Dear FRONTLINE,

Like many others, I had trouble sleeping after watching this program. I'm not sure what was more heart wrenching, watching the deterioration of Kip's mental state, his parents' inability to cope, or the results of Kip's rage. I thought the program was well done, except for one thing. The tone of the entire program referred to Kip in the past tense, as if his life was over and that he was being left to rot in a jail cell for the lengthy remainder of his life. It wasn't until I read more about the sentencing on the web site that I understood what the future holds for Kip. I think Kip deserves his sentence, but I do not think that means he should be abandoned. The fact that he is in a juvenile facility, with the opportunity to go to school and recieve some kind of treatment for his illness is an important part of this story that was left out of the television program. I disagree with those who say his sentence will serve as a deterrent for other youngsters, I do not think such an example would have stopped Kip from doing what he did.

A. Homoelle

Dear FRONTLINE,

Dear Frontline:

I am heartbroken by your story on the Kinkel tragedy. When I look at the pictures in the documentary I don't see a remorseless killer serving 111 years, I see a profoundly disturbed child. And yet I can't help this nagging feeling that if all of these school shootings had happened in my neighborhood, in the inner-city, they would have all been written off as "gang warfare". But since all of these mass murdersThurston, Columbine, etc. occured in "good" neighborhoods with "good" kids who had "good" parents they were deemed worthy of psychological, and indeed sympathetic, investigation.

Lori Holland
Los Angeles, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

As I read through the comments that have been posted on your website, I find exactly what I might have expected ñ countless accusations of blame for parents, teachers, psychiatric professionals and heartfelt hand wringing for the disturbed boy. As your program pointed out, Kip had the same intense feelings that are so common among teenagers ñ inadequacy, rejection, loneliness, despair. The difference is how he dealt with those feelings. He chose to reject the helping hands being offered him. Thought those hands might have been flawed ñ HE CHOSE. Despite his sobbing claims of ìI had no other choiceî ñ HE CHOSE!

Iím not exactly sure why you aired this story. It was certainly compelling, but as you chose to air the footage of the police tape when the parentís bodies were found in their home while in the background the stereo blared the soundtrack from Romeo and Juliet a terrible show by the way, I felt you had gone over the top. Surely this was EXACTLY the theatrical finish that Kip so wanted ñ his Opus Magnus. Once again, he was given into.

My only hope is that no a single penny was paid to Kip, or his legal defense fund.

Mike Jensen

Dear FRONTLINE,

WOW, what a story.
I am a mother of a 10 year old boy who is in therapy for depression and anger. I felt for the mother of Kip when she suggested therapy for him, as I too have trouble convincing my sons father the importance of his therapy. He feels that our son is just going through something that he will soon grow out of. ...

Mary Bowles
Concord, NC

Dear FRONTLINE,

Was it a mistake to show the modernized version of Romeo and Juliet? Or was it an opportunity to glimpse what was going on inside the lives of these students? What did his teachers do with the words of despair he wrote time and again? I cringed when I saw the violent clips of the movie Kip saw, but young people including Kip, identify with the pain in the story. They identify with the anger in today's music. How relevant that he chose music to numb himself before his final terrible cry. Our children use others' lyrics because either they cannot express their own feelings or because we are not listening.

J Kamil
Chapel Hill, NC

Dear FRONTLINE,

This report really opened my eyes to how different Kip's story is to the two young men at Columbine High. After reading and learning the background of both of these school shootings, I'm struck by how Kip's story could have happened to anyone. Unlike the Columbine killers, Kip was remorseful and in many ways a good kid. The pain and depression that Kip felt was not exclusive to him - most kids go through the sense of isolation and heartbreak that he went through. What made him different than me, except those final two days? His parents weren't perfect, but they acted out of love and concern - only hindsight makes their mistakes obvious. This report will stay with me for a long time.

Holly Vaughn
Dover, DE

Dear FRONTLINE,

As a criminologist, media analyst, and author of several books on crime, media, and criminal justice, I want to congratulate Frontline
and company for a well-done documentary. Also, for the links
and material at this website. What
a real service. One suggestion or
substantive comment about the program was the fact that your editorializing and/or commentary did not discuss or make reference to the way in which all of the friends of the family and others reconstructed "after the fact" narratives that put this shooting into some kind of intrapsychic
family dynamic, but it is much more than that as your program described,it is a cultural and
psychological phenomonon; it's about
character and social structure.

Gregg Barak
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dear FRONTLINE,

a couple of quick thoughts:
first, i am a fan of the rock band Nine Inch Nails. i have no idea if there are many of us delinquents who both listen to NIN AND watch PBS programming so i don't know if you have heard this before... Kip Kinkle was quoting a lot of the lyrics written by the singer of NIN, one such example of a typical NIN song: "it won't give up, it wants me dead, and Goddamn this voice inside my head". i was disturbed by the inclination to instantly assume insanity when he could have been simply regurgitating a phrase he had heard many times before. also "i don't know what else to do" is a common theme in the repetitive and emotionally distraut music of NIN.
Second, i hope this does not come across as too dramatic or negative, but i am suprised by the shock of people responding to these types of tradgedies. with the combination of the incredible emotional turmoil experienced in modern highschool, and the ready availibility of firearms, how can we be surprised when this happens? i am 25 now and when i was in highschool, i carried weapons just to feel like i had some control of my life. my best friend came to school with a loaded pistol fully intending on killing a "Jock" who had been terrorizing him. fortunately, i and my other friends were able to talk him out of it. i cannot think that the same scenario is being played out in every highschool across america. it is, to me, a very positive sign for us all, that more killings do not occur, and that most of our children grow up to be relatively healthy, productive members of society.
thanks for your time, and sorry about the spelling.

Shaun Varney
burlington, vermont

Dear FRONTLINE,

This has torn me up inside. I just finished watching this story, and it's now 12:45 a.m. and I can't sleep I'm so upset.

Doesn't it bother you how we all could watch the police discovering The Kinkel's dead bodies? I'm sorry "Frontline", but I really think that this was taken too far. I really believe that we all could have used our own imaginations in this particular scene of the documentary.

This really troubles me. People are horrified by all the violence that is going on with our kids yet, know oneís taking responsibility for showing us all the violence. TV, movies, video games I don't get it? Where is the logic? I'm sure if the media could have, they would have shown the children's bodies as well.

Yes, this story must be told, but now I truly feel that whoever watches this documentary they will also feel somewhat victimized by it. I can't believe how disrespectful media has become. ...

Stacy Gabriel
Richmond, B.C.

Dear FRONTLINE,

What a heartbreaking story. I can understand how difficult it would be for the parents to distinguish between adolescent angst, depression, and early onset schizophrenia. Few professionals are able to make that call without considerable study of the patient, particularly when it comes to teenagers. As every parent knows, even healthy children conceal issues that bring them shame. Is it any wonder a child so full of self-loathing would want to keep the nature of his condition secret? Prison is the last place on earth to put such a tormented soul. He is already in hell, having killed against his will and under compulsion of inner voices those he loved and depended upon, as well as innocent fellow-students at school. Now he must live with the crime AND with the voices, that will no doubt hound him even more. If he is paranoid, interaction with other prisoners will only make things worse. I pray to God he is on medication and getting help while in prison. If anyone doubts the necessity for appropriate treatment in these cases, look into the fate of John Salvi. Putting a schizophrenic in prison is the cruelest and most inhumane punishment conceivable. Lethal injection would be kinder.

Davi Loren

Dear FRONTLINE,

I was very dissappointed that the fact that this boy had auditory hallucinions would indicate the possible pressence of schizophrenic was only mentioned and the end and was not dealt with. If he suffered from schizophrenic then much of the program which recounted his upbriging, his fascination with weapons, his teenage angst may not have been relevant since it was his disorder which caused many of those things. The show was "held" out as somewhat representative of a teenage shooter when this boy, if he suffered from schizophrenic was hardy typical and the other factors in this life may have been quite irrelevant. Any paranoid schizophrenic could conceivably perform the horrible acts this boy did and the only relevant fact or causation would be the disease. I felt somewhat misled.

Also, why didn't the police interrogator ask the boy why he felt he had no choice? And also inquire about the nature of the voices?

Alphonso Quashie
Los Angeles, California

Dear FRONTLINE,

After two years of listening to the local media exploit this tragedy, it is a relief to watch a program that is respectful of all the victims involved-the town, the students, Kip's family and Kip himself. It is very important for viewers to not try and come to any conclusions as to whom or what to blame. No one has come out of this without some degree of confusion or pain; and no one can ever possibly understand all of the dynamics involved with Kip and the way he thought-not even Kip himself. It is a tragedy in the true sense of the word-there are no clear reasons and everyone has suffered.

Joy Veysey
Springfield, Oregon

Dear FRONTLINE,

After viewing your segment about Kip Kinkel I feel that I must respond. I feel that the presentation was sensationistic. Commentary from friends and family was speculatory at best. The use of music, dialogue and imagry used in the first hour was an obvious attempt to invoke sympathy for Kip.

Recognizing that hindsight is 20/20:..Kip was and is obviously mentally ill. I agree with the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Thus, How can a juvenille who is clinically mentally ill drop his insanity plea, given the status of "retribution laws" in Oregon. ALSO was a lawyer present during Kip's taped confession?

Lori Elam
Eugene, OR

Dear FRONTLINE,

...
I live in Springfiled, OR, just miles from Thurston High School. At the time of the shooting, I had moved from Tucson, Az just months before. I was saddened and torn, as well as fearful that I had moved to a smaller town to raise my children in a "safer" place. The Kip Kinkel story nagged at me and made me very interested in getting closer to the situation. After the Shooting, my family and I went to Thurston High and paid our respects to those kids that were killed at the school. There were candle lit memorials that the friends of the killed teenagers had created. The Media was very close to the situation. And in some situations, I feel Glorified the violence ...

In November 1999, during the process of Sentencing Kip Kinkel, I made it a point to frequent the Courthouse to see if I could get a glimpse of this boy who had killed his parents, spent the night with their dead bodies and then opened fire at school the next day. I, MYSELF, have seen Kip Kinkels face as he was escorted into the Courtroom. And what I saw was a very lost little boy, who was isolated and misunderstood. This is not to say that I condone his behavior and acts of violence. But isn't there Hope for our youth? Kip's sad and ashamed eyes was a heartbreaker to me personally.

I also seen the severe pain that his sister appeared to be going through. She too, is now alone and lost.

I am sorry for the parents that have lost their children in this tragedy. They must, as parents, have alot to be outraged about, because their babies can NEVER be brought back. ...

My prayers are with the families of the teen victims, as well as with Kip's sister. But, in my heart, I think that his sister would agree that Kip isn't hopeless. I would appreciate a response from your network, as well as feedback from those who read my opinion....

Tera Kohus
Springfield, Oregon

Dear FRONTLINE,

Kip Kinkel, having a mental imbalance, in large part is to blame, yet we fail to see the inviorment of schools, the halls look like a prison, security guards, no rights, no justice, no apeals, in between classes halls are monitered by motion sensors, and cameras, students on the lower end have no identity. The next major culpret is the media for milking the story for as much as they can get from it, is it no wonder there have been so many copycat incidents across the country. Children with a low self immage, what a way to go! Instant 15 min. of world wide fame, the memory will live on forever, or so they tink in their minds, the empasis is on the group, someone with low esteme, or have a low self image, what of their needs when the varsity star gets all of the attention, and the rest of the students are lost in the croud.

Rusty Oxydado
Vancouver, Washington

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