On the evening of December 14, 1993, a sense of routine work night filled the Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado. Among the employees wrapping up their shifts was 19-year-old Sylvia Kathlene Crowell, a female who was diligently cleaning the salad bar area as the restaurant prepared to close. Unbeknownst to her and her colleagues, a former employee, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, who had been fired months earlier, was lying in wait, harbored in a restroom with a plan of vengeful violence.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Dunlap emerged from his hiding place and began his attack. His first victim was Sylvia, whom he approached from behind and shot at close range in the right ear, inflicting a mortal wound. The terrifying ordeal continued as Dunlap moved through the restaurant, targeting other employees. He fatally shot 17-year-old Ben Grant, who was vacuuming nearby, and 17-year-old Colleen O'Connor, who pleaded for her life before being shot in the head. The restaurant's manager, 50-year-old Marge Kohlberg, was also shot and killed. A fifth employee, 20-year-old Bobby Stephens, was shot in the jaw but managed to survive by playing dead.
After the shootings, Dunlap fled the scene with over $1,500 in cash and game tokens. Sylvia Crowell was rushed to a local hospital where she was declared brain dead and succumbed to her injuries the following day. Law enforcement launched an immediate investigation, and their efforts quickly led them to Nathan Dunlap. He was arrested at his mother's apartment just twelve hours after the horrific events at the restaurant.
In 1996, Nathan Dunlap was found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder, as well as charges of attempted murder, robbery, and burglary. He was subsequently sentenced to death. However, following years of appeals and a temporary reprieve from execution, Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.
