(VitalNews.org) – Twenty-six years after surviving the Columbine High School massacre, Anne Marie Hochhalter’s recent death has been officially ruled a homicide.
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Hochhalter, who was paralyzed in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, passed away last month at age 43 in her Westminster home.
Initially recorded as natural causes, Jefferson County Coroner Dr. Dawn B. Holmes classified her death as a homicide, increasing the Columbine death toll to 13 students and one teacher.
The coroner determined Hochhalter died from sepsis, with complications from paraplegia due to gunshot wounds being a significant contributing factor.
This ruling draws a direct line between the shooting that left her in a wheelchair and her death nearly 26 years later, highlighting the long-term, life-altering consequences that victims of such violence must endure.
Hochhalter had been shot in the chest and spinal cord during the 1999 attack, resulting in paralysis that required her to use a wheelchair for the remainder of her life.
Despite these severe injuries and ongoing health complications, those who knew her emphasized her resilience and refusal to be defined by the tragedy.
Before Hochhalter’s death was reclassified, the Columbine victims included Cassie Bernall, Steve Curnow, Corey DePooter, Kelly Fleming, Matt Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Daniel Rohrbough, William “Dave” Sanders, Rachel Scott, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin, and Kyle Velasquez.
The two perpetrators of this vicious crime took their own lives after committing this act of evil, but the consequences of their actions continue to ripple through time.
Throughout her life after the shooting, Hochhalter became a powerful advocate for victims of mass violence and the disability community.
She formed a close friendship with Rick Townsend, whose daughter was killed in the Columbine shooting, creating bonds of support between survivors and victims’ families.
“She was never bitter or angry because of her injuries,” Towsend said of Hochhalter.
Loved ones described Hochhalter as fiercely independent and someone who did not want to be viewed as a victim despite her circumstances.
She was known for her love of playing musical instruments and her fighting spirit as she navigated life’s challenges with determination and grace.
This reclassification of Hochhalter’s death serves as a somber reminder of how violence leaves permanent scars, both physical and emotional, on its victims
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