Who Supplied The Intratec DC9M Pistol to Klebold?

Did Mark Manes really buy the TEC-DC9M from the Tanner Gun Show? And who did he actually sell it to?

Crime scene photo of the Intratec DC9M 9 mm pistol

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold allegedly used four guns in the attack against Columbine High School, including what most people refer to as a “TEC-9.” I say ‘allegedly’ because there are many problems with the official story, including the fact that their fingerprints were not found on any of the firearms and their Gunshot Residue reports were never released.

Regardless, of all the firearms they were said to have carried that day, the Intratec DC9M has a particularly sketchy origin.

Background

Mark Manes - the man who took Harris and Klebold shooting a handful of times at Rampart Range - was sentenced to six years in prison for providing a handgun to a minor and possessing a dangerous weapon after he was seen firing a sawn-off shotgun on the Rampart Range video tape. The handgun he supplied to a minor was the Intratec DC9M allegedly used in the Columbine shootings.

Where did he get this pistol, and how did Klebold end up with it?

The Official Story

Manes claimed he originally purchased the Intratec DC9M (Serial #D076305) from the Tanner Gun Show on August 2, 1998. He was accompanied by his friend Brian Distel.

Manes claimed that five months later, he sold the Intratec DC9M to Dylan Klebold for $500 in cash, handing over the gun on January 23, 1999 at his residence after receiving a down payment of $300.

Philip Duran — an associate of Manes and coworker of Harris and Klebold at Blackjack Pizza — collected the final payment from Klebold behind the restaurant at a later date. Duran was also sentenced to prison for his involvement. Nate Dykeman, a close friend of Klebold and Harris and Blackjack employee, witnessed this final payment exchange.

That all sounds neat and tidy, like a done deal. However, there are a handful of glaring problems with this story.

Manes Sold The TEC To Klebold The Same Day He Bought It

Manes admits to selling Klebold the TEC on January 23, 1999, but originally told investigators he bought the TEC five months prior. However, in a different interview, Manes claimed Harris and Klebold showed up at the Tanner Gun Show on that same day - January 23, 1999 - and met with him (Manes), Duran, and Duran’s brother, and that’s when he bought the TEC.

Is it just a coincidence that they were all at the gun show where Manes bought the TEC, and then later that same day, Manes sold Klebold the TEC? Hours later?

Manes had a couple other stories he told about that TEC. In one story, he said it was his prized possession and he reluctantly sold it to Klebold. He claimed to have owned it for years prior to selling it. However, we have, by his own admission, proof that he sold it to Klebold the same day he allegedly purchased it from the gun show, which looks more like he purchased it at Klebold’s request because Klebold was not old enough to buy a pistol. Let’s look at this in detail.

Manes’ Receipt for the TEC-DC9M is Wrong

Manes falsely claimed he originally purchased the Intratec DC9M at the Tanner Gun Show on August 2, 1998. He provided a receipt to the BATF for $491 from Eagle Enterprises with this date. (11k, p.8150)

In reality, the receipt Manes provided was for the purchase of a Glock 17 model 9 mm handgun, serial #BLM99505. (11k, p.8135) Manes was never charged with a crime for providing false evidence to police, and it was never mentioned at his hearing.

Manes Lied About Purchasing A Glock

When investigators asked what guns Manes owned, he said he owned a .45 Ruger pistol (seen in the Rampart Range footage), and a Ruger Mini-30. He didn’t mention the Glock.

Why would Manes supply police with a receipt for a Glock with the Glock’s serial number, stating it was for the TEC, knowing police can trace the serial number and discover the truth and charge him with yet another crime? That doesn’t sound like something someone in his position would do (unless he wasn’t facing real charges and his involvement was all part of the show).

Further supporting the fact that the receipt in question was not for a TEC, the owner of Eagle Enterprises said he never sold Manes a TEC, had not had a table at the Tanner Gun Show in years, and had no record of selling a TEC-9 of any kind to anyone, ever. This brings up an important point that investigators apparently ‘overlooked’:

The $491 receipt dated August 2, 1998 is from Eagle Enterprises for a Glock 17, but if Eagle Enterprises didn’t have a booth at the Tanner Gun Show, then Manes purchased the Glock elsewhere. Where did he get the Glock?

An innocent mixup of receipts would be an understandable explanation if only Manes didn’t hide the fact that he bought a Glock in the first place. Also, Manes claimed that his receipt from Eagle Enterprises had the correct TEC serial number written on it, but that was false. Contrary to Manes’ claims, the receipt contained the serial number for the Glock 17. We know because investigators traced it. (11k, p.8238)

Manes’ Phony TEC Receipt Was For A Glock Used In A Drive-By Shooting

Something interesting happened when investigators ordered an emergency gun trace on the Glock 17 listed on Manes’ receipt - it had been recovered on April 18, 1999 (two days before the Columbine shooting) after being involved in a drive-by shooting in the area. Manes was a known gun dealer. Did he purchase the Glock and sell it to the people who committed the drive-by shooting?

A gun dealer sold the Glock to someone else a few years prior, so it’s possible that the Glock was stolen at some point, which would mean the receipt from Eagle Enterprises is phony all around. This seems to be the case. If Manes had purchased the Glock from a gun dealer, his name would come up in a trace as the owner. Instead, someone else’s name comes up.

The issue isn’t just that Manes tried to pass off the Glock receipt as a receipt for the TEC - it appears that the receipt for the Glock was phony, and the gun was actually stolen. Someone created a fake receipt and put Eagle Enterprises on it as the business. Eagle Enterprises denied all involvement.

The Glock in question was recovered from a Mazda on 4/18/99 (11k, p.8139)

A trace of the Glock shows that it was sold to someone other than Manes in 1996. If Manes purchased the Glock legally from Eagle Enterprises, his name would have shown up on the trace. Instead, the purchaser comes up as Aurora resident Shawn Vanderbeck.

Below is the confirmation of the trace on the Glock 17 in question:

Serial number trace for the Glock 17 Manes purchased (11k, p.8135)

Below is what came back with the trace:

The Glock was purchased on May 22, 1996 by someone other than Manes (11k, p.8141)

Where did Manes get the receipt from Eagle Enterprises for this Glock if someone else bought it in 1996 from Dave’s Guns? Wouldn’t his name show up if he purchased it from a licensed dealer? Eagle Enterprises claims to have had nothing to do with any of these guns. Is that the truth? Did someone fabricate a receipt from Eagle Enterprises, or was Eagle Enterprises being shady?

Manes’ Story Doesn’t Add Up

Manes’ friend Brian Distel told investigators he was with Manes at the Tanner Gun Show when Manes purchased the TEC, but said it happened in January 1999 - five months later than Manes claimed. (11k, p.8237)

Distel’s older brother/step-brother was also present for the TEC purchase in January, but we do not have an interview for him.

Manes later admitted that he did, in fact, buy the TEC on January 23, 1999, with Distel, Duran, and Duran’s brother, and Harris and Klebold showed up at the gun show and that he sold Klebold the TEC later that evening. You’ll get a different story depending on which report you read.

There Is No Receipt For The TEC And Manes Got Away With Lying

Manes provided a false receipt to the BATF, hid the fact that he bought a Glock, and despite investigators having all the information proving his lies, and the Glock serial number being traced to a drive-by shooting two days before the shooting, Manes was never confronted or charged with a crime.

Who Really Picked Up The TEC From Manes’ House?

We don’t know for sure when or where Manes got the TEC, but he claims to have sold it to Klebold on January 23, 1999. (11k, p.8237)

According to Brian Distel, the sale happened at Manes’ house in late February 1999. (11k, p.8182)

Regardless, who came to pick up the pistol? Was it Klebold or someone else?

Brian Distel claims to have been at Manes’ house when someone came to make a down payment and pick up the TEC. (11k, p.8182)

However, Distel identified the buyer from a photo lineup and it wasn’t Klebold. The person he identified was [REDACTED].

Another friend of Manes, Greg Macilliott, was also at Manes’ house and claims to have also witnessed Manes sell the TEC to someone in March 1999 at Manes’ house. (11k, p.8185)

Like Distel, Macilliott identified the buyer from a photo lineup and it wasn’t Klebold. The person he identified was [REDACTED].

Both Distel and Macilliott gave matching descriptions of the individual who bought the TEC.

The individual who purchased the TEC from Manes was wearing a Blackjack Pizza shirt, and the descriptions given by Distel and Macilliott match that of Robert Perry. Although a person wouldn’t need to be a Blackjack employee to have a company t-shirt, it’s been confirmed that Perry did, in fact, work at Blackjack Pizza. (11k, p.10039)

Additional reference: 11k, p.8225

How Much Money Did Duran Collect From Klebold?

According to Manes, Duran collected $200 in cash from Klebold at this time, but Duran claims it was only $125. Nate Dykeman witnessed this exchange and said he thought it was for a shotgun at first, or perhaps drugs. Maybe Duran just didn’t remember how much money he collected that day.

Attempts To Trace The Origin Of The TEC Fall Flat

Let’s go back to the origin of the TEC for a moment - before it landed in Manes’ hands. Investigators say it’s settled that the TEC originated from Larry Russell and the Tanner Gun Show. However, there is no proof that the TEC came from the Tanner Gun Show or Larry Russell. In fact, Russell told investigators he doesn’t think the TEC could have come from him because there were details about the pistol and the box that didn’t match how he managed his inventory.

Here’s what we know:

A wholesale distributor called Zander Sporting Goods located in Baldwin, Illinois is said to be the origin just prior to the Tanner Gun Show.

The owner of Zander Sporting Goods sold the TEC to “Just Guns,” owned by Royce Ray Spain of Greeley, Colorado. It as received on 9/5/97 by Just Guns in Federal Heights, Colorado. 

Next, the TEC was transferred into Royce Spain’s name on 6/2/98. (11k, p.8204)

Spain closed his gun shop in 1998, surrendered his firearms dealer license, and transferred all his remaining guns into his own name. He couldn’t sell his inventory, so he contracted Larry Russell to sell everything for him on consignment through his business called Guns & Pawn. (FBI report, p.1759 per Randy’s handwritten numbering). Also (11k, p.8205)

When asked if Russell would have a receipt for the sale of the TEC, he said he “may or may not” if it was sold prior to October 1998. He said he would have a receipt after, because he would have filled out an ATF F 443 form for the transaction. However, he later said he checked and had no forms for selling any of Spain’s guns. (11k, p.8206)

Russell said he received “4 or 5” Intratec firearms from Spain, but didn’t recall who he sold them to, but implied he sold them all at the Tanner Gun Show. He reiterated that if the sales were post-October 1998, he would have completed the ATF F 4473 form because at that point he had his federal firearms dealer license.

Russell stated he knew Larry Snyder from Adventure Guns and had purchased a Tec-22 from him in the past, but never a 9 mm Tec. When asked if he had ever received an Intratec with the wrong serial number on the box, he stated he had not. (11k, p.8209)

Note: The serial number on the Intratec DC9m box found in Klebold’s car did not match the serial number on the pistol. How could it have come from Russell if he says he never had an Intratec with the wrong serial number on the box?

The actual TEC-DC9M allegedly used by Klebold was serial #D076305. (11k, p.8203)
The TEC-9 box found in Klebold’s car was serial #D061505. (11k, p.8202)

Snyder said he knew Russell when their businesses were located next door to where he used to run his business, but they never ran their businesses at the same time in that location, and never did business with each other. He didn’t like the fact that Russell never provided receipts for purchases. He stated Russel had a license, surrendered it, but kept selling firearms, and got a license again. (11k, p.8221)

The Official Story Says The TEC Came From Larry Russell

We are told the TEC originated from Larry Russell, but there are some problems with this story.

When shown the box for the Tec found in Klebold’s car, Russell was surprised that the serial number was on the box. It seems that was not how he labeled his boxes and he didn’t think the box came from him.

Spain said Russell sold the TEC at a gun show, but there is no receipt for this alleged sale. We already know the receipt from Eagle Enterprises was for a different gun, and if this sale to Manes took place at the gun show, Manes would have a receipt from Guns & Pawn because that’s who owned the TEC at the time of its alleged purchase.

No information was released regarding what Russell had to say about the sale or the price he sold the TEC for. Apparently they didn’t even force Russell to go through his records like they did with Eagle Enterprises. If they did, it was never released. Was he just a pawn?

On p.118 of Manes’ case file there is a chain of sale for the TEC, but it doesn’t match what Larry Russell said about how he never sold anyone a TEC. Where did investigators get this chain of sale if it doesn’t match what they were told?

On this page, the summary states that he doesn’t remember selling anyone a TEC, but FBI agent Marcus Motte states that Manes doesn’t remember “who bought the TEC” as if it had been established that he did sell a TEC in the first place, but that was never established. There are so many contradictions and unanswered questions regarding the origin of the firearms allegedly used in the attack.

Let’s Look At The TEC With The Wrong Serial Number

What about the Intratec DC9M with a serial number that matches the box found in Klebold’s car? Let’s look at it to see if we can figure out how Klebold’s pistol came to be in that box.

The gun allegedly used in the attack is not the same gun the ATF traced to the following man by the serial number on the box:

Larry Snyder, doing business as Adventure Guns & A+ Enterprises, went out of business and transferred the TEC with the serial number on the box (not Klebold’s TEC) into his own name at least 5 years prior.

Snyder found the receipt for the TEC-9 serial #D061505, the serial on the box found in Klebold’s car (not Klebold’s pistol). He sold it to William Erwin from Loveland, Colorado, on 2/16/96. (11k, p.8222)

Erwin said he traded the pistol with the box and all accessories at Grandpa’s Pawn & Gun in Longmont, Colorado, for other firearms. He provided a seller’s bill of sale for when he sold it to the pawn shop on April 20, 1996. The receiver for the sale at the pawn shop was John Teeples. Erwin traded the TEC for a Colt 6601 and a KBI PJK-9HP. This was corroborated by Teeples. (11k, p.8228 & 8229)

On April 30, 1996, Teeples sold the TEC with its original box to DaNae Sue Fortin from Loveland, Colorado. Fortin is Teeples’ daughter and stated she purchased the gun as an investment. On October 17, 1997, Fortin traded the TEC with the original box back to her father’s pawn shop for a 14 karat yellow gold ring because it was a “better investment.” (11k, p.8231)

The TEC was then wholesaled to Just Guns on October 30, 1997. He was familiar with Royce Spain and Larry Russell. (11k, p.8232)

Somewhere along the lines, that pistol was separated from its box. Perhaps it was sold without the box and the box was just reused for Klebold’s pistol. But then where is the box that Klebold’s pistol came in? We don’t know.

There are more questions than answers. Surely, if this matter was settled, as claimed, the documents would substantiate the official story. In reality? It’s a mess and a mystery.

At the end of the day, all we know is that somehow, Mark Manes acquired an Intratec DC9M, possibly from a private seller at the Tanner Gun Show, but we don’t know for sure when or where he got it because there is no receipt. And tracing back the owners is sketchy at best. At some point, Klebold was given the pistol, but it may have been Robert Perry who picked it up from Manes’ house, which opens yet another can of worms regarding additional suspects.

The true origin of the TEC is a mystery, and the official story doesn’t hold water. Just one more reason to question everything you think you know about this case. If the official story about where the guns came from doesn’t match the documents, then what else is being hidden in plain site?

We’ve got three more guns to cover in future posts, so stay tuned!

Until next time - keep your alibi airtight,
The Lost Crime Files

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Additional Resources:

11k report, mobile-friendly & downloadable PDFs
Mark Manes’ case file
Philip Duran’s case file