The Splatterpunks: Another Columbine Story They Buried
If you think you know the story of the “Splatterpunks,” think again
In the chaos of April 20, 1999, law enforcement had one job: secure Columbine High School and figure out who else might be involved. Within that frenzy, three individuals — Matt Christiansen (Nalty), Matt Akard, and Jim Brunetti — were arrested while roaming around the perimeter of the school grounds. They weren’t students. They weren’t staff. And according to their own accounts, they had no good reason to be there.
Police detained them in Clement Park, which borders the side of the school. After some questioning, they were cleared of involvement. Their arrests were written off as nothing more than bad timing. Curious outsiders targeted for the way they look. Kids trying to help. Case closed. Move along.
That story was curated for the world, but it’s not the truth. When you peel back the layers, their story falls apart. Worse, it appears that law enforcement actively covered for them.
Who Are The Splatterpunks?
Matt Nalty [11k, pp.7542-7644] - access his interview here
Claimed to have lived in the Littleton area eight years prior to the shooting
Listed as an associate of Harris and Klebold [11k, p.9801] yet denied this association
All information connected to his association was redacted
Matt Akard - [11k, pp.9821-9822] - access his interview here
Akard’s brother, Chris [11k, pp.7424-7426] - access his interview here
James Brunetti [11k, pp.7433-7442] - access his interview here
What Does It Mean To Be A “Splatterpunk”?
At first glance, these three men appear to be nothing more than kids who are into the punk subculture. But there’s more to the story. The Splatterpunk movement is not just another innocent branch of punk rock. It has a specific meaning.
The term "Splatterpunk" was coined in 1986 by David J. Schow at the Twelfth World Fantasy Convention in Providence, Rhode Island. It's a movement within the horror fiction genre that favors graphic and gory depictions of violence, including sexual violence. The Splatterpunk rebels against the way extreme violence is often merely implied, and aims to show that extreme violence instead. It's the most explicit gore you'll find in the horror genre.
That doesn’t sound too innocent.
Below is a video of their arrest:
Let’s break down their story claim-by-claim in chronological order.
Where were they when they heard about the shooting? And what time did they arrive at Clement Park?
Claim #1: Akard told investigators they heard about the shooting on the radio while driving around Arvada on the way to Lakewood and decided to check things out. (11k, p.9821)
Discrepancies: Nalty told a different story.
Truth: They were already in Clement Park when the shooting was broadcast on the radio. KOA radio broke the news about the shooting at around 11:25 a.m. and they were seen deep in the park as early as 11:30 a.m.
Sally Hocker [11k, pp.7510-7513]
Saw two men matching the Splatterpunks’ description at 11:30 a.m.
"At approx. 11:30 a.m., as she was walking on the lower trail near Columbine Hill, she heard an extremely loud noise, and thought to herself the school's science lab had blown up. Approx. one minute later, she noticed a white male with dark hair, dressed in a white t-shirt and light colored blue jeans, walking down the hill from the soccer field, away from the school. (W)Hocker stated the male looked to be high school age, 17-18, and appeared very calm, walking in a "nonchalant" manner.
She then observed two, slightly older males, walking Northbound on a path leading out of a housing area greenbelt. Both of these males were dressed in all black, with short black coats and black pants. She watched as all three individuals met and talked briefly. According to (W)Hocker, the meeting appeared to be pre-arranged and very matter of fact. She stated all three parties were very calm, showing no emotions. They paid no attention to her and were not bothered by her presence or the activity surrounding them at the school.
(W)Hocker stated she continued her walk, following a path away from the trio. After a short distance, she turned to see where they were and observed they had walked partially up the hill, toward the soccer field and were standing together looking toward the school." (11k, p.7512)
Nancy Lindsey [11k, pp.976-980] - saw the same suspect Hocker saw calmly walking away from Columbine art around 11:15 a.m. (her time estimate could be off by 10 minutes)
Lindsey saw the same suspect Hocker saw, but did not stick around long enough to see him meet up with the two individuals matching the Splatterpunks’ description.
"While Nancy was facing East toward Columbine Hill, she observed a white male in his late teens, early 20's with brown hair, fair complexion, telling me he was average height, about 5'10", anywhere from 160 to 170 pounds, wearing blue jeans. She stated that the individual was about fifty yards away from her. She made eye contact with him and that he smiled at her. I asked Nancy if the individual was carrying anything. She said that in one hand he was carrying a large duffle bag, in the other hand he had a smaller type nylon bag about four feet in length, telling me that she had no idea what was contained inside the bags. I asked Nancy if she ever observed any type of firearm associated with this individual. She stated she did not." (11k, p.979)
Who was this man coming over the hill smiling, carrying bags that met with people dressed like the Splatterpunks and watched the chaos calmly unfold? Was he the third Splatterpunk, or another accomplice? Or is it just a coincidence that he was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, just like the “white t-shirt bomber” who made a brief appearance and disappeared right about the time this man was observed walking away from the scene?
One might wonder if this individual was involved, considering he was walking away from the exact area where the shooting began on the West side of the school while shots were being fired behind him and he was smiling at people. And what were those big bags for?
A suspect in blue jeans and a white t-shirt was seen in the beginning of the shooting tossing bombs onto the roof of the school while Harris and Klebold were simultaneously shooting guns. This individual was not Harris after taking off his coat. This individual disappeared quickly. Was he the suspect Hocker and Lindsey saw?
You’d have to visit the school to see it, but there was a clear path from the area where the shooting began, over Rebel Hill, and into Clement Park. That’s precisely the path one would take to get to Clement Park from the West Side to avoid being seen. If the white t-shirt bomber were to walk away from the scene, that is the path he would have taken to avoid total visibility. And when standing on top of Rebel Hill, you’d have a clear view of the West side where the action was happening.
What’s even stranger is that injured student Brian Anderson called KOA radio the day after the shooting (4/21/99) at 10:30 a.m. and stated that the three males apprehended in the park (the Splatterpunks) were involved in delivering pipe bombs. When interviewed about this statement, he told investigators that he believes they are innocent of wrongdoing and they "dress completely different than the Trench Coat Mafia." (11k, p.17864)
Anderson later appeared on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show with the Splatterpunks, defending their innocence.
Did Anderson share too much information at first and then have to backtrack?
Now let’s look at Nalty’s story
Claim #2: Nalty told investigators they were at Brunetti’s house and heard about the shooting on television. Nalty said they left Arvada between 12:50-1:00 p.m, and got to Columbine at 1:50 p.m.
Discrepancies: Akard told a different story. However, Brunetti told a similar story.
Truth: Numerous witnesses saw them in the area as early as 11:30 a.m.
Were they watching TV when they heard about the shooting? or were they listening to the radio in the car? At one point, they said they heard about the shooting and then got in the car and continued listening on the radio, in Arvada, when KOA broke the news.
We’ve already established that Sally Hocker most likely saw two of the Splatterpunks in Clement Park around 11:30 a.m. Although we can’t prove that these individuals were the Splatterpunks, other witnesses positively identified them and placed them in the park while they claimed to have been in Arvada.
Cork Chicota [11k, pp.7461-7466]
While on top of one of the two big dirt hills in Clement Park, he witnessed the Splatterpunks park at the medical center next to Clement Park at noon; also spoke with them directly; they made suspicious statements
Discrepancies: The Splatterpunks admitted to parking in the medical center, but told investigators they parked closer to 2:00 p.m., about 15 minutes before they were arrested. The Splatterpunks admitted to talking with Chicota, but denied making statements about knowing what was going to happen at Columbine.
Chicota said they were all wearing black military attire and they stopped to talk with him and said something about how they were "in the area to help their friends at the school." (11k, p.7462)
The Splatter Punks told Chicota they attended Wheat Ridge High School [ false], and Chicota advised there was a tall subject with "bad teeth" [Nalty] who said he used to go to Columbine [unconfirmed]. Chicota stated the three males said they communicate with their friends often and knew something bad was going to happen at Columbine. When Chicota commented about how terrible the shooting was, one of the subjects said, "Yeah but they're getting even." After a few minutes, Chicota started to think their "friends" were the shooters. (11k, pp.7465-7466)
Ken Greenwalt [11k, pp.7487-7491]
Witnessed the Splatterpunks park in the medical center, time not stated; they appeared to support the shootings
"Greenwalt worked security for Swedish Medical Center. He said a nurse advised him of "three 'scary looking' subjects in a back parking lot. Greenwalt advised Investigator Eaton that he went to the window and observed the three males exit the previously mentioned vehicle [a white Ford Aspire owned by Nalty’s mother]... Greenwalt advised Investigator Eaton that though he believed the subjects to be suspicious, they were not on the Swedish Medical property and therefore he did not contact them.
"Greenwalt advised Investigator Eaton that he observed the three males stand on a small hill on the Western edge of Clement Park before wandering further into the park... he then observed the three subjects he had observed exit the Ford Aspire being arrested inside Clement Park. He advised that he witnessed the arrest via the television news... a time later, a time he is unsure of, he observed the three subjects returning to the Ford Aspire... when they began to enter the vehicle, he observed all three raise their fists in the air and wave them towards the school 'as if they were happy about what happened.'" (11k, pp.7488-7489)
Jennifer Tindall’s brother [11k, pp.3720-3727]
In Jonathan McMaster's interview, the IO discusses an interview with Kristen Schoenhoff, who said she spoke with Jennifer Tindall, who said her brother was at home during the incident and saw the three detained individuals walk past the house talking on cell phones. This was seen through a window facing the field behind the school. (11k, p.3727)
Now that we’ve established the Splatterpunks’ presence in Clement Park more than two hours before they claimed to have arrived, let’s look at the rest of their stories.
Why Were They At Columbine?
Story #1: In their first story, they said they came to the school out of pure curiosity. (Nalty, 11k, 7549)
Story #2: In their second story, they said they had friends at Columbine and wanted to make sure they were okay, but they couldn't remember their friends' names.
Story 3: In a third story, Brunetti said his sister said her ex-boyfriend goes to Columbine and said he wanted to come to the school and kill all of the jocks, so they wanted to see if the shooter was the ex-boyfriend. When asked for his name, in one interview, Brunetti couldn't remember, and in another interview, he said his name was Anson. However, there is nobody named Anson in the entire 11k and his existence cannot be verified. (11k, p.7438)
Story 4: In a fourth story, Brunetti said his sister had two ex-boyfriends who were probably both the shooters, and had a third friend was also possibly a shooter. (11k, p.10040)
Additional stories
Claim #1: They told Cork Chicota they attended Wheatridge High School.
Truth: None of them attended Wheatridge. Akard attended Pomona High School and Nalty attended Standley Lake High School. Brunetti was not in school.
Claim #2: Akard and Brunetti both told investigators they were all planning to go to a Dropkick Murphys concert that night. (Akard, 11k, p.9821; Brunetti, 11k, p.7438)
Truth: There was no Dropkick Murphys concert in Colorado on April 20, 1999.
Claim #3: Brunetti initially said their car was parked in the South parking lot, but when officers asked where he and his friends were walking, Brunetti said they were walking to their car that they parked on Wadsworth. These locations are not in the same direction.
Truth: They parked on Wadsworth in the medical center and were seen by two witnesses.
Claim #4: Investigators say they passed their polygraph tests.
Truth: They did not pass their polygraph tests.
After being invited to be on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show, the Splatterpunks were told they had to pass a polygraph test first to determine that they were not involved in the shooting.
Only Nalty and Brunetti were administered polygraph tests, but Akard was on the show. How did Akard get on the show without taking a polygraph test?
Mr. Martin's report indicated that the relevant questions asked of both subjects in the Backster Direct Involvement "you phase" examination were:
a. Prior to the shootings at Columbine High School on April 20th, did you transport any guns or explosives into that school?
b. Did you yourself transport any guns or explosives into Columbine High School prior to the shootings on April 20th?
The relevant questions asked of both subjects in the Backster Exploratory examination were:
c. Prior to April 20th, did you ever visit the Website of Harris and Klebold?
d. Prior to April 20th, were you personally acquainted with either Dylan Klebold or Eric Harris?
e. Prior to April 20th, did you know that the shootings at Columbine High School were gong to take place?
It was Mr. Martin's opinion that Matthew Nalty's "no" response to the relevant questions indicated for him to be answering truthful to them, all except for relevant question "c," which scored in the "inconclusive" range, Mr. Martin opined that Matthew Nalty was not deceptive in his response to any of the relevant questions.
It was Mr. Martin's opinion that James Brunetti's "no" responses to the relevant questions indicated for him to be answering truthfully to all of them.
After reviewing all of the polygraph charts from Matthew Nalty's examination, it is IO's opinion the subject appeared to be deliberately distorting his respiratory tracings in chart #1 and chart #2 of the exploratory examination and to relevant question #35 (b) on chart #2 in the direct involvement "you phase" examination. (11k, p.7544)
It should be noted that Brunetti has always been heavily into firearms and his clothing and build matched that of a suspect seen inside Columbine High school both before and during the shooting. And there just happened to be one Splatterpunk missing during the beginning of the shooting? Is this just another coincidence?
Appearance on Sally Jesse Raphael on April 30, 1999
Matt Nalty and James Brunetti were flown to New York City to be interviewed on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. The episode was taped on Tuesday, April 27, 1999 and aired on Friday, April 30, 1999 on Channel 20 at 1:00 p.m.
Investigators taped the show to compare the stories told to the audience with their interviews and found their stories to be consistent. (11k, p.7440)
Note: It's amazing the way investigators found their stories consistent, when clearly, they are not.
Potential Sightings Of The Splatterpunks
Before the shooting:
Sarah Roasberry saw three males in the main hall of Columbine at 7:20 a.m., all wearing camouflage clothing. (11k, p.4210)
After the shooting:
Matt Lohrenz [pp.1504-1505]
"Matt said that he and Jen Weinman and Lauren Johnson, from the math hall, and his sister Stephanie (Lohrenz) drove over to the public library in Jen Weinman's car He said that they were outside the library and Man had seen his dad. Jim Lohrenz, and his older sister, Ashley Brenning and brother in law, Brian Brenning. Matt said that they were all standing around talking and he saw three people walking down Bowles., about 50 yards away He said that they were looking at the people and grinning. He said that he didn't see them laughing. He described one as wearing a plain white t-shirt, with red suspenders, carrying a black coat with an orange liner over his shoulders, possibly wearing black shorts. Matt described his hair as blonde in a pony tail. Matt said that the other two were about the same height and both had black coats, but he could not describe them any further.
Matt Lohrenz said that he thought the three guys that were arrested on 04-20-99 were probably the same three he saw near the public library. He also thought that the one with the blonde pony tail was on the Sally Jesse Rafael show on 04-30-99. He said that he wasn't sure about the other two, because he really didn't get a good look at them." (11k, p.1505)
Red suspenders are a symbol within the skinhead subculture and have a very specific meaning. Red suspenders, like red laces, can mean that you have bled for the skinhead cause. However, in some areas, red suspenders and laces can mean you’re an anti-racist skinhead.
Loose ends and questions:
PHONE RECORDS
Investigators obtained phone records for Nalty from his former employer and did not find any records matching the phone numbers for Harris, Klebold, or 13 of their associates. (11k, p.7551)
It should be noted that these phone records only go through 3-25-99. The Splatterpunks were seen talking on cell phones after they parked and were walking into Clement Park. Who were they talking to? Why weren’t phone records released for April 20?
TWO LAST NAMES
Nalty was originally identified as "Matt Christianson." I have a printed article identifying him with this name. Within days, he was being called Matthew Nalty.
SUSPICIOUS COINCIDENCE
Students were arrested for explosives on 4-17-99 at Akard's school
"On 4-17-99, two Pomona High School students were arrested for possessing explosives and had been "contacted in early AM hours at Pomona High School in fatigues. Claimed to be on maneuvers." Investigators concluded that both subjects were facing criminal charges and had been interviewed, but there was no connection to the Columbine incident." (10k, p.17824)
THE PRESS ASKED NALTY TO BUY A BATTERY
In an article titled "3 let curiosity get best of them," he was identified as 18-year-old Matt Christianson. He told reporter Burt Hubbard he and his friends were driving around Denver when they heard about the shooting on the radio and decided to take a closer look.
Christianson also stated that after the three were questioned and tested for gunshot residue, as he was leaving, a Washington Post reporter shoved $100 in $20 bills in his hand and asked him to buy a battery for his cellphone, stating he could keep the change. Christianson bought the battery for the reporter and told Hubbard, "I figured I might as well make some money." (FBI, p.1666 per Randy Brown's handwritten page numbers)
It’s interesting that someone would hand over so much cash to someone the police just detained.
SUSPICIOUS REPORTS
On page 17328 of the 11k report, a lead that claims Akard was a student at Pomona High School and has been talking about another bombing that would happen at PHS on 4/26, 4/27, 4/29, and on the anniversary of Hitler's death (4/30). The lead states Akard wears a long black trench coat, claims to be a member of the Trench Coat Mafia, and was present outside of Columbine before the shooting.
VAGUE DOCUMENTATION
A gunshot residue kit was performed on Brunetti's hands and face and was documented as being "collected by unknown lab person." (Source p.7437)
What’s the truth here?
When scrutinized, this case creates more questions that can’t be answered, and the Splatterpunks are just one of those loose ends that will probably never get tied. The only thing we know for sure is that they didn’t tell the truth. But why? Were they part of the plot? Did one of them participate? Did they know the white t-shirt bomber? How does a certified, trained, licensed polygraph administrator pass people who didn’t actually pass, and not lose his license or face lawsuits? Why didn’t any parents question any of this?
Or were the Splatterpunks just a planned distraction to keep the media focused on their arrest in Clement Park to limit the amount of footage of what was going on at Columbine? Perhaps to avoid capturing something even more damning on film?
Someone out there knows, and they’re not talking.
Until next time - keep your alibi airtight,
The Lost Crime Files
An excellent piece and some very interesting observations. I am skeptical of how they appeared on a tabloid show just a week after the event, while investigations were still ongoing. There's so many unanswered questions, contradictions, and things that just don't add up that should, if the story we were told was true. The conflicting timelines & witness statements are a huge red flag. The missing polygraph test for Akard (it appears to have been a planning oversight). The acceptance that the inconsistent stories were consistent. Just too much to be a coincidence.
I knew Matt Nalty for a short time in fall of 1999. He was in Seattle briefly and I traveled back to Colorado with him. I was a 17 yr old squatter punk back then so skipping town with someone you just met wasnt that weird. Crashed at his mom’s place for a short time. He even gave me a stick n poke tattoo in his moms living room. He told me about all this columbine stuff (I hadn’t seen the tv show so I didn’t recognize him or anything, but I’d heard whisperings of their story among punk circles) and he always maintained they didn’t know the shooters. But who knows 🤷🏻♂️. Has anyone here ever found his social media if he even has any? I’d love to get back in touch with dude.