In the quiet community of Littleton, Colorado, still reeling from the tragedy of the Columbine High School shooting just ten months prior, another heartbreaking event unfolded. On the night of February 13, 2000, 16-year-old Stephanie Lynn Hart-Grizzell, a student at Columbine High School, went to visit her 15-year-old boyfriend, Nicholas 'Nick' Ray Kunselman, during his late shift at a local Subway sandwich shop. Stephanie, described by her mother as a spiritual 'flower child' with dreams of living in a tepee and creating art, was waiting for Nick to finish his work. The young couple, who had been friends since middle school and whose bond had deepened into romance in high school, were looking forward to a future together.
Sometime after the shop had closed for the evening, an unknown assailant, or possibly multiple individuals, entered the Subway. In an act of violence that has yet to be explained, both Stephanie and Nick were shot and killed behind the counter.
The grim discovery was made around 12:47 a.m. on February 14th, Valentine's Day, by a coworker of Nick's who was driving by and noticed the lights were still on inside the restaurant. This coworker reported seeing a man they did not recognize leaving through the back door of the establishment. Upon entering to investigate, the coworker found the bodies of the two teenagers.
The initial investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office yielded a description of a person of interest. He was described as a white male, between 16 and 20 years old, standing approximately 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8 inches tall, with a clean-shaven face and blondish hair. At the time, he was reportedly wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, a black ball cap, and a black coat that may have had a red lining or was worn over a red shirt. Despite this description and hundreds of leads over the years, the case has grown cold.
To this day, no arrests have been made in the murders of Stephanie Lynn Hart-Grizzell and Nicholas Kunselman. The assailant or assailants remain at large, and the motive behind the killings is still unknown. Investigators have explored various avenues, including the possibility of a connection to drug trafficking, but have not been able to make a definitive link. Over the years, the reward for information leading to an arrest has been significantly increased, now standing at $100,000, in the hopes that someone will come forward with the crucial information needed to solve this enduring mystery and bring a measure of peace to the families and the community that were so deeply wounded by this second tragedy.
