High school sweethearts are found murdered on Valentine's Day
On a tragic Valentine's Day in 2000, the community of Littleton, Colorado, was shaken by the discovery of two murdered teenagers. The male victim was Nicholas 'Nick' Kunselman, a 15-year-old White male who worked at a local Subway restaurant. In the early moments of February 14th, shortly after midnight, a coworker driving past the Subway on West Coal Mine Avenue noticed the lights were still on, long after closing time. This employee decided to check on the store and made a grim discovery inside.
Behind the counter lay the bodies of Nick Kunselman and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Stephanie Hart-Grizzell. Both had been fatally shot. Stephanie was visiting Nick at his job, waiting for his closing shift to end. The investigation determined that an unknown intruder or intruders were responsible for the double homicide. The shocking event occurred less than a year after the tragedy at Columbine High School, a school both victims had attended, adding another layer of grief to the already wounded community.
Despite an extensive investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the case remains unsolved. In the immediate aftermath, authorities received hundreds of leads and even false confessions, but none led to a definitive suspect. A person of interest was identified based on a witness account of seeing a man leaving the back of the Subway just before the bodies were discovered. He was described as a white male, between 16 and 20 years old at the time, with blondish hair, standing about five feet eight inches tall.
Over the years, the case has grown cold, leaving the families of Nick and Stephanie without answers or justice. Law enforcement has continued to work on the case, and theories, including a possible connection to a drug ring, were explored but never substantiated. The community has not forgotten the young couple, and a significant reward, which has grown to $100,000, has been offered for any information that leads to an arrest. To this day, no arrests have been made, and the identity of the individual or individuals responsible for the deaths of Nick Kunselman and Stephanie Hart-Grizzell remains a mystery.
