She was in a really bad place and had a horrible relationship with her family. 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. 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. When asked if she believed in god, cassie bernall said yes and died. Apr 17, 2012 in cassie bernall, the religious right had an answer to matthew shepard and they werent about to let go of her. Most troubling was the testimony of emily wyant, a friend of cassies. She said yes is the story of cassie bernall, a 17 year old girl who was killed in the columbine high school shooting. 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. Cassies mother, misty bernall, in her book she said yes. The columbine high school massacre occurred on tuesday, april 20, 1999, at columbine high school in columbine, colorado, usa. In addition, ballistic reports confirm that it was harris, not the jewish klebold, who shot cassie, therefore proving the. Myths from columbine, part two what did she really say. Cassies friends the killer pointed his gun at cassie bernall and asked her the lifeordeath question.
Cassie bernall overcame a difficult and dark time and was just beginning to blossom in her new surroundings at columbine high school. I keep thinking about the things i need to do for cassie, cassies mom told the oprah show in 1999. Emily wyant, the little girl under the table with cassie when it happened, came forward. That was the last thing this 17yearold christian would ever say. Cassie bernall, a 17yearold killed in the massacre, was an international sensation for about five months. Wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernall s death. The perpetrators, twelfth grade students eric harris and dylan klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. Both girls give detailed accounts to investigators, and 911 audio supports their claims. 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.
Bernall was killed by eric harris during the columbine massacre on april 20, 1999. She told misty and brad bernall, cassies parents, the same account, and. 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. Columbine student emily wyant, for example, who was said to be hiding near where bernall was gunned down, was interviewed.
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. Thought this interview was quite interesting from her perspective. Wyant knew cassie was never asked if she believed in god. For more than a decade, we have received letters from young people whove read and been deeply impacted by cassies story, she said yes. Is columbine victim cassie bernall a christian martyr.
Here is an interview with columbine survivor emily wyant, a sophomore who was under the table in the library with cassie bernall. Cassie bernall, april 19, 1999 from a note written by cassie and handed to. Columbine memorial obituary columbine memorial funeral. Cullen says in his book that according to emily wyant and bree pasquale. Cassies friend emily wyant, who was next to her in the library when she was shot. Cassie bernall biograohy facts, childhood, family, death. Cassie rene bernall was an american student who was shot to death during the columbine high school massacre. She said she would make it into a wig and give it to some little kid who lost their hair from chemotherapy, friend sara. 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. Others, like bree pasquale and emily wyant, witnessed the death of a fellow classmate cassie bernall upclose. 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. 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. Cassie was under a table in the library with emily wyant. Cassie s friends the killer pointed his gun at cassie bernall and asked her the lifeordeath question.
Although she doesnt see her daughter as a martyr, bernall concludes that cassie s death was, indeed, a triumph of honesty and courage. Join facebook to connect with cassie bernall and others you may know. Wyant was sitting next to cassie when harris killed her. In the library, where 12 died, he found the body of cassie bernall, facedown on the floor. 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. Six minutes later, they walked to the bookshelves near a table where patrick ireland lay. The person asking the question was one of the two troubled classmates who entered columbine with. Wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernalls death. She was raised by her mother, misty and father, brad bernall. 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.
Rage against the dying of the light emily wyant interview. A web site in memorium of cassie bernall and rachel scott, two of the fifteen victims killed at columbine high school, april 20th, 1999. 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. 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. 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. 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. Cassie rallies with fevered altar calls erupted around the globe. 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. Books were published after her death the book she said yes.
According to witness emily wyant, who was hiding under the same table as. Either eric harris or dylan klebold, asked bernall if cassie bernall believed in god moments before fatally shooting. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the cassie bernall article. 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. But i just finished reading columbine by dave cullen, and he disputes that with a lot of facts. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Her mother misty wrote a book she said yes about cassie being a martyr on april 20, 1999. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to wikipedia. Then, numb with grief, he returned to columbine to get his first look inside the school. Mar 16, 2015 columbine student cassie bernall said yes when asked by one of the shooters if she believed in goddisputed. I keep thinking about the things i need to do for cassie, cassie s mom told the oprah show in 1999. 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. The last words cassie spoke to her mother were, love you, too, mom.
A matter of belief the last words of littleton victim cassie bernall test a survivors faithand charity. 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. Cassie bernall was supposedly killed for refusing to renounce god. Cassie bernall, valeen schnurr, and one of columbines biggest. Research columbine online who was shot for believing in god. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall visual visualization purpose infer predict connect connection. The author of this article was mistaken in thinking that cassie had been the author. However, it is fairly certain that cassie looked to these verses soon before her death. After shooting cassie, harris made a comment about hitting himself in the face. She was hiding beneath a table right beside cassie when it happened. Feel free to email it or print it in its entirety or in part, but please do not alter it in any way. It was initially believed that harris asked bernall if she believed in god, shooting her after she replied affirmatively, though some witnesses claim this. Emily was right there next to her, and in fact, she. 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.
The truth about the myths of columbine 18 years later. 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. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall was authored by her mother misty bernall. Cassie bernalls parents recount efforts to achieve accuracy in book. 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. Why does the columbine myth about martyr cassie bernall. The library where cassie and ten others were killed. Were excited to introduce the books for classroomsproject, the cassie bernall foundations latest venture. 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. This is dedicated to cassie bernall who died in the columbine high school shootings. Another good thing to come out of april 20 was cassie bernalls story. Why does the columbine myth about martyr cassie bernall persist.
Yes, cassie is the one who answered, yes when asked if she believed in god, hence the title of the book she said yes. The shooter looked under the table at cassie, said peekaboo and shot her. Although she doesnt see her daughter as a martyr, bernall concludes that cassies death was, indeed, a triumph of honesty and courage. In addition, ballistic reports confirm that it was harris, not the jewish klebold, who shot cassie, therefore proving the inaccuracy of emily s testimony. Join facebook to connect with emily cassie and others you may know. Like the cassie bernall thing and some of the fault that. Rick santorum revived the myth of columbine martyr cassie bernall while defending kim davis, a reminder that evangelicals thought things would be. According to witness emily wyant, who was hiding under the same table as bernall, harris said peekaboo before shooting cassie, while. 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. Two students, eric harris and dylan klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12 students and one teacher. 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. Cassie rene bernall was a student killed in the columbine high school massacre at age 17.
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. 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. The unlikely martyrdom of cassie bernall by misty bernall,991 ratings, 3. Another girl, bree pasquale, corroborates emilys story.
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. She watched as cassie was shot without saying a word to her killer. Not even when presented with evidence that refuted the story. 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. They also injured 21 other students directly, and three people were injured while attempting to escape. She was under the table with cassie bernall when she was shot in the head. Emily wanted the bernalls to know she was with cassie when she died. According to journalist, dave cullen, the wyant and bernall families had dinner together shortly after the massacre. 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. This of course occurred during the april 1999 tragedy at columbine high school in littleton, colorado. One key source is emily wyant, cassies best friend.
Sep 30, 1999 wyant is the only living person who actually witnessed bernalls death. In cassie bernall, the religious right had an answer to matthew shepard and they werent about to let go of her. One key source is emily wyant, cassie s best friend. The poem above is actually a quotation from the living bible phil. This detailed study guide includes chapter summaries and analysis, important themes, significant quotes, and more everything you need to ace your essay or test.
Her oneword response instantly catapulted her both into the lords presence and the consciousness of an entire nation. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. Oct 15, 2009 her mother misty wrote a book she said yes about cassie being a martyr on april 20, 1999. Cassie rene bernall columbine high school massacre.