The Parents of Columbine Shooter Eric Harris Later Realized They Never Actually Knew Their Son

Eric Harris recorded himself saying that his parents have been the best, and best he and Dylan Klebold have been responsible for what they did.

Apr. 19 2024, Updated 11:07 a.m. ET

On the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, NBC News took a hard have a look at one of the shooters. It used to be broadly accredited that Eric Harris was the extra dominant individual within the friendship he had with Dylan Klebold, the opposite shooter. While talking with the outlet, Dr. Frank Ochberg, a psychiatry professor at Michigan State University, stated he believed Harris was once in all chance a psychopath. "He showed very little conscience," mentioned Dr. Ochberg.

According to the Washington Post, Harris was once in therapy and have been taking an antidepressant called Luvox. Despite a couple of minor hiccups that Wayne and Kathy Harris attributed to the follies of sweet sixteen, Harris gave the impression to be positive. It was later found out that Harris's rage lived fully online and, in particular, on his personal web page. After the shooting, folks would wonder how Wayne and Kathy overlooked the amorphous signs in their son's decline. Where are Eric Harris's parents now? Here's what we know.

Where are Eric Harris's parents now?

Wayne and Kathy have maintained private lives for the reason that tragedy. The best time they perceived to have addressed what came about in the years because it passed off, is after they agreed to satisfy with the parents of probably the most sufferers in 2010. The Daily Beast spoke with Tom and Linda Mauser in regards to the enjoy. Their son Daniel was once shot in the hand through Harris. After throwing a chair in self-defense, Harris fired some other bullet into Daniel's face killing him right away.

The Harrises did not talk with the outlet about this come across, however Linda Mauser provided her impressions of the assembly. The conversation used to be spearheaded through Wayne, a retired Air Force major. Linda described his demeanor as precise which echoed years of being in the military. Both he and Kathy had "accepted that Eric was a psychopath," and admitted to not working out how he came to be that means. Like many others, they too have been fooled through their son.

Despite no longer understanding the severity of his mental illness, the Harrises advised the Mausers that they tried to help their youngest kid. He was evaluated through psychologists who didn't see any purple flags in Harris's conduct. After he and Klebold have been arrested for attempting to steal a van in January 1998, each boys have been despatched to a "juvenile diversion program, which involved close monitoring and various forms of restitution." That used to be the one time his antics gave the Harrises pause.

At one point, Wayne was cautious to say that Kathy was a just right mother and via all accounts, she was once. When Harris got at the back of on his court-ordered community service, she made sure he finished. She additionally expressed fear over her son's lack of faculty plans and his overall apathy towards his personal long run. When the topic of abuse got here up, the Harrises mentioned they by no means hit their son. At the tip of the dialog, Linda Mauser instructed them she forgave Eric and felt no ill will towards the Harrises.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold spoke about their parents within the infamous "basement tapes."

In 2015, Colorado police officers destroyed what came to be known as the "basement tapes," reported the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. These tapes were comprised of 4 hours of photos filmed in the weeks leading up to the shooting. In them, Klebold and Harris laid out their plans. They romanticized what would occur afterwards, and even discussed which directors would make a movie about their crimes. Transcripts of these recordings nonetheless exist.

They both mock their parents' possible reactions to the shootings. "If only we would have searched their room," stated Harris. "If only we would have asked the right questions." That's precisely what each the Klebolds and Harrises thought. Then Harris's mood shifts as he remembers his mother purchasing him the occasional snack. "I really am sorry about this," he whispered in a unprecedented second of kindness. He then added that his parents made mistakes they didn't know about.

In one tape, Harris sits alone in his room and expresses concern for his parents. He's frightened the world will be onerous on them. "My parents are the best f-----g parents I have ever known," he stated. "My dad is great. I wish I was a f-----g sociopath so I didn't have any remorse, but I do. This is going to tear them apart. They will never forget it ... No one is to blame except me and Vodka [Dylan's nickname]. Our actions are a two-man war against everyone else." Who is aware of if that sentiment brought his parents more peace or grief.

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