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Cassie René Bernall (November 6, 1981April 20, 1999) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
student who was killed in the
Columbine High School massacre A school shooting and attempted bombing occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students and one teach ...
, where 12 more students and a teacher were killed by
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold ( ; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were American high school seniors and mass murderers who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine ...
, who then committed suicide. It was reported that Bernall had been asked whether or not she believed in God, and she said "Yes", before being shot during the massacre. However, investigators concluded the person who was asked about her belief in God was not Cassie Bernall, but actually Valeen Schnurr, who survived the shooting. In September 1999, Bernall's mother, Misty, released '' She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall''. In it, Misty describes her daughter's turbulent teenage life, conversion and Christian faith.


Life

Cassie was born to Misty and Brad Bernall on November 6, 1981, in
Wheat Ridge, Colorado The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The ...
. Along with her brother Chris, she was brought up in a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
home. According to her parents, she rebelled as a young teenager and began using drugs, such as alcohol, and at one point she became suicidal. Her mother found letters in her bedroom discussing her thoughts of killing her parents, and they decided to send her to a new school,
Columbine High School Columbine High School (CHS) is a public high school in Columbine, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district. In 1999, it became the scene of an infamous mass shooti ...
, for a new start. A year and a half before her death, Bernall decided to go on a weekend church retreat and restored her faith. Her father said "When she came back from that retreat, she was an entirely different person. We had gotten our daughter back."


Murder

Bernall was killed by
Eric Harris Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold ( ; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were American high school seniors and mass murderers who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine H ...
during the Columbine massacre on April 20, 1999. According to witness Emily Wyant, who was hiding under the same table as Bernall, Harris slammed his hand twice down on the table above them and said " peek-a-boo" before fatally shooting Bernall in the head. The shotgun blast that killed Bernall ricocheted, resulting in a nose injury to Harris. Her family had no knowledge of her death until April 22, when they were notified.


Legacy


Martyrdom

The deaths of Bernall and fellow student and Christian
Rachel Scott Rachel Joy Scott (August 5, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was an American student who was the first fatality of the Columbine High School massacre, during which 13 other students and a teacher were also murdered by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, wh ...
during the Columbine massacre led both to be subsequently depicted and remembered by groups of evangelical Christians as
Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person who was killed for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In the years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or ...
s. In the following years numerous books—termed "
hagiographies A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
" by sociologist
Ralph Larkin Ralph Wild Larkin (born May 27, 1940) is an American sociologist and research consultant. He is the author of ''Suburban Youth in Cultural Crisis'' (1979), ''Beyond Revolution: A New Theory of Social Movements'' (1986), and ''Comprehending Colum ...
—were published about Scott and Bernall with the assistance of or authorship by their parents.


Controversy surrounding martyrdom claims

Craig Scott, the brother of
Rachel Scott Rachel Joy Scott (August 5, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was an American student who was the first fatality of the Columbine High School massacre, during which 13 other students and a teacher were also murdered by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, wh ...
, was a student also in the library during the massacre who told investigators that he had heard one of the shooters ask a victim whether or not they believed in God during the shooting, and that the victim answered, "Yes." Scott said that he recognized the voice as Bernall's, however, he did not see the exchange happen as he was hiding under the table at the time. Investigators later took Scott back into the library and asked him to point to where he had heard the exchange come from. He did not point to where Bernall had been in the library, but rather pointed to where Schnurr, another student that had been shot in the massacre, had been hiding. Schnurr had been shot and was on the floor of the library when one of the shooters,
Dylan Klebold Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold ( ; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were American high school seniors and mass murderers who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine H ...
approached her. She said, "Oh, my God, oh, my God, don't let me die." Klebold asked her if she believed in God. She said yes, and he asked why. She responded, "Because I believe and my parents brought me up that way." Klebold reloaded but did not shoot her again, and Schnurr ultimately survived the massacre. Some media publicized the story of Bernall being asked about her belief in God before her death. The story persisted even decades later. In 2015,
Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum Sr. ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's Chairman of the United Sta ...
used the scenario during a Republican presidential debate, saying "16 years ago this country was tremendously inspired by a young woman who faced a gunman in Columbine and was challenged about her faith, and refused to deny God." However, Santorum did not attach a name to the story, and may have been referencing Schnurr.


''She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall''

In September 1999, Bernall's mother, Misty Bernall, authored the book ''She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall''. The book reached No. 8 on ''The New York Times'' best-sellers list. 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's 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. Despite this, the Bernalls issued a statement standing behind the accuracy of their book, saying they had spoken to four witnesses who had told them that she had defended her faith before being killed. However, the book ultimately leaves it up to the readers to make up their own mind about what happened.


In popular culture

Bernall's presentation as a Christian martyr has led to her serving as the inspiration for several songs, including Flyleaf's "
Cassie Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names Cassandra, Cassandro, and Cassidy mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include: People ...
" and
Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...
's "This Is Your Time". The video for "This Is Your Time" includes a short clip at its beginning of Bernall talking about her beliefs.


See also

* '' A Mother's Reckoning''


References


Works cited

* * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernall, Cassie Rene 1981 births 1999 deaths Columbine High School massacre People from Wheat Ridge, Colorado American Christians Murdered American students Child murder in Colorado People murdered in Colorado Columbine High School alumni Victims of mass shootings in the United States Violence against women in Colorado 1999 murders in the United States