She told misty and brad bernall, cassies parents, the same account, and. Bernall was killed by eric harris during the columbine massacre on april 20, 1999. Why does the columbine myth about martyr cassie bernall persist. Columbine student emily wyant, for example, who was said to be hiding near where bernall was gunned down, was interviewed. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall was authored by her mother misty bernall. In addition, ballistic reports confirm that it was harris, not the jewish klebold, who shot cassie, therefore proving the inaccuracy of emily s testimony.
Thought this interview was quite interesting from her perspective. In addition, ballistic reports confirm that it was harris, not the jewish klebold, who shot cassie, therefore proving the. Columbine memorial obituary columbine memorial funeral. Her oneword response instantly catapulted her both into the lords presence and the consciousness of an entire nation. Cassie rallies with fevered altar calls erupted around the globe. I know that this is what actually happened because i read some of the police reports and interviews with the students that were in the library. Cassies friends the killer pointed his gun at cassie bernall and asked her the lifeordeath question. One key source is emily wyant, cassies best friend. After shooting cassie, harris made a comment about hitting himself in the face. In the library, where 12 died, he found the body of cassie bernall, facedown on the floor.
Join facebook to connect with cassie bernall and others you may know. She was in a really bad place and had a horrible relationship with her family. Wyant knew cassie was never asked if she believed in god. Initially, the students reported that one of the killers had asked cassie if she believed in god, cassie answered yes and he asked her why. Widely circulated reports and emails tell the story of high school student cassie bernall being a christian martyr in the columbine high school shootings of 1999 in colorado. Emily was right there next to her, and in fact, she.
Cassies mother, misty bernall, in her book she said yes. Cassie bernall overcame a difficult and dark time and was just beginning to blossom in her new surroundings at columbine high school. After the traumatic events in littleton, colorado, in the spring of 1999, the impact of the single word yes reverberated around the globe sending shockwaves throughout the christian and secular communities. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall, observed, one thing brad her husband and i were totally unprepared for after cassies death was the extent of its impact beyond littleton. Another good thing to come out of april 20 was cassie bernalls story. Oct 15, 2009 her mother misty wrote a book she said yes about cassie being a martyr on april 20, 1999. According to journalist, dave cullen, the wyant and bernall families had dinner together shortly after the massacre. Myths from columbine, part two what did she really say. As the bernall martyrdom story became more popularized and canonized in colorado and around the nation, wyant kept asking her parents, but that never happened. Cassies friend emily wyant, who was next to her in the library when she was shot, also told the family that the question had not been asked. However, it is fairly certain that cassie looked to these verses soon before her death. Emily wyant, the little girl under the table with cassie when it happened, came forward. As cassie s story continues to mushroom and brad and misty are hailed as blessed parents of the martyr, another student, emily wyant, knows the truth of cassie s story. They also injured 21 other students directly, and three people were injured while attempting to escape.
Others, like bree pasquale and emily wyant, witnessed the death of a fellow classmate cassie bernall upclose. The shooter looked under the table at cassie, said peekaboo and shot her. Yes, cassie is the one who answered, yes when asked if she believed in god, hence the title of the book she said yes. That was the last thing this 17yearold christian would ever say. Cassie rene bernall was an american student who was shot to death during the columbine high school massacre. Another girl, bree pasquale, corroborates emilys story. Cassie s friends the killer pointed his gun at cassie bernall and asked her the lifeordeath question. Books were published after her death the book she said yes. Cassie bernalls parents recount efforts to achieve accuracy in book. Cullen says in his book that according to emily wyant and bree pasquale. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to wikipedia.
Mar 16, 2015 columbine student cassie bernall said yes when asked by one of the shooters if she believed in goddisputed. A web site in memorium of cassie bernall and rachel scott, two of the fifteen victims killed at columbine high school, april 20th, 1999. It was initially believed that harris asked bernall if she believed in god, shooting her after she replied affirmatively, though some witnesses claim this. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall by misty bernall,991 ratings, 3. Cassie bernall was supposedly killed for refusing to renounce god.
She watched as cassie was shot without saying a word to her killer. Either eric harris or dylan klebold, asked bernall if cassie bernall believed in god moments before fatally shooting. The columbine high school massacre occurred on tuesday, april 20, 1999, at columbine high school in columbine, colorado, usa. For more than a decade, we have received letters from young people whove read and been deeply impacted by cassies story, she said yes. The person asking the question was one of the two troubled classmates who entered columbine with. Sep 09, 1999 she said yes is the story of cassie bernall, a 17 year old girl who was killed in the columbine high school shooting.
She was hiding beneath a table right beside cassie when it happened. I keep thinking about the things i need to do for cassie, cassies mom told the oprah show in 1999. Wyant was sitting next to cassie when harris killed her. Not even when presented with evidence that refuted the story. Her mother misty wrote a book she said yes about cassie being a martyr on april 20, 1999. Eric harris murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers.
This is dedicated to cassie bernall who died in the columbine high school shootings. Misty bernall before i left for school i told you i loved you i didnt know that later on thered be a lot of heartache for you to go through it seemed like an ordinary day. In addition, columbine student emily wyant, who was hiding beneath a table next to bernall, told investigators that eric harris had shot her without asking her. She was raised by her mother, misty and father, brad bernall. In cassie bernall, the religious right had an answer to matthew shepard and they werent about to let go of her. Is columbine victim cassie bernall a christian martyr. The story is told by her mother and includes the last few years of cassie s life and how she had gone through a complete change in attitude. Cassie was under a table in the library with emily wyant. Misty bernall before i left for school i told you i loved you i didnt know that later on thered be a lot of heartache for you to go through it. Then, numb with grief, he returned to columbine to get his first look inside the school.
This of course occurred during the april 1999 tragedy at columbine high school in littleton, colorado. Cassie bernall, april 19, 1999 from a note written by cassie and handed to. The truth about the myths of columbine 18 years later. This is the story of the 17year old high school student who was killed when she answered yes when asked if she believed in god.
Two students, eric harris and dylan klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and one teacher. Emily wyant, hiding under the same table as bernall, reported that harris said peekaboo and shot bernall as she prayed aloud. When he asked me that question i knew what to say but i was fearful for the reaction. The story is told by her mother and includes the last few years of cassies life and how she had gone through a complete change in attitude. Although she doesnt see her daughter as a martyr, bernall concludes that cassies death was, indeed, a triumph of honesty and courage. It was widely believed that cassie was the girl in the library who was asked whether she believed in god, to which she had answered yes, before being killed by eric harris. According to misty bernall, letters and gifts flooded into her home from around the world. The last words cassie spoke to her mother were, love you, too, mom. Cassie bernall, a 17yearold killed in the massacre, was an international sensation for about five months. Cassie bernall, valeen schnurr, and one of columbines biggest. Were excited to introduce the books for classroomsproject, the cassie bernall foundations latest venture. According to witness emily wyant, who was hiding under the same table as. A matter of belief the last words of littleton victim cassie bernall test a survivors faithand charity. Wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernalls death.
Apr 17, 2012 in cassie bernall, the religious right had an answer to matthew shepard and they werent about to let go of her. The columbine high school massacre was a school shooting and attempted bombing that occurred on april 20, 1999, at columbine high school in columbine, colorado, united states. After that, her mother, misty bernall the author goes on to talk about cassies life and the familys struggles trying to get her back, starting with her birth and the time she fell off her dads bike. Rick santorum revived the myth of columbine martyr cassie bernall while defending kim davis, a reminder that evangelicals thought things would be. I keep thinking about the things i need to do for cassie, cassie s mom told the oprah show in 1999. But i just finished reading columbine by dave cullen, and he disputes that with a lot of facts. Cassie, in early years, suffered greatly with the temptations many teens face. Emily wanted the bernalls to know she was with cassie when she died. Cassies friend emily wyant, who was next to her in the library when she was shot. A christian haunted house theme bernall, a troubled and rebellious youth who became a bornagain christian after being sent by her parents to a disciplinary religious camp, was quickly transformed into a martyr for her beliefs. The reason that this book was written on the false premise that cassie said yes is because her mother published this on september 9, 1999, only 5 months after the shootings. Although she doesnt see her daughter as a martyr, bernall concludes that cassie s death was, indeed, a triumph of honesty and courage. Rage against the dying of the light emily wyant interview.
Cassie bernall biograohy facts, childhood, family, death. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. Publishers weekly she said yes shows how a troubled teenager can be helped, though misty bernall doesnt hold back when describing the emotional toll the process can take. Sep 30, 1999 wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernalls death. The perpetrators, twelfth grade students eric harris and dylan klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. Research columbine online who was shot for believing in god. According to witness emily wyant, who was hiding under the same table as bernall, harris said peekaboo before shooting cassie, while. Emily had been in the library during the attack, under the same table as cassie.
We welcome you to remember and pay tribute to the victims of the columbine high school shootings of april 20, 1999 by signing the columbine memorial guest book in honor of the following individuals. It is only now, when the world knows cassie bernall as one of the columbine high students killed by two rampaging schoolmates, that the. Apr 04, 2016 after killing curnow and wounding another student, harris knelt next to a table across from the computers, said peekaboo and fatally shot 17yearold cassie bernall in the head with his shotgun. The library where cassie and ten others were killed. Cassie rene bernall was a student killed in the columbine high school massacre at age 17. The poem above is actually a quotation from the living bible phil.
Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. After killing curnow and wounding another student, harris knelt next to a table across from the computers, said peekaboo and fatally shot 17yearold cassie bernall in the head with his shotgun. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the cassie bernall article. When asked if she believed in god, cassie bernall said yes and died. The author of this article was mistaken in thinking that cassie had been the author.
The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall visual visualization purpose infer predict connect connection. Wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernall s death. Most troubling was the testimony of emily wyant, a friend of cassies. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The original story said cassie responded to one of the killers question if she believed in god, then was shot dead when she said yes.
Why does the columbine myth about martyr cassie bernall. In the book, misty bernall repeated the story that her daughter was asked if she believed in god before she died, despite being told by investigators that the question had not been asked. Feel free to email it or print it in its entirety or in part, but please do not alter it in any way. Join facebook to connect with emily cassie and others you may know. Cassie bernall is the 17yearold student who died at columbine high school last april 20 when two young men ignited a wave of shootings and bombings. Both girls give detailed accounts to investigators, and 911 audio supports their claims.
Like the cassie bernall thing and some of the fault that. Emily wyant s assertion that cassies exchange with her killer never happened is disputed by other survivors of the library who continue to stand by their initial accounts. One key source is emily wyant, cassie s best friend. She said yes is the story of cassie bernall, a 17 year old girl who was killed in the columbine high school shooting. She said yes is an intense and fascinating memoir publishers weekly of an ordinary teenager growing up in suburban colorado, and faced as all teenagers are with difficult choices and pressures. She said she would make it into a wig and give it to some little kid who lost their hair from chemotherapy, friend sara. Cassie bernall said yes when asked about her faith by a. Cassie rene bernall columbine high school massacre.