Columbine records may be sealed

Words of killers' parents could be archived 25 years

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 27, 2007 at midnight

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A federal judge said Friday he is considering sending depositions of the Columbine High School killers' parents to a national archive, where they would be kept under seal for at least 25 years.

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock's suggestion angered parents of some victims, who said the depositions, along with other pieces of evidence from the 1999 murders, should be made public.

"All of this information is important to understanding what really happened at Columbine," said Randy Brown, whose son attended the school and who, along with his wife, Judy, warned authorities in 1997 and 1998 about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Brian Rohrbough, whose son Dan was one of the students killed, said the depositions contain information about the behavior in the Harris and Klebold homes prior to the shooting. That information could help other parents and possibly prevent another shooting, he said.

Harris and Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded more than 20 others before killing themselves.

In 2003, Tom and Sue Klebold and Wayne and Kathy Harris were deposed as part of now-settled civil lawsuits. The depositions have been kept under seal while other Columbine-related cases moved through the courts.

With those lawsuits closed, the Harrises and Klebolds want the depositions destroyed. Parents of some victims, along with other parties, have asked that they be made public.

Under Babcock's plan, the records would be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration, which is based in Washington, D.C., but has a site in Denver. It's unclear where they would be placed.

An assistant U.S. attorney representing the archives said that at the end of 25 years, the administration usually hires an archivist to conduct an appraisal of records.

If the items are found to be historically significant, they are kept under seal indefinitely. If not, they are destroyed, he said, though a judge could issue an order that items be handled differently after the 25 years.

Babcock said the Jefferson County sheriff has made a "thorough, rational and informed" decision about which Columbine evidence should be made public. Those items, much of them redacted to keep things such as names and addresses private, were released last year.

If the depositions were to be released publicly, they also would have to be heavily redacted, Babcock said.

"That's a laborious process," he said. "I'm concerned about that."

Babcock asked attorneys to respond to his suggestion within two weeks.

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