The Cassie Bernall- story

Is it true that she said yes?

Cassie was not asked if she believed in God. That was Valeen Schnurr. Wounded by shrapnel, she was crying out, "God, help me" and Dylan approached her and asked her The Question. She responded in the affirmative and when he left her alone she crawled under a table and played dead for the rest of the shooting.

The only dialogue between The Boys and Cassie was when Eric banged on the table she was hiding under and said, "peekaboo."

In my opinion, Val is not talked about enough.
For all the Christian groups who like to claim that Cassie and Rachel affirmed their faith and were killed for it, I can probably count on 2 fingers the number I have seen admit that those scenarios didn't actually happen.

For what it's worth, these are the reasons I think that the evangelical groups ignore Val Schnurr:

1. Val survived.
You can't have the narrative of the satanic, evil boys hunting down and killing Christians and promote a martyr storyline if the girl who professed her faith remains alive.
And how sad is that?

2. She said no first, and then she said yes.
Multiple people, including Val, said initially when Dylan asked the question she said, "no," fearing retaliation. She then changed her answer to yes and when he asked her why, she said, "my parents taught me and I believe."
So, I guess Val isn't "enough" of a believer if she first denied her belief to try to save her own life, even though she retracted that and affirmed her faith?
And, Dylan didn't shoot her again after she said yes, which goes against the "targeting Christians" narrative.
I guess her story just isn't "good enough" for the evangelicals.

No

But she was praying with her hands on the side of her head, as I recall.

Did the Bernalls ever talk about how Val was the one asked? I feel like I read at some point they came to terms with the fact that she didn’t die that way. It’s now the Scotts that are perpetuating the whole myth for Rachel.

Don't get me wrong I feel for the Scott family and the loss of Rachal was and still is sad and devastating for their family, but it bothers me how they promote Rachel like she was the most important one lost that day.

I'm still curious to why dylan even asked the question. And whether either answer would of made him kill her. To me it seemed like side talk, or just a casual conversation with a stranger. In a way it almost seems like the boys were troubled with religious beliefs and wasn't sure what was after this life. Dylan asking Val almost seems like he is talking to his subconscious or himself, like getting outside influence on something he was thinking of.

It didn't seem like he was intending to kill her, no matter what she answered.

I always wondered too why her screaming was the one that caused him to say “shut up” and ask her that.

He sounded like he was getting upset.

joebox97 wrote:

I'm still curious to why dylan even asked the question. And whether either answer would of made him kill her. To me it seemed like side talk, or just a casual conversation with a stranger. In a way it almost seems like the boys were troubled with religious beliefs and wasn't sure what was after this life. Dylan asking Val almost seems like he is talking to his subconscious or himself, like getting outside influence on something he was thinking of.

It didn't seem like he was intending to kill her, no matter what she answered.

I think it was just a side talk, because he heard Val screaming something like "Oh my God, help me!", so in addition he just asked her if she believed in him.

Screamingophelia wrote:

Did the Bernalls ever talk about how Val was the one asked? I feel like I read at some point they came to terms with the fact that she didn’t die that way. It’s now the Scotts  that are perpetuating the whole myth for Rachel.

Don't forget Richard Castaldo. Don't we have him to thank for the stupid I'm Not Ashamed scene?

Lunkhead McGrath wrote:

Screamingophelia wrote:

Did the Bernalls ever talk about how Val was the one asked? I feel like I read at some point they came to terms with the fact that she didn’t die that way. It’s now the Scotts  that are perpetuating the whole myth for Rachel.

Don't forget Richard Castaldo.  Don't we have him to thank for the stupid I'm Not Ashamed scene?

I feel terrible for Richard Castaldo for having to go through what he went through but where on Earth did his brain conjure up the scene of Rachel affirming her faith from? Trauma? Was he half asleep and describing something he dreamed about? I think Richard's words are exactly the reason the Scott family continues to cling to that scenario. Because if it didn't happen, why would Richard say it? Where would that have even come from? It's tricky. I don't think it happened but I understand their inability to let it go.

joebox97 wrote:

I'm still curious to why dylan even asked the question. And whether either answer would of made him kill her.

The answer didn't matter to him. He just found it funny that Valeen was praying to God when God clearly didn't give a fuck about the situation.

SandraSmit19 wrote:

I feel terrible for Richard Castaldo for having to go through what he went through but where on Earth did his brain conjure up the scene of Rachel affirming her faith from? Trauma? Was he half asleep and describing something he dreamed about? I think Richard's words are exactly the reason the Scott family continues to cling to that scenario. Because if it didn't happen, why would Richard say it? Where would that have even come from? It's tricky. I don't think it happened but I understand their inability to let it go.

To my knowledge, Richard never relayed the whole "You know I do" affirmation of faith that the Scott's promote. Richard told his mother that they taunted Rachel about God and asked her if she believed. Richard's mom said he did NOT hear Rachel's answer but that she assumes Rachel said yes. The whole hair pulling and "go be with Him" seems to have come out of left field.

thelmar wrote:

SandraSmit19 wrote:

I feel terrible for Richard Castaldo for having to go through what he went through but where on Earth did his brain conjure up the scene of Rachel affirming her faith from? Trauma? Was he half asleep and describing something he dreamed about? I think Richard's words are exactly the reason the Scott family continues to cling to that scenario. Because if it didn't happen, why would Richard say it? Where would that have even come from? It's tricky. I don't think it happened but I understand their inability to let it go.

To my knowledge, Richard never relayed the whole "You know I do" affirmation of faith that the Scott's promote. Richard told his mother that they taunted Rachel about God and asked her if she believed. Richard's mom said he did NOT hear Rachel's answer but that she assumes Rachel said yes. The whole hair pulling and "go be with Him" seems to have come out of left field.

I'd like to know where he got that though. Other people that witnessed the shooting say Eric and Dylan never said anything to Rachael specifically before opening fire and killing her.

thelmar wrote:

SandraSmit19 wrote:

I feel terrible for Richard Castaldo for having to go through what he went through but where on Earth did his brain conjure up the scene of Rachel affirming her faith from? Trauma? Was he half asleep and describing something he dreamed about? I think Richard's words are exactly the reason the Scott family continues to cling to that scenario. Because if it didn't happen, why would Richard say it? Where would that have even come from? It's tricky. I don't think it happened but I understand their inability to let it go.

To my knowledge, Richard never relayed the whole "You know I do" affirmation of faith that the Scott's promote. Richard told his mother that they taunted Rachel about God and asked her if she believed. Richard's mom said he did NOT hear Rachel's answer but that she assumes Rachel said yes. The whole hair pulling and "go be with Him" seems to have come out of left field.

It is going to sound really nitpicking but Rachel did not really have any hair to pull... she had a very short cut, she cut it for the play!

It also came years later.. the whole story. It has to be frustrating for people who knew her and know so much of it is untrue and it is so easy to verify that Eric was in NONE of her classes..

thelmar wrote:

The whole hair pulling and "go be with Him" seems to have come out of left field.

Probably made up by biblethumpers using the shooting to peddle their bullshit. Or maybe it was some hack newspaper.