By: (AP) A judge on Wednesday ordered the release of the Columbine gunmen's records from a juvenile court program, saying the public has a legitimate interest in seeing whether the program failed.
Jefferson County District Judge Brooke Jackson ordered the release of records from the 11 months Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold spent in the program,
The Denver Post reported on its Web site.
Harris and Klebold were ordered to participate in the program after they were arrested in 1998 for breaking into a van and stealing tools.
Harris' parents had said they would not object to releasing the records. But Tom and Susan Klebold fought the release to protect their privacy.
The judge ruled that was not a sufficient reason to keep the documents sealed.
One of the Klebolds' lawyers, Gary Lozow, said they had not decided whether to appeal. "Eventually, I think the records will become public, and that will be the result of this ruling," Lozow said.
Harris and Klebold stormed Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, fatally shooting a teacher and 12 students and wounding 23 others before killing themselves.
A prosecutors' task force asked Jackson to release the records. The group was formed in February to track down official records relating to the shootings and develop criteria on whether they should be made public.
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