CBI CONFIRMS HUNTER S. THOMPSON KILLED SELF, IDOLIZED HEMINGWAY WHO DID SAME

UPDATE

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation completed its case review of the death of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and "affirmed the original determination of suicide," officials said Friday.

Thompson's widow asked the state to review the case, questioning the original finding. She alleged Thompson’s son and daughter-in-law may have tampered with the scene of his death to make it look like a suicide, the New York Times said Sunday. However, his son, Juan, told the Times: "I do not know why she raised this."

Thompson shot himself in the head at his home - Owl Farm, in Woody Creek, Pitkin County - on Feb. 20, 2005.

"Interviews confirmed that Thompson suffered from significant depression and chronic pain," CBI said. "The coroner, Dr. Steven Ayers, noted Thompson’s physical and mental decline, his reported suicidal ideations, and his idolization of author Ernest Hemingway, who also died by suicide. All speculative theories could not be substantiated."

Following his death, a friend lamented Thompson had told him years before that "he would feel real trapped if he didn't know that he could commit suicide at any moment. I don't know if that is brave or stupid or what, but it was inevitable.”