Chuck E. Cheese: A Kid-Friendly Place With A Dark Secret?

On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. A fifth employee was seriously injured but survived. The perpetrator, 19-year-old former employee Nathan Dunlap, was frustrated about being fired from the restaurant and sought revenge. This tragic incident, known as the Chuck E. Cheese Massacre, has left a lasting impact and raised questions about how to address such heinous crimes and punish those responsible.

The 1993 Chuck E. Cheese shooting

On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed, and a fifth was seriously injured at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months earlier. He entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played an arcade game before hiding in the restroom. After closing, Dunlap emerged and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret Kohlberg, 50, who was the store manager. They all died from gunshots to the head. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting. He had been shot in the jaw but managed to escape and seek help.

Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 in cash and game tokens. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Dunlap was seeking revenge for being fired from his job. Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges, and was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The Chuck E. Cheese shooting in 1993 shocked the community and sparked debates about gun violence, mental health, and how to punish society's worst criminals. The shooting also had a significant impact on the survivor, Bobby Stephens, who struggled with the emotional trauma and physical scars of the incident for many years.

The victims

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap killed four employees of a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, and seriously injured a fifth. The victims were Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret (Marge) Kohlberg, 50. They were all shot in the head at close range, with Kohlberg being shot twice. Kohlberg was the mother of two children, and the manager of the restaurant. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the fifth employee and the sole survivor of the shooting. He was shot in the jaw but managed to escape and alert someone at a nearby apartment complex.

Sylvia Crowell was closing the salad bar at the time of the shooting. Ben Grant was vacuuming, and Colleen O'Connor was cleaning the quiet room for adults. O'Connor begged for her life, but Dunlap showed no mercy. Dunlap forced Kohlberg to open the safe and shot her again when he noticed she was still moving. Dunlap stole $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens before fleeing the scene.

Dunlap was a former employee of the restaurant and had been fired five months prior to the shooting. He was frustrated about his termination and sought revenge. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours after the shooting and found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges. He was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection but his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The perpetrator: Nathan Dunlap

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap entered a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, where he had been fired as a cook five months prior. He ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, played arcade games, and hid in the restroom until closing time. Dunlap emerged after closing and shot five employees, killing four of them. The four victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret "Marge" Kohlberg, 50. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting.

Dunlap was frustrated about being fired and sought revenge by committing the attack. He fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens he stole from the restaurant. Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. He was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary in 1996 and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. During his sentencing, he went on a three-minute profanity-laden outburst.

Dunlap's trial attorney was ineffective in presenting a defense for his mental health issues and history of child abuse. In 2008, Dunlap filed a habeas corpus petition, arguing that his trial attorney was incompetent. This federal appeal was rejected in August 2010. Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane stated that Dunlap was fairly tried, competently represented, and justifiably sentenced to death.

In May 2013, Dunlap's execution date was set for mid-August 2013. However, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a temporary reprieve, postponing Dunlap's execution indefinitely. In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole. He remains incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City.

The aftermath

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four employees of Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado, and seriously injured a fifth. The shooting, which became known as the "Chuck E. Cheese Massacre", was in retaliation for Dunlap's termination from the restaurant five months prior. Dunlap was frustrated about being fired and sought revenge by carrying out the attack. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Margaret "Marge" Kohlberg, 50, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. All five employees were shot in the head, with Kohlberg being shot twice. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Dunlap had sought revenge after being fired from his job. Dunlap's attorneys claimed that he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime and that his attitude had changed since being medicated in prison.

Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary. In 1996, he was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2013, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a temporary reprieve, postponing Dunlap's execution indefinitely. This decision sparked controversy, with some criticising it as backdoor clemency and an unwillingness to make tough decisions.

In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary.

The shooting had a profound impact on the families of the victims, who waited nearly 20 years for justice to be served. Sylvia Crowell, the mother of victim Sylvia Crowell, expressed her frustration with the delays and her desire for Dunlap to remain in prison for the rest of his life. The shooting also sparked a statewide debate about how to punish society's worst criminals and the use of capital punishment in Colorado.

The motive

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four employees and injured a fifth at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. The motive for the attack was revenge; Dunlap was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months prior and was frustrated about it.

Dunlap entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played an arcade game. He then hid in a restroom and, after closing at 10:05 p.m., emerged and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. The victims were Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret Kohlberg, 50, the store manager. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting.

Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges, and was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The Chuck E. Cheese's massacre was a tragic and senseless act of violence that left a lasting impact on the community in Aurora, Colorado. The motive for the attack was clear: revenge against the restaurant for firing Dunlap. However, the true extent of the tragedy extends beyond the immediate victims and their families, as the shooting also sparked a statewide debate about how to punish society's worst criminals and brought up difficult questions about mental health and the criminal justice system.

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