No Suicide

I dont know if there is a thread related to what would have happened if they didnt kill themselves .

If so we would have many more details of the story for sure .

I was wondering if they would get the death penalty if they were caught alive and well after the massacre .

Dylan would not have gotten the death penalty because he was only 17. You have to be 18 to receive the death penalty in Colorado. Prior to 2005, some states did allow execution of minors as young as 16 but Colorado was not one of them. Ever since Colorado re-instated the death penalty in 1977, the minimum age for execution (at the time of the crime) was 18. So for Dylan, they couldn't have given it to him and I doubt they would have given it to Eric either. Eric was mentally ill and on anti depressants and told his doctor he was feeling suicidal and homicidal and she didn't do anything about it. That would have definitely worked in Eric's favor. I'm not saying that I think Eric would have gotten away with murder but I do think that he would have a good arguing case about his mental health and that would have kept him off of death row.

And even if, let's say, Eric did receive the death penalty, his chances of actually being executed in the state of Colorado are pretty slim. Colorado re-instated the death penalty back in 1977 - since then, they've only executed 1 person and that was back in 1997. Right now there are only 2 or 3 people actually still on death row.

Dylan and Eric would have both been charged with first degree murder. Since Dylan couldn't receive death, he would have been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility for parole. Meaning he would spend the rest of his life in prison and if they decided not to give the death penalty to Eric, he would have had the same sentence. And they knew this. That is why they killed themselves because they knew if they were captured, they'd never be free again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I so wish Dylan had been caught and he had to live another 70 years.

Dylan would have gotten life in prison, Eric depending on his testament would have either been executed, life in prison or be submitted into a mental institution.

They'd be fat, old, insane and probably frequently in isolation like Martin Bryant.

I'd be willing to bet that if they were alive people wouldn't be anywhere near as interested now, because they would have answers from Eric and Dylan. Columbine is like the ultimate X-File, there are more questions than answers, loose ends that will never be tied up and two really complicated people at the heart of it all.

They died young, they died tragically and took a lot of people down with them. As dark as it is, it's a pretty compelling story. They needed to die to achieve their 'god like' status.

TeenSpiritColumbine wrote:

They'd be fat, old, insane and probably frequently in isolation like Martin Bryant.

I'd be willing to bet that if they were alive people wouldn't be anywhere near as interested now, because they would have answers from Eric and Dylan. Columbine is like the ultimate X-File, there are more questions than answers, loose ends that will never be tied up and two really complicated people at the heart of it all.

They died young, they died tragically and took a lot of people down with them. As dark as it is, it's a pretty compelling story. They needed to die to achieve their 'god like' status.

Eric and Dylan also coined the whole "killing yourself after the shooting spree" thing. Before they embarked on their massacre, for the most part the perpetrator survived; nowadays they mainly kill themselves.

Ivan wrote:

Eric and Dylan also coined the whole "killing yourself after the shooting spree" thing. Before they embarked on their massacre, for the most part the perpetrator survived; nowadays they mainly kill themselves.

True that. They started a trend. The boys should have sent the basement tapes to the press like they had talked about. At least with Viginia Tech we got to see what he had to say. Its not like you can ask them anything afterward.

TeenSpiritColumbine wrote:

Ivan wrote:

Eric and Dylan also coined the whole "killing yourself after the shooting spree" thing. Before they embarked on their massacre, for the most part the perpetrator survived; nowadays they mainly kill themselves.

True that. They started a trend. The boys should have sent the basement tapes to the press like they had talked about. At least with Viginia Tech we got to see what he had to say. Its not like you can ask them anything afterward.

i always wondered why they didnt send a tape to a news station before they went postal .

Perhaps they thought the tapes would be viewed regardless. They wouldn't know that Jeffco decided not to let us see.

TeenSpiritColumbine wrote:

Ivan wrote:

Eric and Dylan also coined the whole "killing yourself after the shooting spree" thing. Before they embarked on their massacre, for the most part the perpetrator survived; nowadays they mainly kill themselves.

True that. They started a trend. The boys should have sent the basement tapes to the press like they had talked about. At least with Viginia Tech we got to see what he had to say. Its not like you can ask them anything afterward.

Oh yeah. They were pioneering in a morbid way.

And [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], your comment in the last sentence made me laugh. Painfully.

I sometimes wonder if one of them was meant to post off copies to the TV stations. Told the other he'd do it on the way to the school but decided against it in case of them bottling it or the bombs not working.

The 3 Basement Tapes were found in the following locations:

Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (Camera) w/ Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - Floor of Main Level Family Room of Eric's House

Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - Top of Hutch of Eric's Desk in his bedroom

Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - Next to Eric's Bed in his bedroom

Draw_It_White wrote:

I sometimes wonder if one of them was meant to post off copies to the TV stations. Told the other he'd do it on the way to the school but decided against it in case of them bottling it or the bombs not working.

I doubt it. The bombs did fail and it didn't take long for them to improvise. Maybe just in case they didn't end up doing it because one of them would change his mind (out of fear) last minute? That's what has always been on my mind. The amount of trust they put into each other but also there must had been this fear of what if the other one chickens out. Btw. what was the thing that was found on his kitchen table/counter? I'm not sure I remember this right but I think it was a voice recorder of some kind. Was it also "destroyed"?

The nixon tape

On 6-29-99, at about 1545 hours, I removed item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] from the evidence vault.

Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is a micro cassette player containing a micro cassette tape.

Item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] was taken from the Harris residence during the execution of the search warrant on 4-20-99. This item was located on the kitchen table.

I copied the micro cassette tape after having removed it from the tape player using gloved hands. I then returned item [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to the evidence vault. A copy of the tape was provided to Investigator Kate Battan.

The micro cassette player and tape was labeled "Nixon." The voice on the beginning of the tape appears to be that of Eric Harris. The voice is familiar to me from viewing video tapes in which Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold spend a great amount of time talking.

On the micro cassette tape the male voice indicates reason why these things are happening and states it will happen in "less than nine hours now." He goes on to say, "People will die because of me," and "It will be a day that will be remembered forever."

This portion of the tape only lasts a few moments. After that there appears to be a discussion between numerous individuals, including a male voice which appears to have an oriental accent.

Thanks [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
My poor memory.

You are welcome, anytime.

Would an insanity plea have worked in their cases? I say it's doubtful.

aquillina wrote:

Would an insanity plea have worked in their cases? I say it's doubtful.

I say no. Because both boys planned this for a very long time and all the while were living normal lives to the outside world. Yes Dylan was depressed and showed "some" outward signs but for the most part no one in their lives had any idea this was brewing beneath.

If they were actually insane people would have known it.

Both would probably get the death penalty unless enough families of the victims. Dylan would certainly have been tried as an adult, as most underage killers are, and would probably recieve the same punishment as Eric. A lot of fanboys/fangirls wouldn't exist as the case would be closed