Eric mocking Rachel before kill shot

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube. He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God. I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her. He no longer remembers this. Have any witnesses confirmed this? Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

I always was under the impression that Eric shot at them from a distance and then shot Rachael again up close.

In short, myth.

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

The closest witness to the murder of Rachel Scott was Richard Castaldo. Here is his witness statement in regard to his and Rachel's shootings.

RC advised the investigators he was seated on the grass near the sidewalk facing the dumpsters and looking towards the Clement park area to the west of the school.
RC advise the investigators that while he and RACHEL SCOTT were eating lunch he observed to males out of the corner of his eye. He advised the two males were to his left side. He advised he did not know either of the males and did not know their names. RC then identified the two males as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

 RC advised the two males were standing on what he believed was a corner of grass near the top of the stairs just prior to where the stairs began descending down towards the parking lot. RC advised at one point he observed an object being thrown by one of the males. He was not in a position to observe with male threw it. The object was approximately the size of a football and sparks were emanating from the object and it was making noises like a fire cracker.


 RC advised that after the object had been thrown he remembers hearing what he believed to be shooting from a firearm. He advised he does not know which of the two males may have been shooting or if both males may have been shooting. RC advised he can only recall that the shooting was coming from the direction of the two males he had previously observed.


RC advised that as the shooting began he felt what he believed to be bullets hitting him. He advised he was sitting down and he fell backwards and laid on his back. RC advised he believes he had taken all of the shots by the time he had fallen over on his back. RC advised the suspects may have thought he was dead since he does not recall feeling that he was being shot by more bullets after falling over.

RC advised the investigators after he had fallen over he recalled hearing noises while he was laying on the ground. RC advised he does not recall all the noises he heard but that it was noisy and he remembers RACHEL SCOTT crying.

 Investigator Eaton asked RC if he had his eyes open and was watching what was taking place or if he had his eyes closed. RC advised Eaton that he remembers a little of both. RC advised Eaton he recalls having his eyes open for a short period of time though not being able to see what was taking place at this point.
 RC advised that he believed RACHEL SCOTT had also been shot. 


RC advised after he was shot he didn't see the two males for a short period of time. He advised it felt like to him that they had left for a short period of time. RC said after a short period of time he observed the glass doors which he pointed out as the upper level west entrance being shot by what he believed to be bullets. RC advised after the doors had been shot out the suspects disappeared from his view. RC advised he believed the suspects walked around the corner and that is when he lost sight of them.


 Detective Demmel asked RC to approximate the distance between him and the suspects. 
Richard Castaldo advised the investigators he believed the suspects were anywhere from 10 to 20 feet away from him and Rachel Scott.

rik75 wrote:

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

The closest witness to the murder of Rachel Scott was Richard Castaldo. Here is his witness statement in regard to his and Rachel's shootings.

RC advised the investigators he was seated on the grass near the sidewalk facing the dumpsters and looking towards the Clement park area to the west of the school.
RC advise the investigators that while he and RACHEL SCOTT were eating lunch he observed to males out of the corner of his eye. He advised the two males were to his left side. He advised he did not know either of the males and did not know their names. RC then identified the two males as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. RC advised the two males were standing on what he believed was a corner of grass near the top of the stairs just prior to where the stairs began descending down towards the parking lot. RC advised at one point he observed an object being thrown by one of the males. He was not in a position to observe with male threw it. The object was approximately the size of a football and sparks were emanating from the object and it was making noises like a fire cracker. RC advised that after the object had been thrown he remembers hearing what he believed to be shooting from a firearm. He advised he does not know which of the two males may have been shooting or if both males may have been shooting. RC advised he can only recall that the shooting was coming from the direction of the two males he had previously observed.
RC advised that as the shooting began he felt what he believed to be bullets hitting him. He advised he was sitting down and he fell backwards and laid on his back. RC advised he believes he had taken all of the shots by the time he had fallen over on his back. RC advised the suspects may have thought he was dead since he does not recall feeling that he was being shot by more bullets after falling over.
RC advised the investigators after he had fallen over he recalled hearing noises while he was laying on the ground. RC advised he does not recall all the noises he heard but that it was noisy and he remembers RACHEL SCOTT crying. Investigator Eaton asked RC if he had his eyes open and was watching what was taking place or if he had his eyes closed. RC advised Eaton that he remembers a little of both. RC advised Eaton he recalls having his eyes open for a short period of time though not being able to see what was taking place at this point. RC advised that he believed RACHEL SCOTT had also been shot. RC advised after he was shot he didn't see the two males for a short period of time. He advised it felt like to him that they had left for a short period of time. RC said after a short period of time he observed the glass doors which he pointed out as the upper level west entrance being shot by what he believed to be bullets. RC advised after the doors had been shot out the suspects disappeared from his view. RC advised he believed the suspects walked around the corner and that is when he lost sight of them. Detective Demmel asked RC to approximate the distance between him and the suspects. RICHARD CASTALDO ADVISED THE INVESTIGATORS HE BELIEVED THE SUSPECTS WERE ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 20 FEET AWAY FROM HIM AND RACHEL SCOTT.

Can you please try and use paragraphs when typing out something long like that? It makes it a lot easier for the readers. Thank you.

Jenn wrote:

rik75 wrote:

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

The closest witness to the murder of Rachel Scott was Richard Castaldo. Here is his witness statement in regard to his and Rachel's shootings.

RC advised the investigators he was seated on the grass near the sidewalk facing the dumpsters and looking towards the Clement park area to the west of the school.
RC advise the investigators that while he and RACHEL SCOTT were eating lunch he observed to males out of the corner of his eye. He advised the two males were to his left side. He advised he did not know either of the males and did not know their names. RC then identified the two males as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. RC advised the two males were standing on what he believed was a corner of grass near the top of the stairs just prior to where the stairs began descending down towards the parking lot. RC advised at one point he observed an object being thrown by one of the males. He was not in a position to observe with male threw it. The object was approximately the size of a football and sparks were emanating from the object and it was making noises like a fire cracker. RC advised that after the object had been thrown he remembers hearing what he believed to be shooting from a firearm. He advised he does not know which of the two males may have been shooting or if both males may have been shooting. RC advised he can only recall that the shooting was coming from the direction of the two males he had previously observed.
RC advised that as the shooting began he felt what he believed to be bullets hitting him. He advised he was sitting down and he fell backwards and laid on his back. RC advised he believes he had taken all of the shots by the time he had fallen over on his back. RC advised the suspects may have thought he was dead since he does not recall feeling that he was being shot by more bullets after falling over.
RC advised the investigators after he had fallen over he recalled hearing noises while he was laying on the ground. RC advised he does not recall all the noises he heard but that it was noisy and he remembers RACHEL SCOTT crying. Investigator Eaton asked RC if he had his eyes open and was watching what was taking place or if he had his eyes closed. RC advised Eaton that he remembers a little of both. RC advised Eaton he recalls having his eyes open for a short period of time though not being able to see what was taking place at this point. RC advised that he believed RACHEL SCOTT had also been shot. RC advised after he was shot he didn't see the two males for a short period of time. He advised it felt like to him that they had left for a short period of time. RC said after a short period of time he observed the glass doors which he pointed out as the upper level west entrance being shot by what he believed to be bullets. RC advised after the doors had been shot out the suspects disappeared from his view. RC advised he believed the suspects walked around the corner and that is when he lost sight of them. Detective Demmel asked RC to approximate the distance between him and the suspects. RICHARD CASTALDO ADVISED THE INVESTIGATORS HE BELIEVED THE SUSPECTS WERE ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 20 FEET AWAY FROM HIM AND RACHEL SCOTT.

Can you please try and use paragraphs when typing out something long like that? It makes it a lot easier for the readers. Thank you.

No problem. I have edited it .

rik75 wrote:

Jenn wrote:

rik75 wrote:

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

The closest witness to the murder of Rachel Scott was Richard Castaldo. Here is his witness statement in regard to his and Rachel's shootings.

RC advised the investigators he was seated on the grass near the sidewalk facing the dumpsters and looking towards the Clement park area to the west of the school.
RC advise the investigators that while he and RACHEL SCOTT were eating lunch he observed to males out of the corner of his eye. He advised the two males were to his left side. He advised he did not know either of the males and did not know their names. RC then identified the two males as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. RC advised the two males were standing on what he believed was a corner of grass near the top of the stairs just prior to where the stairs began descending down towards the parking lot. RC advised at one point he observed an object being thrown by one of the males. He was not in a position to observe with male threw it. The object was approximately the size of a football and sparks were emanating from the object and it was making noises like a fire cracker. RC advised that after the object had been thrown he remembers hearing what he believed to be shooting from a firearm. He advised he does not know which of the two males may have been shooting or if both males may have been shooting. RC advised he can only recall that the shooting was coming from the direction of the two males he had previously observed.
RC advised that as the shooting began he felt what he believed to be bullets hitting him. He advised he was sitting down and he fell backwards and laid on his back. RC advised he believes he had taken all of the shots by the time he had fallen over on his back. RC advised the suspects may have thought he was dead since he does not recall feeling that he was being shot by more bullets after falling over.
RC advised the investigators after he had fallen over he recalled hearing noises while he was laying on the ground. RC advised he does not recall all the noises he heard but that it was noisy and he remembers RACHEL SCOTT crying. Investigator Eaton asked RC if he had his eyes open and was watching what was taking place or if he had his eyes closed. RC advised Eaton that he remembers a little of both. RC advised Eaton he recalls having his eyes open for a short period of time though not being able to see what was taking place at this point. RC advised that he believed RACHEL SCOTT had also been shot. RC advised after he was shot he didn't see the two males for a short period of time. He advised it felt like to him that they had left for a short period of time. RC said after a short period of time he observed the glass doors which he pointed out as the upper level west entrance being shot by what he believed to be bullets. RC advised after the doors had been shot out the suspects disappeared from his view. RC advised he believed the suspects walked around the corner and that is when he lost sight of them. Detective Demmel asked RC to approximate the distance between him and the suspects. RICHARD CASTALDO ADVISED THE INVESTIGATORS HE BELIEVED THE SUSPECTS WERE ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 20 FEET AWAY FROM HIM AND RACHEL SCOTT.

Can you please try and use paragraphs when typing out something long like that? It makes it a lot easier for the readers. Thank you.

No problem. I have edited it .

Thank you.

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

I personally do not regard Richard Castaldo as a reliable witness. I am not criticizing him in any shape or form.

I am stating the facts regarding his own statements.

1) RC did not see who shot him.
2) RC did not see who shot RS.
3) RC did not see anyone grab/hold RS.
4) RC did not hear any of the suspects speaking to RS.
5) RC did not see any of the suspects speaking to RS.
6) RC did not hear RS speaking. He heard her crying.
7) RC stated seeing " one of the suspects throwing an object the size of a football." 

The only bombs of that size were the propane tanks and we know that neither Eric or Dylan were throwing propane tanks around outside. 

Richard was badly wounded and the whole horrible episode occurred in a matter of seconds. He was the closest person to Rachel and yet he didn't see much or hear much. I am sure it must have been a surreal blur of madness in his own mind. Who could comprehend the situation? One moment Richard is quietly having lunch ,its just another day at school and then BANG!!

Then bombs go off and guns are fired and he is shot multiple times.

rik75 wrote:

Richard was badly wounded and the whole horrible episode occurred in a matter of seconds.

Yeah he was completely blindsided and his memories of what happened are sketchy at best. It's my understanding that the story of Rachel being grabbed by the hair came from something he said in the hospital on first waking up but later retracted. I could be mistaken on this but that is my recollection.

He also claimed to have not known Eric or Dylan and this seems unlikely to me for some reason...

Sorry for the topic bump but it was a weird as fuck place to eat lunch.

PS: all of Rachel's gunshot wounds, the entry point was lower than the exit point, which makes it impossible that she was sitting (otherwise the entry points would all be higher than the exit points as Eric would have been aiming down to shoot at her). She was standing, with Richard, so it's more likely that when they were shot was merely a meet point and not where they would eat lunch, well, IMO!

rik75 wrote:

mrc123 wrote:

Ok, so I just watched an interview with Craig Scott on an 'Oprah, where are they now?' on youtube.  He states that Eric picked Rachel up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God.  I remember that Richard Castaldo told his mom immediately after the shooting that the shooters mocked Rachel before killing her.  He no longer remembers this.  Have any witnesses confirmed this?  Did this really happen or is it just another Columbine myth?

The closest witness to the murder of Rachel Scott was Richard Castaldo. Here is his witness statement in regard to his and Rachel's shootings.

RC advised the investigators he was seated on the grass near the sidewalk facing the dumpsters and looking towards the Clement park area to the west of the school.
RC advise the investigators that while he and RACHEL SCOTT were eating lunch he observed to males out of the corner of his eye. He advised the two males were to his left side. He advised he did not know either of the males and did not know their names. RC then identified the two males as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

 RC advised the two males were standing on what he believed was a corner of grass near the top of the stairs just prior to where the stairs began descending down towards the parking lot. RC advised at one point he observed an object being thrown by one of the males. He was not in a position to observe with male threw it. The object was approximately the size of a football and sparks were emanating from the object and it was making noises like a fire cracker.


 RC advised that after the object had been thrown he remembers hearing what he believed to be shooting from a firearm. He advised he does not know which of the two males may have been shooting or if both males may have been shooting. RC advised he can only recall that the shooting was coming from the direction of the two males he had previously observed.


RC advised that as the shooting began he felt what he believed to be bullets hitting him. He advised he was sitting down and he fell backwards and laid on his back. RC advised he believes he had taken all of the shots by the time he had fallen over on his back. RC advised the suspects may have thought he was dead since he does not recall feeling that he was being shot by more bullets after falling over.

RC advised the investigators after he had fallen over he recalled hearing noises while he was laying on the ground. RC advised he does not recall all the noises he heard but that it was noisy and he remembers RACHEL SCOTT crying.

 Investigator Eaton asked RC if he had his eyes open and was watching what was taking place or if he had his eyes closed. RC advised Eaton that he remembers a little of both. RC advised Eaton he recalls having his eyes open for a short period of time though not being able to see what was taking place at this point.
 RC advised that he believed RACHEL SCOTT had also been shot. 


RC advised after he was shot he didn't see the two males for a short period of time. He advised it felt like to him that they had left for a short period of time. RC said after a short period of time he observed the glass doors which he pointed out as the upper level west entrance being shot by what he believed to be bullets. RC advised after the doors had been shot out the suspects disappeared from his view. RC advised he believed the suspects walked around the corner and that is when he lost sight of them.


 Detective Demmel asked RC to approximate the distance between him and the suspects. 
Richard Castaldo advised the investigators he believed the suspects were anywhere from 10 to 20 feet away from him and Rachel Scott.

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

Falcolus wrote:

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

If someone could find those autopsy diagrams of Rachel Scott, that were released by Randy Brown on CRTF website, that would be great, as supposedly there is evidence on them to suggest she was shot through the head at a distance.

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

If someone could find those autopsy diagrams of Rachel Scott, that were released by Randy Brown on CRTF website, that would be great, as supposedly there is evidence on them to suggest she was shot through the head at a distance.

I haven't hear of these, Might be interesting to search into, Ill get lookin...

Falcolus wrote:

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

If someone could find those autopsy diagrams of Rachel Scott, that were released by Randy Brown on CRTF website, that would be great, as supposedly there is evidence on them to suggest she was shot through the head at a distance.

I haven't hear of these, Might be interesting to search into, Ill get lookin...

I found some stuff on the CRFT yuku forums, Cant post the link because im a newby but it doesn't offer any pics just some guy saying he has them and is willing to send them out via email.

Falcolus wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

If someone could find those autopsy diagrams of Rachel Scott, that were released by Randy Brown on CRTF website, that would be great, as supposedly there is evidence on them to suggest she was shot through the head at a distance.

I haven't hear of these, Might be interesting to search into, Ill get lookin...

I found some stuff on the CRFT yuku forums, Cant post the link because im a newby but it doesn't offer any pics just some guy saying he has them and is willing to send them out via email.

That would be Calence (or Ethan, cant remember his real name), the man who used to run dylanklebold.com. He had an unprecedented amount of Columbine related documents over the decade or so of his research, and was considered the go-to guy for information related to the event. Last I heard though, he has put Columbine behind him and has deleted most of his collected research. I doubt he still has them in his collection, if he still has the collection, at all.

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

I spent a really long time searching for this witness report on the 11k, it was not fun, but after hours of searching I found it. Anyway, there is alot of speculation about the hair pulling and Eric asking whether she was a Christian, But nothing has really been discovered whether it was true or not. I suppose there hasn't been much evidence supporting it so its hard to say whether it happened or not. I personally think that it didn't happen, just for some gut reason.

If someone could find those autopsy diagrams of Rachel Scott, that were released by Randy Brown on CRTF website, that would be great, as supposedly there is evidence on them to suggest she was shot through the head at a distance.

I haven't hear of these, Might be interesting to search into, Ill get lookin...

I found some stuff on the CRFT yuku forums, Cant post the link because im a newby but it doesn't offer any pics just some guy saying he has them and is willing to send them out via email.

That would be Calence (or Ethan, cant remember his real name), the man who used to run dylanklebold.com. He had an unprecedented amount of Columbine related documents over the decade or so of his research, and was considered the go-to guy for information related to the event. Last I heard though, he has put Columbine behind him and has deleted most of his collected research. I doubt he still has them in his collection, if he still has the collection, at all.

I tried to use the wayback machine to search that site, unfortunately the links had not been snapshoted so I couldn't find anything.

No Easy Answers page 151:

Connie Michalik told NBC's Dateline that when Richard Castaldo first came out of surgery, he said that Rachel Scott was approached by the shooters a second time and asked if she believed in God. She said yes, and they killed her. Later, Richard told police that he remembered Rachel lying on the ground, crying, and that she shooters approached a second time but left him for dead. However, he no longer remembered whether Rachel was asked about her faith in her final moments. To this day [book written in 2002], he cannot recall what happened after he was shot.  

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

When Bruce Porter [the Scott's family pastor] was announcing to the world that Rachel was shot for her belief in God, he had not even spoken to Richard Castaldo yet. Bruce said he was still awaiting his recovery so he could speak with him to get his account. So Bruce Porter heard it from someone other than Richard. Would Connie Michalik have told him about it that soon?

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

Darrell Scott now has testimony from the mother of Richard Castaldo. Richard, as you may recall, was shot multiple times along with Rachel as they sat outside together in the warm springtime sunshine on April 20.[ 1999]

I had previously interviewed Richard twice about what happened that morning, but he simply cannot remember anything at this point. His mother stated that Richard's counselors have told her that it is not unusual for people who have suffered such incredible trauma to blank out the memory of the event.

During the taping of an interview last week, Darrell received a phone call from Mrs. Castaldo. She related to Darrell that Richard spoke of Rachel in detail just after being brought into the hospital trauma center on the day he was shot. Following is the account she related to Darrell, and what he subsequently relayed to me.

Richard was calling out again and again: "Rachel, Rachel." His mother asked him what happened. Richard told her that after he and Rachel had been shot, Harris and Klebold taunted and tormented Rachel for several minutes about her faith in Jesus. They vulgarly mocked her faith in Christ as she lay on the ground crying, suffering from three bullet wounds. At the end, Harris jeeringly asked her; "Where is your God now?! Do you still believe in Him?" She bravely answered something like: "Yes, you know I believe in Jesus." Harris then grabbed her by the hair, put the gun to her temple and said: "Then go and be with Him now!!"

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

In a touching speech directed to Rachel's family, Richard Castaldo departed from his planned remarks at a memorial service and spoke from the heart, delivering what amounted to an apology for not being able to recall Rachel's final moments. "This is probably one of the hardest. ... " Castaldo began, and then he choked back sobs. "People tell me I said she said she believed in God, and I can't remember it," Castaldo said a few moments later, his voice breaking. "Somehow, I know she did the right thing in the end." Castaldo's mother, Connie Michalik, says her son described Rachel's final moments shortly after coming out of surgery at Swedish Medical Center. But since then, his memory has faded until he is no longer sure what happened.
The 18-year-old Castaldo has carried a double burden since April 20, his mother said. He felt guilt he couldn't intervene, and frustration he can no longer remember if Rachel professed her faith to her killer - an exchange that would confirm what some have described as martyrdom. "After he got the breathing tube out, he was crying and upset, telling me through sobs how they taunted and teased her about God," Michalik said. "Then he heard a shot and he didn't know what happened to her. "He asked me again this morning: "What did I say? Why didn't anybody write it down?' He's asked me so many times. Richard has cried a thousand tears for Rachel. He has so much guilt inside."
Michalik says that while Richard didn't hear Rachel's response to the gunman's taunts about God, she gathered from her son's account that Rachel probably did profess her faith.

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

Who said 'yes' blurs with time
By Kevin Simpson
Denver Post Staff Writer
Dec. 16 - She might have said "yes.''
Rachel Scott's relatives say they were led to believe the 17-year-old affirmed her belief in God in the face of death at the hands of Columbine killer Eric Harris. But now that scenario is clouded by confusion.
Richard Castaldo, the closest witness to Scott's encounter with Harris that day, says he can't recall exactly what happened.
"I don't remember that,'' Castaldo says. "I can't remember either way.''
Initially, Columbine student Cassie Bernall also was thought to have been asked by one of the killers if she believed in God and to have replied "yes'' before she was fatally shot.
Overnight, her story became celebrated in some corners as an inspiration, and her mother authored a book whose title - "She Said Yes'' - leaned heavily on that account.
But eventually, information pointed toward survivor Valeen Schnurr as the one who said "yes.''
The Scott family grounded its belief in Rachel's last words on an account Castaldo supposedly passed on to relatives, plus a story in a small Christian newspaper that they assumed had interviewed him.
This much appears confirmed: Rachel Scott was shot and injured in one volley of gunfire, and Harris later returned and said something to her before firing the fatal shot.
"Richard's memory of that day is fading,'' says Castaldo's mother, Connie Michalik. "In the beginning, he said he could hear her crying and was trying to help her. Then they came back and shot her again. Richard pretended he was dead. They said something to her, but he was too far away to know what they said.''

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

April 17, 2012

Richard Castaldo challenges the official Columbine narrative

A survivor of the brutal massacre at Columbine High School 13 years ago has come forward with a startling new revelation concerning the events of that infamous day of horror and carnage.

Richard Castaldo, who as a 17-year old Columbine High School junior was among the first of the Columbine students to be shot by seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold on April 20, 1999, now says he’s long kept certain details of the event secret for personal reasons.

But in an exclusive set of interviews with this reporter and his assistant, Castaldo has revealed his secret: After Dylan Klebold shot him, Castaldo now maintains, Eric Harris pointed his rifle at Castaldo and asked if he believed in God.

As frightened as he felt, Castaldo said he responded with candor.

“I answered honestly,” Castaldo says. “I told him ‘no’. I told him ‘no,’ and I ‘m alive because of it.”


Castaldo, who was initially sprayed with bullets from Harris and Klebold while sitting outside of the cafeteria, also recalls how his friend Rachel Scott, who sat close by, was felled by the same torrent of gunshots.

According to Castaldo, Rachel Scott did not immediately die. Like him, she was wounded badly and in terrible pain, having been shot several times in the chest and legs. Castaldo’s wounds were in his back, side, and left arm; they resulted in a shattering of his spinal cord and a likely lifelong paralysis.

As the two lay together on the ground, with noise, chaos, and tumult exploding all around them on a high school campus suddenly under siege, Castaldo could hear Scott crying, and tried his best to comfort her.

“I asked in vain if she was okay,” he remembers. “Obviously, I knew she wasn’t. I never got an answer.”

Then moments later, Eric Harris returned to the scene. Castaldo’s memory has wavered over the years concerning what Harris said to Scott. His earliest memory, however, was apparently that when Harris asked her if she believed in God, Scott answered, “You know I do,” after which Harris shot Scott in the head, killing her.

Today, he doesn’t recall her answer, but he assumes that Scott, who was a devout Christian, answered, “Yes.”

“That was why he shot her, I guess,” Castaldo said. “And he (Harris) thought I was the same way, which I’m not.”

Castaldo was and remains an agnostic. He answered Harris’s question—“Do you believe in God?”—in the negative, and believes that this is why Harris ultimately allowed him to live.

Though his reply was truthful, Castaldo admitted he sometimes regrets not having answered differently.

“I’m not always happy I didn’t have the balls to say ‘yes,'” he said.

Castaldo said he greatly respects the Scott family, even though he doesn’t share their religious convictions. He kept Harris’s question, and his answer, secret because he felt “awkward” about the entire affair.

“A lot of religious people hang their hat on this issue, and they want me to verify a belief that I don’t personally share,” he said.

Castaldo’s recollection of events calls into question the official account, promoted by FBI agent Dwayne Fuselier and publicized in Dave Cullen’s bestselling book Columbine. In Fuselier’s analysis, Harris likely never returned to the spot outside of the cafeteria to deliver the killing shot to Rachel Scott. Instead, Fusiler thinks that Harris immediately accompanied Klebold back into the building to continue the shooting rampage in the school’s hallways and the library.

Fuselier also theorizes that Rachel Scott very likely died immediately after being struck with the initial hail of bullets. Castaldo, however, said he clearly recalls Rachel crying for some time after being shot prior to Harris’s return to the scene.

Harris’s alleged questioning of Scott and Castaldo regarding their belief in God calls to mind an earlier controversy in investigations of Columbine. In the months following the massacre, some held that junior Cassie Bernall was shot dead by Harris and Klebold in the school’s library after Bernall answered “yes” to a question put to her by the killers: “Do you believe in God?”

This alleged incident inspired the bestselling book She Said Yes, written by Bernall’s mother Misty Bernall. However, it is now widely believed that Bernall was killed instantly at the scene and that the question was instead put to junior Valeen Schnurr, whom Harris and Klebold did not kill.

Castaldo, who appeared in Michael Moore’s 2002 documentary “Bowling for Columbine,” now lives in Los Angeles, California.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Is anyone else very skeptical about this new account of Richard's? I am not saying he is purposely lying but I think he has been asked to recount this so many times and to confrm Rachel as a martyr that he no longer knows what happened that day.

PaintItBlack wrote:

Is anyone else very skeptical about this new account of Richard's? I am not saying he is purposely lying but I think he has been asked to recount this so many times and to confrm Rachel as a martyr that he no longer knows what happened that day.

It is quite strange, Its changed so many times its kinda hard to believe, Is there any other witness at all?

I dont know what to think about it now, he is always changing his testimony and I doubt that he remembers something very well. I also think that he might be feeling pressure about this Rachel story since he is the only witness there and the christian community believe it and ask him too like we read in the article, what could makes him to be a bit confuse and with not even know what to say now. I am not completely skeptical because everything could happen and I wasnt there but I dont believe it very much, specially because there are not many proofs and he is always saying different things.

Can someone please explain to me what Fuselier is trying to say here?

Castaldo’s recollection of events calls into question the official account, promoted by FBI agent Dwayne Fuselier and publicized in Dave Cullen’s bestselling book Columbine. In Fuselier’s analysis, Harris likely never returned to the spot outside of the cafeteria to deliver the killing shot to Rachel Scott. Instead, Fusiler thinks that Harris immediately accompanied Klebold back into the building to continue the shooting rampage in the school’s hallways and the library.


In my understanding Harris and Klebold began the shooting at the top of the hill outside of the west entrance and then proceeded into the school via the west entrance, with Harris going back out to exchange fire with law enforcement while Klebold fired down the hall.

If Harris and Klebold ever spoke to Rachel Scott or Richard Castaldo, it would have been during a break in shooting from the top of the hill, or while they were walking toward the west entrances, right?

Castaldo is not saying that Harris came back out of the doors after they went it. And in any case, this was not outside of the cafeteria, it was outside of the west doors.

What is the evidence for and against Rachel dying immediately?

lasttrain wrote:

What is the evidence for and against Rachel dying immediately?

I think the shot through the temple was apparently evidence, Not sure what else.

I'd like to see RS autopsy report.

Her report is available.

Here it is.

The standard interpretation from Jeff Co., Fuselier, and Cullen is that Harris shot her four times very fast from 20 feet. However, the bullet to her heart enters her lower chest and exits through her upper chest. That is not consistent with Eric shooting a sitting person from 20 feet away.

One explanation is that he hit her in the head first and as she fell he hit her again, which might produce a bullet that moved from lower to upper, but only if Eric was kneeling.

Another explanation is that he shot her as he walked by when she was lying on the ground.

One thing is for certain, she received two immediately fatal injuries. If they spoke to her, it means she was shot in the leg and arm first, and then sustained the other two second.

I will say, the injury to the head is so precise that it does not seem to have been inflicted at a distance to me. Eric was not that good a shot.

Spoke to someone who had seen the autopsy diagrams a while back, he said the lack of 'bleed out' that was pointed out on said documents was evidence that her heart stopped beating moments after being shot (which means she died in the original volley of bullets). The lower left entry and upper right exit wounds consistant with most of her injuries can be explained by the fact that Eric may have been down a couple of steps when he began shooting. Or as she was falling down to her right side, more bullet struck her.

That's what I was meaning... The reports they have on acolumbine are pretty generic

deathmedic wrote:

That's what I was meaning... The reports they have on acolumbine are pretty generic

Very generic indeed, also They don't have the full autopsy for Rachel Scott, or many others.

Falcolus wrote:

deathmedic wrote:

That's what I was meaning... The reports they have on acolumbine are pretty generic

Very generic indeed, also They don't have the full autopsy for Rachel Scott, or many others.

The judge who allowed the release of Columbine documents withheld the autopsy reports except for the concluding pages of each victim.

Eric and Dylan's were released in full. The parents of one or two victims have since released all pages of their childs autopsy.

My biggest question is why the secrecy?? I mean they shouldn't have anything to hide. Hopefully the new guy that comes in decides to release everything JCO has.

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

Spoke to someone who had seen the autopsy diagrams a while back, he said the lack of 'bleed out' that was pointed out on said documents was evidence that her heart stopped beating moments after being shot (which means she died in the original volley of bullets). The lower left entry and upper right exit wounds consistant with most of her injuries can be explained by the fact that Eric may have been down a couple of steps when he began shooting. Or as she was falling down to her right side, more bullet struck her.

Thank you. Did you speak to this person about the injury to the temple? Is it also assumed that this was sustained in the same volley that hit the heart and extremities?

lasttrain wrote:

Thank you.  Did you speak to this person about the injury to the temple?  Is it also assumed that this was sustained in the same volley that hit the heart and extremities?

Well lack of bleed out tells us she was killed with the original volley. If she was still alive, her still beating heart would have made her bleed out more. So if she was struck three times and half a minute later Eric comes up to her and shoots her in the head, I'm assuming there would be more bleed out. I'm going off second hand information. I wish someone would find these diagrams already. I've been looking for ages.

I'm guessing a lot of people can interpret the diagrams their own way and come up with their own conclusions. It was Danny's diagrams which convinced Randy Brown that Danny was shot by police and not Eric or Dyan. This was based (if I remember correctly) on the fact that the coroner found live rounds on his body. Randy had also used Rachel's diagram to attempt to prove that Rachel was shot last!

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

lasttrain wrote:

Thank you.  Did you speak to this person about the injury to the temple?  Is it also assumed that this was sustained in the same volley that hit the heart and extremities?

Well lack of bleed out tells us she was killed with the original volley. If she was still alive, her still beating heart would have made her bleed out more. So if she was struck three times and half a minute later Eric comes up to her and shoots her in the head, I'm assuming there would be more bleed out. I'm going off second hand information. I wish someone would find these diagrams already. I've been looking for ages.

I'm guessing a lot of people can interpret the diagrams their own way and come up with their own conclusions. It was Danny's diagrams which convinced Randy Brown that Danny was shot by police and not Eric or Dyan. This was based (if I remember correctly) on the fact that the coroner found live rounds on his body. Randy had also used Rachel's diagram to attempt to prove that Rachel was shot last!

I search far and hard for those diagrams, they seem to of either been lost when the guy took down Dylanklebold.com or are still floating around in the internet somewhere.

Here's another question.

Did Eric ask anyone "Do you believe in God?" before Valeen Schnurr said "Oh my God"?

Juicy Jazzy wrote:

PS: all of Rachel's gunshot wounds, the entry point was lower than the exit point, which makes it impossible that she was sitting (otherwise the entry points would all be higher than the exit points as Eric would have been aiming down to shoot at her). She was standing, with Richard, so it's more likely that when they were shot was merely a meet point and not where they would eat lunch, well, IMO!

They did eat lunch there. I don't have the source but someone else in the 11k said that they were on their way to eat lunch with them as well

Falcolus wrote:

PaintItBlack wrote:

Is anyone else very skeptical about this new account of Richard's? I am not saying he is purposely lying but I think he has been asked to recount this so many times and to confrm Rachel as a martyr that he no longer knows what happened that day.

It is quite strange, Its changed so many times its kinda hard to believe, Is there any other witness at all?

I am the one who interviewed him. I believe he is sincere

After Rich's early account got to the press, Rachel's family told people and it spread. All of a sudden Rich became a spokesperson of sorts for everyone religious. He isn't religious and his parents are so the whole thing was awkward for him. He started telling people the events were "hazy".

He also told me that he thought his parents would be ashamed of him if they knew he said "no" to the question because of the way he was raised. He was young and had a lot of questions coming at him. He told me that he believes that he lived because he said no.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], when did you interview him? Is there any transcripts of the interview or was it a private conversation?

Falcolus wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], when did you interview him? Is there any transcripts of the interview or was it a private conversation?

I have personal notes as there was a bigger project being planned at the time. It was late 2011 and half of 2012 that I was interviewing. The article above is the only thing that resulted from it.

I don't mean to disrespect Richard as I know he has been through a lot.But he has told 3 different versions of the event.
I don't think he would consciously be dishonest but I think with all the trauma and he went through and his painful hospital time along with him being asked to recount it a 100 times so Rachel's martyrdom could be confirmed, that over time he has become confused and no longer remembers what actually happened.This is no slag on Richard as that would have happened to many people who survived such a traumatic and unexpected event.

lasttrain wrote:

Her report is available.

Here it is.

The standard interpretation from Jeff Co., Fuselier, and Cullen is that Harris shot her four times very fast from 20 feet.  However, the bullet to her heart enters her lower chest and exits through her upper chest.  That is not consistent with Eric shooting a sitting person from 20 feet away.

One explanation is that he hit her in the head first and as she fell he hit her again, which might produce a bullet that moved from lower to upper, but only if Eric was kneeling.

Another explanation is that he shot her as he walked by when she was lying on the ground.

One thing is for certain, she received two immediately fatal injuries.  If they spoke to her, it means she was shot in the leg and arm first, and then sustained the other two second.

I will say, the injury to the head is so precise that it does not seem to have been inflicted at a distance to me.  Eric was not that good a shot.

He shot from the bottom of the small hill upwards, thus the upward angles of the head shot and the others make complete sense.

More likely he hit her once and she was falling back when he hit her again. That's why the exit is higher than the entrance.

asloversgo wrote:

Falcolus wrote:

PaintItBlack wrote:

Is anyone else very skeptical about this new account of Richard's? I am not saying he is purposely lying but I think he has been asked to recount this so many times and to confrm Rachel as a martyr that he no longer knows what happened that day.

It is quite strange, Its changed so many times its kinda hard to believe, Is there any other witness at all?

I am the one who interviewed him. I believe he is sincere

I'm sure that he has gotten tired of so many people asking him about what happened over the years but I heard that Richard forgives E &D for what happened.Is this true?

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

Michalik says her son Richard is now a sound engineer, working for the Showtime network in Los Angeles. He moved there three years ago, after growing tired of being "the Columbine kid" in his hometown.

She says she learned later that Dylan Klebold was also learning how to be a sound technician. She says her son later realized they had things in common and that maybe they could have been friends.

"That's what Richard told me, he said: 'I wish we had been friends; maybe I could have prevented this.' Richard has a very big heart and he's very forgiving. The whole thing was such a tragedy," she says.

Her son still struggles at times, Michalik says, and she too remains broken-hearted. But she's glad to have heard from Susan Klebold and applauds her bravery, knowing that it will never take away her pain.

"You get through it," Micahlik says, "but you never get over it."

For a long time Castaldo denied that there was any dialogue between Rachel and the shooters. This is the story he told not just friends or family, but also the cops in an official inquiry. He kept to this version for years. Then out of the blue he changes his mind and claims that Rachel was conscious, that Dylan talked to her, and killed her only after she said she believes in God.

I dislike the notion of questioning an eye-witness who is also a victim of the shooting. It is a matter of respect. But nevertheless I am deeply suspicious of this second version of events.
Its not just the fact that Richard lied to the cops and then changed his story years later. It is also the timeline that doesn't seem to leave much time for a dialogue between Harris and Rachel.

If Richard is now telling the truth, why did he lie to the cops at a time where the investigation was not finished and when there was a possibility of further accomplices or a deeper plot? By lying to the cops, Richard must have known he is making the investigation harder and possibly endangering others.

If Richard told the cops the truth the first time around, then why is he lying now?


I think one relatively solid thing we have (and independent of Richard's staements) is the timeline and the findings of the crime investigation team outside link here. Get ready for a detailed timeline evaluation. Quotes in italic are from the JEFFCO, provided through the CNN site. Bolded parts are evaluation of where Eric must be facing:

- The shooting started at around 11:19, the first shots were fired and Rachel and Richard. Harris is facing east, twoards CHS and directly at Rachel.

- "Harris took off his trench coat and laid it on the ground near the top of the shortly after he began shooting."

- Eric turns south, to his right to the side cafeteria entry. Rachel is now to his left. From this position he will fire at Kirklin's group.

- "Harris rested his gun on the chain link fence at the top of the steps and fired at students below." These are the guys coming from the Cafeteria. Daniel Rohrbough, Sean Graves, and Lance Kirklin.

- Five students were sitting behind a few small pine trees to the west of the top of the stairs.  They stood up to run when the two suspects fired gunshots in their direction. This is the group of Michael Johnson and Mark Taylor. To shoot at them, Eric must have turned further to his right. He is now firing west, away from CHS. He is turned with his back twoards Richard and Rachel.

- Dylan is going south, he will next enter the cafeteria briefly through the side door. Then he will go back up the stairs to Eric. What is Eric doing in this short time when he is alone? (other than obviously reloading at least once his Hi-point).

-  "Klebold turned around and walked back outside, stepping over Sean Graves, and joined Harris back at the top of the stairs.  The gunmen continued shooting their guns, lighting pipe bombs and throwing them into the senior parking lot or onto the school roof, while shooting toward the ball fields where students were fleeing." By all evidence, Eric is still pretty much where he was when they started the shooting - at the top of the stairs, too far away to be talking to Rachel (who is already at least badly injured if not dead). Dylan is going to the cafeteria, the bag with the pipe bombs is on the ground by Eric's feet. So I think its fair to assume that it is Eric who is throwing most (if not all) pipe bombs at this time at the parking lot and roof. To do so, Eric is facing south, Rachel is on the far side to his left.

- "Harris continued shooting down the stairs.  Anne Marie Hochhalter was shot as she stood to run toward the cafeteria from where she was seated with friends at the curb by the senior parking lot." To do so, he is turned to the southwest. Rachel is behind his back, to his left. By this time, it is safe to assume that Eric must have reloaded his gun twice.

- "The gunmen threw a pipe bomb in the area where Hochhalter had originally collapsed." This is probably Dylan, because Eric is shooting somehwere else: Additional gunshots were fired toward the ball fields where students were fleeing. This is Eric firing his carbine. To do so, he is facing due west, away from CHS. Rachel is behind his back. According to CNN, this is no later than 4 minutes into the shooting 11:23 max

So what do we know about Eric's movements so far in these 4 minutes? To fire/throw bombs at all the confirmed targets, Eric must have been facing either away from Rachel, or facing south having her on his far left. After the initial volley, he is at no point firing at any target in the direction of Rachel. He has his bag by his feet, he is throwing pipe bombs from it. So its safe to assume he spends most of the time at the top of the stairs, near the bag (as opposed to Dylan, who runs to the cafeteria and back). At this time, Eric has reloaded 2 or 3 times at least. He kneeled, then he got up. He had to squat or at leats reach down to the bag a few times for the bombs, he had to turn his lighter on and off a few times to light the fuses.
This is assuming Eric did not say anything to Dylan, nor hand anything to Dylan, nor point anything out to him, which would take more of his time.

4 minutes is long, but he is doing a lot of things, firing at a lot of people, turning around, reloading, lighting pipebombs. Taking aim at faraway moving targets on the field. The vast majority of the time we know he has to be turned away from Rachel. Does he have the time to walk up to her, ask her questions, shoot her then walk abck to the top of the stairs (leaving his bag)? This is the big question. If I had to say when could he do it, it was probably at the time when Dylan was in the Cafeteria. Back to the timeline:

- Harris and Klebold turned toward the west entrance and fired their weapons into the school as they walked toward the entrance. This is the first time since the opening volley, when we know that Eric has to be facing towards Rachel again. According to CNN this is still no later than 11:23 Source. So Eric is firing in the direction of Rachel now, but we know he is shooting at the door. During the time when he is walking to the door, could he have turned to his right and fired a shot at her? Possibly, but this doesn't seem to be enough time to walk up to her and have a dialogue with her. Why there is no time at this point? Because Gardner is now at the scene.

- Both Nielson and Anderson had the opportunity to flee, despite their injuries, when Harris and Klebold were distracted by the arrival of community resource officer Deputy Neil Gardner.

- Gardner, particularly visible in the bright yellow shirt of the community resource officer uniform, was the target of Harris’ bullets. Harris fired about 10 shots from his rifle at Gardner before his gun jammed. Eric is now facing west, Rachel is to his left, probably he is already between Rachel and the CHS door, his gun has jammed on his 5th clip or so. Gardner is firing at him and he needs to unjam his gun or load the shotgun. Even if Rachel is now close in front of him, his attention is certainly not on her. According to CNN it is still just 5 minutes into the shooting.

- Gardner, seeing Harris working with his gun, leaned over the top of the car and fired four shots.  He was 60 yards from the gunman.  Harris spun hard to the right and Gardner momentarily thought he had hit him. Seconds later, Harris began shooting again at the deputy. No further comment needed, Eric's attention is on Gardner, not on Rachel.

- After the exchange of gunfire, Harris ran back into the building. Gardner was able to get on the police radio and called for assistance from other Sheriff’s units. “Shots in the building. I need someone in the south lot with me.” It is now 11:26, Eric is in the building. For the past ~1.5 to 2 minutes, he was unjaming his gun and firing at Gardner.



To sum it up: The only possible time for Eric to approach Rachel and shoot her is somewhere between 11:20 and 11.22, at the time when Dylan went to the cafeteria.

Sabratha wrote:

If Richard told the cops the truth the first time around, then why is he lying now? 

Cynically pushing an agenda, trying to attract fame for himself, attempting to make Rachel's death have more meaning than it really did - take your pick.

QuestionMark wrote:

Sabratha wrote:

If Richard told the cops the truth the first time around, then why is he lying now? 

Cynically pushing an agenda, trying to attract fame for himself, attempting to make Rachel's death have more meaning than it really did - take your pick.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]     Add a really fucked up, traumatized mind to that list. Remember Richard saw Rachel die in a horrible way, he almost died himself. It is true that his version of events have changed over the years. He has remembered certain things then went back and said something very different.

I honestly feel that Richard likely doesn't remember very much about what happened that day. I also truly feel that guilt plays a HUGE roll in his memory issues as well. He was in shock, had lost a lot of blood, was paralyzed, couldn't move to help himself let alone to help Rachel,  etc.

It is possible that he created false memories as a coping mechanism, then just couldn't remember which reality was real anymore.