The Mystery Of The Chuck-E-Cheese Shooter's Identity

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four employees of an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant. Dunlap, a former employee, was frustrated about being fired five months prior to the shooting and sought revenge. He 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 perpetrator, Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee

The victims included Sylvia Crowell, aged 19, who was cleaning the salad bar; Ben Grant, aged 17, who was vacuuming; Colleen O'Connor, aged 17; and Bobby Stephens, aged 20, who was the lone survivor. Marge Kohlberg, the 50-year-old store manager, was forced to open the safe at gunpoint and was shot in the ear. Dunlap fled the scene with stolen cash and restaurant items, but was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later.

Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary. He was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1996. However, his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

Four employees were killed, and one injured

On December 14, 1993, four employees were killed and one injured in a mass shooting 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 prior to the shooting. Dunlap was frustrated about his termination and sought revenge by carrying out the attack.

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 who were killed were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret (Marge) Kohlberg, 50. 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 stolen money and restaurant items, but he was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. He 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.

Dunlap was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life in prison

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap killed four employees and injured a fifth at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. Dunlap, a former employee of the restaurant, was frustrated about being fired five months prior to the shooting and sought revenge. He was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges, and was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection on May 17, 1996. However, Dunlap's death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The shooting, 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. Dunlap's victims were all employees of the restaurant, who were shot as they cleaned up after closing. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Margaret Kohlberg, 50, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. They all died from gunshots to the head.

Dunlap was arrested about 12 hours after the shooting at his mother's apartment. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Dunlap was seeking revenge after being fired from his job at the restaurant. Dunlap's attorneys claimed that he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime and that his mental health was not properly considered during the trial.

In 2013, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a temporary reprieve that postponed Dunlap's execution. This decision was controversial and upset the victims' families and the sole survivor of the shooting, Bobby Stephens. However, groups such as the NAACP requested that Dunlap's life be spared, arguing that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed on African Americans and Hispanics.

In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and the new governor, Jared Polis, commuted the sentences of all three men on death row, including Dunlap, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Dunlap remains incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City, serving his life sentence.

The attack took place at a Chuck E. Cheese's in Aurora, Colorado

On December 14, 1993, a mass shooting took place 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 prior. Seeking revenge, Dunlap entered the restaurant at around 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played arcade games before hiding in the restroom. At around 10:05 p.m., after the restaurant had closed, he emerged from the restroom and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Dunlap's first victim was 19-year-old Sylvia Crowell, who was cleaning the salad bar. She was shot from close range in the right ear and died from her injuries. Ben Grant, aged 17, was fatally shot near the left eye as he was vacuuming. Colleen O'Connor, also 17, was shot through the temple and killed. Bobby Stephens, 20, had been on a smoke break outside and returned to the restaurant as the attack was unfolding. As he was unloading utensils into the dishwasher, Dunlap shot him in the jaw. Stephens fell to the floor, played dead, and managed to escape through a back door to seek help.

Dunlap then forced the store manager, 50-year-old Marge Kohlberg, to unlock the safe. After taking the cash, he noticed that Kohlberg was still moving and fired a second fatal shot through her other ear. Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 in cash and game tokens. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later.

The attack at the Chuck E. Cheese's in Aurora, Colorado, shocked the community and sparked a wave of anger. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time, until it was surpassed by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. The shooting raised questions about how to punish society's worst criminals and prompted a statewide debate about capital punishment.

Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges. He was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1996. However, his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty. The attack and its aftermath highlighted the complexities of the criminal justice system and the impact of such violent crimes on victims, their families, and the community.

The motive was revenge for being fired

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap opened fire at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, killing four employees and injuring a fifth. The motive was revenge for being fired from the restaurant five months prior. Dunlap was frustrated about the termination and had told a former coworker that he planned to "get even".

On the day of the shooting, Dunlap entered the restaurant at around 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played some arcade games. He then hid in the restroom and, after closing at 10:05 p.m., emerged and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Marge Kohlberg, 50, who was the manager. Bobby Stephens, 20, was also shot but survived by playing dead after being shot in the jaw.

Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 in cash and game tokens and was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. He 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 was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time, sparking a statewide debate about how to punish society's worst criminals. The shooting also brought attention to issues of mental health and its impact on criminal behaviour, as Dunlap was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while in prison.

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