Chuck-E-Cheese's Dark Secrets: Murder Mystery Mayhem

There are several references to murder mysteries associated with Chuck E. Cheese, including a theory that the horror game Five Nights at Freddy's (FNaF) was inspired by a mass murder that took place at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, in 1993. In this incident, a former employee, Nathan Dunlap, killed four employees and injured a fifth after being fired from his job. Dunlap was sentenced to death but Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper blocked his execution. There is also a mention of a creepypasta video titled Death At Chuck E Cheese 70's Murder Files +18 which appears to have been removed from the internet.

The 1993 Chuck E. Cheese murders

On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. A fifth employee, 20-year-old Bobby Stephens, was seriously injured but survived by playing dead after being shot in the jaw. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months prior. Dunlap was frustrated about his termination and sought revenge. 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, he shot five employees with a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, targeting the head or temple. Dunlap forced the store manager, 50-year-old Marge Kohlberg, to open the safe before shooting her in the ear. He fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens.

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, 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 victims of the Chuck E. Cheese murders were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Marge Kohlberg, 50. They were all employees of the restaurant and were cleaning up after hours when they were ambushed by Dunlap.

The incident, known as the "Chuck E. Cheese Massacre," was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time, until it was surpassed by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

The theory that Five Nights at Freddy's was based on the Chuck E. Cheese murders

The popular video game "Five Nights at Freddy's" (FNAF) has sparked numerous fan theories about its inspiration, with some believing it was based on the Chuck E. Cheese murders that took place in 1993. While this theory has been circulating for years, there has been no confirmation that it directly inspired the game series.

The Chuck E. Cheese tragedy occurred on December 14, 1993, when a former employee, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, returned to his previous workplace and shot five employees, killing four and injuring one. This incident took place in Aurora, Colorado, and at the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in the state's history. Dunlap was sentenced to death by lethal injection, but this was later overturned, and he is now serving a life sentence without parole.

The theory connecting FNAF to the Chuck E. Cheese murders was popularised by MatPat of the YouTube channel "Game Theorists." In one of his early videos about FNAF, MatPat drew parallels between the game and the real-life tragedy, including the year the events took place and the similarities with Chuck E. Cheese. Additionally, the game's creator, Scott Cawthon, had previously worked on a family-friendly resource management game called "Chipper & Sons Lumber," which was criticised for its "creepy" and "scary" animatronic characters. Cawthon then decided to create something "a lot scarier," which resulted in the development of FNAF.

While the direct inspiration for FNAF remains unconfirmed, the game's lore, setting, and character designs have sparked players' imaginations, leading to various theories and interpretations. The theory connecting the game to the Chuck E. Cheese murders highlights the impact of true crime on popular culture and the ongoing fascination with unsolved mysteries and gruesome events.

Despite the lack of official confirmation, the theory has persisted due to the intriguing coincidences and the desire of fans to uncover the truth behind their favourite games.

The Game Theorists' video on the Chuck E. Cheese murders

In a video titled "Five Nights at Freddy's SCARIEST Monster is you!", The Game Theorists discuss the theory that the horror game "Five Nights at Freddy's" is based on the Chuck E. Cheese murders that took place in 1993. The theory suggests that the game is an allegory for the tragic murder of five Chuck E. Cheese employees, with the security guard role that players take on being the villain.

The video delves into the observations that the number and locations of the animatronics in the game match up with details from the Chuck E. Cheese murder case. It is proposed that the game is a living nightmare of Nathan Dunlap, the man arrested for the murders, forcing him to relive the traumatic event and be haunted by the employees he once worked with.

The Game Theorists acknowledge that the theory is just speculation, but they present compelling evidence to support their argument. They also provide an overview of their channel's purpose, which is to separate fact from fiction in popular video games and provide insights into the designers' decisions.

The full theory can be viewed on The Game Theorists' YouTube channel, and the discussion has sparked interest among fans who have shared their thoughts and interpretations in the comments section. Some viewers find the theory intriguing, while others question its accuracy.

In addition to the "Five Nights at Freddy's" theory, The Game Theorists have also covered other popular games such as Portal, Team Fortress 2, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda, offering unique insights and interpretations of these games.

The creepypasta video Death at Chuck E Cheese 70's Murder Files +18

The creepypasta video "Death at Chuck E Cheese 70s Murder Files +18" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "TheGreat Rage" in late 2014. The video is a narration of a creepypasta story titled "Chuck E's Special". It was released around the same time as the game FNaF, which features similar animatronic bands to Chuck E. Cheese, leading to many comparisons between the two.

The video includes added visuals and music to accompany the narration. It ends with mugshots of two children and an adult, who is the killer in the story, along with the song "O Death" by Jen Titus. The adult mugshot is of "Paul Lewis", the murderer in the story. There is also an image of a newspaper that says "permanently closed". Unfortunately, the image of the two children cannot be recovered.

The video is suspected to be a repost, as the audio is very similar to another video but with added visuals and music. The original video creator, TheGreat Rage (now known as Polybius), no longer has the video in their possession. A Reddit user, u/CrowsofFear, made a post looking for the video and was able to get in contact with the original creator, but unfortunately, they did not have it saved.

The creepypasta story that the video is based on is about a man with a mental illness who invites two unsupervised children for pizza after closing. He knocks them out with sedatives in their soda and cuts them up into pieces to put in the pizza.

Colorado governor's decision to block the execution of Nathan Dunlap

In 2013, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper blocked the execution of Nathan Dunlap, who was convicted of killing four people at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in 1993. Hickenlooper granted Dunlap an indefinite stay of execution, expressing concerns about the fairness and inequity of the state's death penalty system. He cited the national trend away from capital punishment, with several states repealing or rarely using it. Hickenlooper's decision was not based on granting clemency to Dunlap but on broader objections to the death penalty.

Dunlap's attorneys supported the governor's decision, agreeing that the death penalty system was flawed. They also noted the widespread support for commuting Dunlap's sentence to life in prison without parole. Hickenlooper's action sparked debate among Colorado lawmakers, with some criticising it as a delay in justice for the victims' families. The governor's decision highlighted the complexities and moral dilemmas associated with capital punishment.

The case of Nathan Dunlap gained significant attention in Colorado and beyond. It was featured in CNN's "Death Row Stories," which examined the legal, moral, and ethical dimensions of the case. The series, narrated by Susan Sarandon, an outspoken critic of capital punishment, delved into the shortcomings of the justice system. The program included interviews with various individuals involved in the case, including lawyers, politicians, a survivor, and victims' family members.

The encounter between Colorado lawmakers and Dunlap in prison was also noteworthy. During a tour of the Sterling Correctional Facility, legislators had an unexpected face-to-face meeting with Dunlap, which they described as "surreal." Despite the encounter, the lawmakers' opinions on the death penalty remained unchanged.

In March 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and Governor Jared Polis commuted the sentences of the state's three death-row prisoners, including Nathan Dunlap, to life without the possibility of parole. This marked a significant shift in the state's approach to capital punishment.

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