Editor’s Note: This story references suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call 9-8-8 for emergency mental health support.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the 2005 death investigation of Hunter S. Thompson, legendary writer, Pitkin County Sheriff candidate and Gonzo journalist. He was well known for his first-person style of reporting, made famous by his book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Hunter S. Thompson’s widow, Anita Thompson, prompted the independent review of her late husband’s death investigation after speaking to Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione earlier this year.
In a press conference with local media outlets Wednesday, Buglione would not share Anita Thompson’s specific concerns, but he said they met with CBI representatives on July 31. After their meeting, she asked the state agency to review the original investigation.
While Buglione said Anita Thompson shared some of her initial concerns with him, he quickly referred her to the CBI so that she did not have to retell her story multiple times.
“I didn't want her to have to repeat it over and over,” Buglione said.
The CBI is not reopening the investigation at this time; instead, they are reviewing existing evidence.
If the CBI finds any inconsistencies in the original investigation, Buglione said they will return to Anita Thompson for direction on whether to reopen the case and investigate further. Buglione was not sure if the CBI would reinterview anyone besides Anita Thompson at this stage.
A spokesperson from the CBI said they cannot share anything else at this time beyond its initial press release.
Buglione said it’s “not uncommon” for the CBI to review a case at the request of a family member, and that the high-profile nature of Hunter S. Thompson’s case did not influence his office’s decision to suggest an independent review.
“I would do it for anybody in Pitkin County who lost a loved one and then was either getting different information or found something out, or maybe found a note somewhere buried in a book 20 years later,” Buglione said.
However, he still believes the findings from the original investigation are accurate.
“The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office has been confident over the last 20 plus years that the original investigation was exactly what happened,” he said. “We're still confident that that is the case.”
Buglione said they did not inform other family members about the review, including Hunter S. Thompson’s son, Juan Thompson, who was at the scene of Hunter’s death in 2005.
According to the original incident report, written by former Pitkin County deputy John Armstrong, Hunter S. Thompson was found deceased in his Woody Creek residence on Feb. 20, 2005. No one else was injured.
Juan Thompson told investigators that he was in the next room, and his wife and son were also on the property.
In Armstrong’s account, he arrived on the scene around 6 p.m. and heard the sound of three gunshots, which Juan Thompson later said he fired into the air “to mark the passing of his father.”
In a supplemental report, Deputy Brad Gibson determined that Juan Thompson’s gun did not cause any of Hunter S. Thompson’s injuries. Armstrong noted several other guns in Hunter S. Thompson’s vicinity.
Pitkin County Coroner Dr. Steve Ayers decided to have an outside agency do a partial autopsy. It found his injuries were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Neither Anita nor Juan Thompson immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday before publication.
