Investigation confirms Hunter S. Thompson's 2005 death was suicide

Investigation Confirms Hunter S. Thompson’s 2005 Death Was Suicide

Investigators in Colorado confirmed Friday that journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s 2005 shooting death was a suicide, following a review requested by his widow with new concerns about the original investigation. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation determined that Thompson’s body “was not moved or ‘staged’ after death,” and that “all speculative theories could not be substantiated.”

The probe was opened after Anita Thompson contacted the sheriff for the Aspen area, Michael Buglione, with “new concerns and potential information regarding the investigation.” The bureau did not disclose what those concerns were. In a statement included in the announcement, Anita Thompson thanked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for its “kind and thorough work.”

“This allows all of us who loved Hunter to move forward with a clean conscience,” she said.

Investigators found that Thompson suffered from significant depression and chronic pain at the time of his death. Pitkin County Coroner Dr. Steven Ayers noted that Thompson was in physical and mental decline and idolized author Ernest Hemingway, who also died by suicide.

Thompson, who popularized a first-person form of gonzo journalism in articles and books such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, died in February 2005 at his Aspen-area home, Owl Farm in Woody Creek. He was 67.

As part of the review, investigators tracked the path of the bullet that killed Thompson with the help of a fragment still lodged in an appliance at the home. Original crime scene photos, recovered by Anita Thompson, showed that the body was aligned with the path of the bullet. Thompson’s home was examined as part of the investigation because most of the physical evidence and photographs were destroyed under protocols for cases that are not considered criminal.

Thompson’s remains were cremated and fired from a cannon at his request during a private ceremony in Colorado. Among the celebrities who attended was actor Johnny Depp, who played the lead role in the 1998 film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Sheriff Buglione said in a statement that the original investigation was conducted properly but investigators recognized the importance of an independent review. “CBI’s conclusions reaffirm the original findings and, we hope, provide reassurance and clarity,” he said. CBI spokesperson Rob Low declined to comment on what specific concerns prompted the review.