Sue Klebold

Susan Frances Klebold (née Yassenoff; born March 25, 1949) is an American author and suicide prevention activist. Her son, Dylan Klebold, was one of the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Sixteen years after the massacre, she published A Mother's Reckoning, a book in which she reflects on the signs she missed regarding Dylan's mental state and possible motives.

Early life

Susan Frances Yassenoff was born on March 25, 1949, in Columbus, Ohio, to Charlotte (née Haugh; 1921–1987) and Milton Yassenoff (1919–1967). She grew up in Bexley, Ohio, with her older sister and younger brother. Her paternal grandfather, Leo Yassenoff, was a prominent real estate developer and philanthropist in the local Jewish community. As a result of her family's background, Klebold attended a Reform temple in her youth while also going to church with her maternal grandparents.

Klebold began her post-secondary education at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. After transferring to Ohio State University in 1969, she met Thomas Klebold; the two married in 1971. In 1975, she earned a master's degree in educational sciences at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Upon settling in Littleton, Colorado, Klebold worked for the Colorado Community College System, where she developed job training grants for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

Klebold gave birth to her first child, a son named Byron, in 1978. In 1981, Klebold had her second son, Dylan.

Columbine High School massacre

On April 20, 1999, Klebold's second son, Dylan, killed 14 people and injured 24 others in the Columbine High School massacre, which he carried out alongside Eric Harris, before committing suicide in the school library.

Following the massacre, Klebold and her husband issued a statement through their attorney expressing condolences to the victims' families. She also wrote personal letters to the families of those killed and to survivors who were injured, conveying similar sentiments.

Klebold initially struggled to accept Dylan's full involvement in the massacre, but later came to terms with it. In an interview with Andrew Solomon, she stated that "seeing those videos was as traumatic as the original event. Everything I had refused to believe was true. Dylan was a willing participant and the massacre was not a spontaneous impulse." Investigators later concluded that Dylan had experienced severe depression and suicidal ideation since at least 1997, although his parents did not learn these details until a year after the killings.

In April 2001, the Klebolds, along with the Harris family, settled a lawsuit with the families of the victims for $1.6 million. Following the settlement, Sue and Tom Klebold met with several of the victims' families. In July 2003, both the Klebold and Harris families testified under oath; their testimonies were originally sealed for 20 years (2027), this was later quietly extended until the year 2116.

On the advice of their attorney, the Klebolds avoided the press for the five years following the massacre, citing fears of misinterpretation and additional death threats. They broke their silence in 2004, speaking to The New York Times and later contributing to Andrew Solomon's book Far From The Tree. In the latter, Sue Klebold was quoted as saying, "I know it would have been better for the world if Dylan had never been born. But I believe it would not have been better for me."

In 2009, Klebold wrote for O, The Oprah Magazine, stating that she had no idea Dylan had been depressed or experiencing suicidal thoughts. Columnist Mike Littwin criticized the essay in a Denver Post opinion piece, noting that Klebold's account, while "eloquent," revealed little about Dylan, his and Harris' victims, or the dynamics of the Klebold family.

Writing and activism

In 2016, Klebold publicly shared her story by publishing A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, against the wishes of her former husband and eldest son. The memoir reached second place on The New York Times best-seller list and grossed $427,200, which was donated to organizations supporting suicide prevention, conflict resolution, and the study of mental disorders.

In February 2016, Klebold granted her first televised interview to Diane Sawyer in an ABC 20/20 special titled Silence Broken: A Mother's Reckoning. She told Sawyer, "I think we like to believe that our love and our understanding is protective, and that 'if anything were wrong with my kids, I would know,' but I didn't know, and I wasn't able to stop [Dylan] from hurting other people. I wasn't able to stop his hurting himself and it's very hard to live with that." She also stated, "If I had recognized that Dylan was experiencing some real mental distress, he would not have been [at Columbine]. He would have gotten help."

Reactions to Klebold's first televised interview were mixed. Patrick Ireland, who was severely injured during the massacre, said that he "prefers to forget the shooters' names and their families." Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman asserted that Klebold's interview could inspire other would-be shooters and labeled Klebold "irresponsible." Conversely, Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was paralyzed in the Columbine attack, expressed sympathy for Klebold and commended her for using proceeds from her book to support mental health organizations. Hochhalter's father also defended Klebold's decision to speak out, calling Coffman's remarks "ignorant" and "insensitive," and describing Klebold as a "remorseful mother" seeking to raise awareness about mental health.