On December 14, 1993, Nathan Dunlap walks into a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, with revenge on his mind. A former employee, Dunlap harbors a grudge after being fired five months prior. As the clock nears closing time, he orders a sandwich and plays arcade games, waiting for the right moment. At 10:05 p.m., he emerges from hiding in the restroom, armed with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. In a matter of minutes, four employees are shot and killed, and a fifth is gravely injured. Dunlap escapes into the night, taking with him stolen money and tokens.
The police swiftly respond, piecing together the chaotic scene left behind. Shell casings litter the floor, a grim testament to the violence unleashed. The sole survivor, Bobby Stephens, manages to alert authorities despite his injuries. Within hours, Dunlap is apprehended at his mother’s apartment, thanks to the relentless efforts of law enforcement. The case against him is ironclad; he is soon charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and other crimes.
Nathan Dunlap’s trial culminates in a death sentence in 1996, a verdict that brings some closure to the shattered community. However, the legal battle is far from over. Years of appeals follow, culminating in a 2013 reprieve by Governor John Hickenlooper. In 2020, with the abolition of the death penalty in Colorado, Dunlap’s sentence is commuted to life without parole. The Chuck E. Cheese massacre stands as a chilling reminder of how swiftly vengeance can turn to tragedy.
