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Murder In America

S2 Ep118: VIRGINIA - The Virginia Tech School Shooting, PT. 2: The Massacre

Murder In America

Blood In The Sink Productions

True Crime

4.88.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2023

⏱️ 114 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On April 16th, 2007, a student of Virginia Tech slaughtered 32 people before ending his life. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in American history, and the story of how it was carried out is both horrific and tragic. Join us as we explore this notorious crime, honor the victims of the massacre and attempt to understand why this all happened.
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SOURCES:
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/us/18cnd-virginia.html

“Emily Jane Hilscher.” Virginia Tech, 2023. https://www.weremember.vt.edu/biographies/hilscher.html

“Gunman a loner, left note.” The Denver Post, April 17, 2007. https://www.denverpost.com/2007/04/17/gunman-a-loner-left-note/#

“How Virginia Tech massacre unfolded.” NBC News, April 19, 2007. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18164428

Kapsidelis, Thomas. “Virginia Tech Shootings.” Encyclopedia Virginia, 2020.

“Killer’s manifesto: ‘You forced me into a corner.’” CNN, April 18, 2007. https://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/vtech.shooting/index.html

Kleinfield, N.R. “Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence.” The New York Times, April 22, 2007. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/us/22vatech.html

Kovaleski, Serge and Katie Zezima. “Students Recount Desperate Minutes Inside Norris Hall.” The New York Times, April 22, 2007. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/us/22norris.html#:~:text=Cho%20reentered%20Room%20206%2C%20Advanced,fell%20on%20top%20of%20him.

“Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel.” 2009.

Moran. Terry. “Inside Cho’s Mind.” ABC News, April 8, 2009. https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3541157&page=1

Pelletiere, Nicole. “The massacre at Virginia Tech remembered 10 years later.” ABC News, April 13, 2017.

“Remembering Virginia Tech’s Shooting Victims.” NPR, April 18, 2007. https://www.npr.org/2007/04/18/9618673/remembering-virginia-techs-shooting-victims

“Roommates Give a Glimpse Into the Mind of a Killer.” ABC News, April 18, 2007.
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3052025

“Ryan Christopher Clark.” Virginia Tech, 2023. https://www.weremember.vt.edu/biographies/clark.html

Santora, Marc. “Roommates Describe Gunman as Loner. The New York Times, April 17, 2007. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/us/17cnd-ROOMMATE.html

“Seung-Hui Cho.” Murderpedia, 2023. https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/cho-seung-hui.htm

“Teen gunmen kill 13 at Columbine High School.” History, 2023.https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-massacre-at-columbine-high-school

“The Phone Call from Room 211 (lost unreleased recording of 911 call from the Virgina Tech shooting, 2007.” The Lost Wiki, 2021.

“The 'unremarkable sale' of gun to student killer.” NBC News, April 18, 2007.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18170761

“The Worst Massacre in American History – Virginia Tech Massacre.” Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FfMXjsR4YM

“Virginia Tech Shooting.” History, April 13, 2011.

Additional Sources added by Lisa at Murder in America

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences.

0:03.0

We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers

0:06.9

even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

0:11.0

Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder,

0:15.6

and offenses against children.

0:17.3

This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

0:22.0

In last week's episode, we talked about everything leading up to April 16th, 2007.

0:28.4

In the downward spiral of Sung Wii Cho during his time at Virginia Tech,

0:34.0

he was a troubled man that was painfully shy and angry with the world.

0:40.1

Sung Wii had been writing disturbing and violent papers for his writing classes.

0:45.7

He had been harassing women on campus.

0:49.4

And in the months before the massacre, he stocked up on guns, ammunition,

0:55.1

and everything he needed to carry out the attack.

0:58.8

Many students and employees at Virginia Tech were very concerned about his behavior,

1:04.0

but no one could have ever known that the shy man who barely spoke above a whisper

1:09.6

was about to come onto their campus and commit the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

1:16.3

Last week's episode was about Sung Wii Cho and his background.

1:21.2

But today's episode is about the events of that horrific day in Blacksburg, Virginia.

1:27.6

And the story of the Virginia Tech massacre.

1:31.3

I'm Courtney Browne.

1:32.7

And I'm Colin Browne.

1:34.4

And you're listening to Murder in America.

...

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