Hunter S. Thompson suicide ruling stands firm after 20-year review by Colorado investigators
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has reaffirmed that the 2005 death of legendary "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" writer Hunter S. Thompson more than 20 years after it was ruled a suicide.
The review was initiated in July 2025 after the late Gonzo journalist’s widow, Anita Thompson, raised new concerns with Sheriff Michael Buglione about the original investigation into her husband’s death at Owl Farm, the couple’s Woody Creek home. Thompson, 67, died on Feb. 20, 2005, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"While we have always believed the original investigation was conducted properly, we recognized the importance of an independent review for the Thompson family," Buglione said in a statement. "CBI’s conclusions reaffirm the original findings and, we hope, provide reassurance and clarity."
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According to CBI, the review found no new physical evidence, facts or circumstances that would support a conclusion different from the original ruling.
The reexamination included a review of Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office records, autopsy findings by forensic pathologist Dr. Dean Havlik, and interviews with Thompson’s widow and family members, as well as original investigators, the Pitkin County coroner, and former sheriff’s officials.
Investigators also conducted a scene examination, though much of the original physical evidence and photographs had been destroyed under retention policies.
CBI also said that a modern trajectory analysis and scene reconstruction conducted in 2025 consistent with the original investigation, autopsy report and witness observations.
Rory Safir, a criminal defense attorney and forensic scientist, said the decision to conduct an independent review reflected transparency rather than doubt about the original findings.
"They had obviously originally ruled it as a suicide and then they re-initiated this review because I believe family members raised concerns which weren’t disclosed to the public," Safir told Fox News Digital. "It doesn’t mean that original investigation was flawed."
Safir said the review appears to have followed standard forensic practice for revisiting high-profile cases decades later.
"They would have looked at would have been the original reports, any of the autopsy materials," he said. "I know they interviewed some of the witnesses that were still around, the original investigators as well as re-examining the scene using the evidence that was available."
Safir also credited updated technology was likely central to the outcome.
"I would imagine was a big part of their confirming their findings had to do with the bullet trajectory reconstruction and using kind of modern technology to validate the original findings," Safir said.
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CBI did not disclose what specific information from Thompson’s widow prompted the review but said it did not rise to a level requiring the case to be reopened.
Safir said that threshold is intentionally high.
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"What they’re looking for to see if they would reopen a case like this, they would need some kind of new evidence that would materially contradict or undermine what they originally found," he said. "And that didn’t happen here."
Safir said that a renewed investigation would require grounded evidence – not internet theories.
"As far as what’s out there on the internet, I would say that just a lot of this speculation and internet theories are not evidence," he said. "This is a criminal investigation. It’s going to be grounded in evidence, not in, you know, internet theories."
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Thompson killed himself on Feb. 20, 2005, at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, leaving behind a darkly funny suicide note titled "Football Season Is Over."
"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bi---y. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt," Thompson wrote in the message, which was later published by Rolling Stone.
Thompson, who was struggling with depression and drug and alcohol abuse, died while his wife was on the phone with him and was found by his son.
Thompson is credited with the birth of gonzo journalism and for acclaimed books such as "The Rum Diary" and "Hell’s Angels," about the notorious motorcycle gang.