Collegiate Times

Related:

The revised Panel Report (PDF).

A revised version of the Virginia Tech Governor’s Review Panel report on the April 16, 2007 shootings has been completed and released to families by Gov. Tim Kaine and independent information systems company Tri-Data.

Kaine agreed to revise the report, originally released in late 2007, at the request of victims’ families following the discovery of shooter Seung-Hui Cho’s mental health records at the home of former Cook Counseling Center director Robert Miller in July.

All revisions were completed by Tri-Data. Kaine refused to reconvene the original panel, a measure that many families of the victims called for. Submissions of corrections were also collected from family members.

The revised report, obtained by the Collegiate Times, contains a new introduction explaining the revision process.

“Some families had personal knowledge of the events that were not previously shared,” the introduction to the revised report said. “Some families requested new interpretations of certain findings or revisions to some of the Review Panel’s recommendations in light of the new information. Virginia Tech officials also submitted comments requesting some corrections.”

Unlike the original report, several family members were interviewed

“After completing an initial review of the comments from all parties, Tri-Data submitted a number of questions to Virginia Tech and also interviewed several family members for clarification of their comments, and to cross-check information and corroborate facts,” the report said.

Despite a wide range of changes, the report said there were no corrections that warranted altering the original recommendations.

“The new and additional information has tended to reinforce the Review Panel’s original findings and recommendations,” the report said. “In several instances, emphasis was added to findings where strongly supported by the facts. While some of the findings have been modified slightly and one added, none of the new information merited changes to any of the recommendations in the original Report.”

One major change to the report was the revision of a timeline that many families said was flawed in the original report.

“This Addendum contains an expanded timeline with virtually all of the additions suggested by the families,” the report said.

WEST A.J. SHOOTINGS

 

The revised report more specifically explains how Cho may have selected and entered West Ambler-Johnston Hall, where he killed Emily Hilscher and Ryan Clark, his first two victims.

“Some students were assigned mailboxes located in a different dorm from their own,” the report said. “They could access their mailbox after 7:30 a.m. Cho was one of these students. He lived in Harper Hall but his mailbox was in West Ambler

Johnston where he committed the first two murders. He had access and reason to be in the mailbox area of WAJ, which may help explain why he chose it. It also was a short walk from his dorm. His motivation for the initial killings still has not been determined. He had no known relationship with Emily Hilscher, nor with her roommate.”

The revised timeline continues to document the discovery of the first two victims.

Ed Spencer, who was then associate vice president for student affairs, was the first member of the university administration aware of the shootings.

An addition to the report said a housekeeping worker in West AJ called a Burruss Hall housekeeping worker, who informed Spencer.

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