cassie and what happened that day, and I thought it was compelling, it's fictional and a fictional shooting, but I thought it was an interesting story about surviving a shooting, it even touches on internet true crime boards like this! 


This is another reason I am often REALLY hesitant to believe people who are really open about knowing Eric and Dylan (especially online, but I had a Lyft driver once just start talking about how he worked with Eric when we drove by the school on the way into the city proper) other than Brooks, people like Nate, Zach and Robyn don't talk a lot about them in public. 

I know my friend went to Chatfield with the other kids and graduated with the class. She said she used to lie about where she went to school when she went to college, but she's never talked to me a lot about the dynamics after... I feel like she was in her own world almost after, but that is just me, I let her bring it up if she wants to but I rarely ask her anything. She said I could, but I always feel weird. 

I think Mr. D mentioned that at the 20th anniversary, about how he really regretted how the class of 1999 had to go off on their own without the Columbine community.

Oh wow, what a fascinating topic. I remember reading it in Kass' book. As far as i understand, Eric and his father really liked Rich Long. He was military, so they had something in common. And he really liked Eric. He was trying to get him internship in some computer company when Eric, Dylan and Zach got caught hacking into school files. Long never trusted Eric after that, and it really hurt Eric. Maybe he didn't think he was as guilty as other two, or maybe he really wasn't (it seems like Zack is the only one who actually use their acccess to other student's locker's for his purposes, no information about Dylan or Eric doing anything with that knowledge). I doubt Wayne Harris helped with his bizarre accusations. But it definitely shows one thing - Wayne really really REALLY loved his difficult troubled son. Maybe too much. He was always on his side. ALWAYS.
Anyway, it seems like Eric hated Rich Long ever since. Eric Veik talked about working with Eric Harris on some sort of video project, where they were supposed to pretend to be teachers giving interviews, and Eric pretended to be Rich Long, and it was so negative that Veik got uncomfortable.