State investigators have affirmed that Hunter S. Thompson died by suicide, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said Friday.
The bureau launched a case review in September at the request of Thompson’s widow, Anita, more than 20 years after the legendary and eccentric writer died in 2005 in his secluded home near Aspen.
The review did not uncover any new physical evidence, facts or circumstances, CBI said.
“While we have always believed the original investigation was conducted properly, we recognized the importance of an independent review for the Thompson family,” Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione said in a statement Friday. “CBI’s conclusions reaffirm the original findings and, we hope, provide reassurance and clarity.”
The original investigation found he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a .45-caliber handgun. Thompson’s son, who was in another room at the time, found Thompson’s body in the kitchen, the Aspen Times newspaper reported in February 2005.
In their case review, CBI agents and crime analysts reviewed sheriff’s office records and autopsy reports and conducted interviews with several people, including Anita; Thompson’s son, Juan Thompson; and ex-daughter-in-law, Jennifer Thompson.
They also spoke to the original lead investigator, the county coroner and former Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo, CBI said.
Interviews confirmed that Thompson suffered from “significant depression and chronic pain,” CBI said. Dr. Stephen Ayers, the Pitkin County coroner, noted that Thompson was showing a physical and mental decline, and idolized fellow author Ernest Hemingway, who also died by suicide.
Anita Thompson called the bureau’s review “thorough” and a necessary step to move forward.
“This allows all of us who loved Hunter to move forward with a clean conscience,” she said in a statement.
