Colorado Shooter Matthew Murray Update--Obsessed With Satan, Child Pr0n

A photograph of Matthew Murray's bedroom was released by investigators on March 27, 2008. (Arvada Police)

Another update (click for archives) on Colorado church shooter, Matthew Murray:

An investigative report on the shooting at the Youth with a Mission Training Center paints a dark picture of the gunman responsible, showing how he was obsessed with both Satanic and religious texts and filled his computer with pornography, including child porn.

They don't teach that in homeschool.

More:

Matthew Murray's room was "in disarray," the report said. Officials found ammunition but no explosive devices. There was a book called "Practical Homicide: How to Survive a Tactical Shooting." Other books found were on witchcraft, Satanism and the Masons. The books were "clearly visible," the report said.

The Arvada police report indicates that experts found more than 500,000 images on Murray's computer, including adult pornography, child pornography and homosexual pornography.

He had downloads about Columbine gunmen Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the Platte Canyon School shootings and the Virginia Tech shootings. Experts later did a forensic analysis of the computer and found 444 connections to Columbine. There were 33 to Virginia Tech.

Investigators found a map of the location of a CTI co-worker's residence. Murray had been laid off from Central Telecom Inc., police said, and there had been conflicts there between Murray and his co-workers.

There also was a map for a "gnostic Mass" scheduled for the evening of Dec. 8.

The service was organized by Ad Astra Oasis, a gnostic organization that had asked Murray to distance himself from the group.

500,000 images!

The new reports begin to complete the picture of a life and mind in disarray, and the premeditated effort to lash out.

Colorado Shootings Aftermath 2

"Why was I told that I couldn't be a missionary because I wasn't `social enough'? I was told that I was `an introvert"--Matthew Murray

**Update 3: Murray purchased five guns from licensed dealers, Assam fired 10 rounds; more of Murray's anti-Christian rants, railed against Christian homeschooling, posted links to Columbine videos; Ben at Mount Virtus notes the MSM's meme creation

**Update 2: Murray's parents issue a statement; Faith Bible Chapel and YWAM in Arvada celebrate the lives of Philip Crouse and Tiffany Johnson; Murray family meets with family members of victims Crouse and Johnson--forgiveness

**Update: Murray's ammunition purchases alerted UPS manager, prompted police interest in September, but there was no contact with Murray

The FBI received a tip between Sunday's shootings as a poster at the web forum frequented by Matthew Murray became worried by increasingly violent and threatening messages:

The FBI got a tip in between two shootings on church campuses warning them about Matthew Murray because of the violent messages he had posted on an anti-Pentecostal Web site.

Murray, 24, shot and killed two people, 26-year-old Tiffany Johnson and 24-year-old Philip Crouse, at Youth With a Mission in Arvada on early Sunday morning. He also wounded two others.

Later in the day, he went to New Life Church and shot and killed two teenage sisters, Stephanie and Rachel Works, and seriously wounded their father, David Works, before a security guard shot him. One other person was wounded at New Life, but his injuries were not life threatening.

On Tuesday, police said that Murray shot and killed himself after he was wounded by the security guard.

In between the shootings, Murray posted violent comments on the Web site. In the posting he warned of a shootout and said he was prepared to kill people.

Murray, who went by the name nghtmrchld26, made at least 11 posts between the two shootings.

At least one visitor to the site was alarmed and contacted the FBI promptly, before the second attack, the site's administrator said.

Murray's violent screeds prompted one woman to reach out to him months before Sunday's shootings, but she was rebuffed:

Seven months before the shootings, Marlene Winell, a former psychologist, heard of Murray's postings on an anti-Pentecostal Web site. She posted a message publicly to him writing, "I can see that you are in a great deal of pain and I'd like to invite you to contact me."

"One of your readers has contacted me to express concern, and I'd like to be helpful if I can. People do care about you and there is hope."

Winell, who spoke to 9Wants to Know Tuesday afternoon from San Francisco, says she wishes she could have helped Murray.

"This was a person who was definitely in a lot of pain," she said. "I simply invited him to contact me because I can understand when someone is experiencing these feelings they are very intense feelings."

Murray responded to Winell's postings saying, "I've already been working with counselors." He also wrote, "It's so funny how many people want to help you and love you and counsel you... when there is money involved."

Winell says Murray never contacted her directly even though she left her e-mail address and contact information on the Web site where Murray posted his writings.

Still more on Murray's ejection from YWAM, and additional postings from the killer:

It is unclear why Murray targeted the two churches, but he was dismissed from Youth With a Mission in 2002 for what the training center has described only as health reasons. Youth With a Mission maintains an office at New Life Church's World Prayer Center.

Murray's parents donated $250 to the prayer center several years ago, New Life Senior Pastor Brady Boyd told The Associated Press. The church also discovered a visitors card indicating that Matthew Murray attended services several years ago, Boyd said. The gunman's online rants make passing references both to New Life and founding pastor Ted Haggard.

Boyd said no Murray family members were members of the church, and he downplayed the connections.

"We're a large church, very visible, and (Matthew Murray) was not a member, was never connected, never affiliated with the church, and neither were his parents," Boyd said. "It has no bearing on the events or the shooting."

Murray had been making posts on the anti-Pentecostal Web site for months before the shootings.

One post, called "My YWAM Horror Story," complained about being removed from the Arvada youth mission program.

"Why was I told that I couldn't be a missionary because I wasn't `social enough'? I was told that I was `an introvert,"' nghtmrchld26 wrote. "Everyone else got to go on their outreaches except for a few who lied about smoking (cigarettes). The authoritarianism and hypocrisy is outrageous."

In an Oct. 6 post, nghtmrchld26 wrote about his anger at the church.

"We'll make our own religion and be our own God's (sic) instead (of) listening to some abusive pedophile church like what I was raised in telling us who's `saved' and who's not," the person wrote.

"During this dark period I've realized this is not the way just to be a martyr. I can't walk alone any longer and I'll fight for the ones who can't fight. If I lose at then (sic) least I tried. If I have to give my life you can have it."

Colorado Shooting Aftermath

**Update 6: Breaking--El Paso County coroner says Murray killed himself after being shot by Jeanne Assam . . . (this ruling does not diminish Assam's heroism, Murray would have gone on to kill or injure others had she not stopped him)

**Update 5: Works family mourns loss of daughters, father David recovering--a descendant of Thomas Jefferson; Americans not interested in security "impediments" like metal detectors at malls (they wouldn't need it if guns were allowed!); churches have mixed reaction to having armed guards; Columbine stepfather--"nothing changes", calls for more gun "rules"; more on Murray's bizarre behavior at YWAM training 5 years ago

**Update 4: Murray's picture revealed; posted as "nghtmrchld26":



**Update 3: Jeanne Assam's work as a Minneapolis police officer, fired for lying after swearing at a bus driver

**Update 2: Matthew Murray's screed imitates Columbine killer Eric Harris' violent manifesto:

A diatribe was posted at 11:03 a.m. Sunday on a website devoted to people who have left religion. Investigating authorities believe it was left by gunman Matthew Murray. With the exception of two minor changes, some rearranging and the final paragraph, the text was originally written as a manifesto by Columbine killer Eric Harris. Some expletives from the Harris version were replaced by Murray with symbols. Other expletives were removed for publication, where noted.

The final paragraph comes from lyrics from the song "Anarchy" by the band KMFDM.

You christians brought this on yourselves

I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. ....God, I can't wait till I can kill you people. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don't care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you ... as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world.

Well all you people out there can just kiss my (expletive removed) and die. From now on I don't give a @#%$ about what all you (expletive removed) have to say, unless I respect you which is highly unlikely, but for those of you who do happen to know me and know that I respect you, may peace be with you and don't be in my line of fire, for the rest of you, you all better @#%$ hide in your houses because I'm coming for EVERYONE soon, and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth, and I WILL shoot to kill and I WILL @#%$ KILL EVERYTHING! No I am not crazy, crazy is just a word, to me it has no meaning, everyone is different, but most of you @#%$ heads out there in society, going to your everyday @#%$ jobs and doing your everyday routine (expletive removed) things, I say @#%$ you and die, if you got a problem with my thoughts, come to me and I'll kill you, because........God (expletive removed), DEAD PEOPLE DON'T ARGUE! My belief is that if I say something, it goes. I am the law. If you don't like it, you die. If I don't like you or I don't like what you want me to do, then you die. If I do something incorrect, oh @#%$ well, you die. Dead people can't do many things, like argue, whine, @#%$, complain, name, rat out, criticize, or even @#%$ talk. So that's the only way to solve arguments with all you (expletive removed) out there, I just kill. God I can't wait till I can kill you people, I'll just go to some downtown area in some big city and blow up and shoot everything I can.

You break my back but you won't break me.....all is black but I still see...shut me down, knock me to the floor.....shoot me up, @#%$ me like a whore....trapped under ice, comfortably cold, I've gone as low as you can go..... feel no remorse, no sorrow or shame......time's gonna wash away all pain I made a God out of blood not superiority I killed the king of deceit and now I sleep in anarchy.

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**Update: how the shooting at New Life unfolded:

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"It's time for me to head out and teach these (expletive) a lesson"
. . .
"I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. ...God, I can't wait till I can kill you people. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don't care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you ... as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world"--Matthew Murray, gunman at both Colorado shootings

Yesterday's speculations surrounding Matthew Murray's motivations--alleged hatred of Christians despite his own affiliation with Christian organizations and his family's own religious connections--seemed to be confirmed by writings he left before he started his murderous rampage early Sunday morning:

9Wants to Know has discovered more than a dozen writings posted by Matthew Murray where he warns of an impending rampage and copied the statements of one of the Columbine High School gunmen.

On Monday, police confirmed that 24-year-old Murray was the gunman in the deadly shootings at both the Youth With a Mission center on the Faith Bible Chapel campus in Arvada and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Three people, including Murray, were killed in Colorado Springs, and two others died in Arvada. Five other people were wounded.

"You Christians brought this on yourselves," Murray wrote on a Web site for people who have left Pentecostal and fundamentalist religious organizations.

It was the most recent posting of his on the site, dated Sunday, December 9 at 11:03 a.m.

Murray lived with his parents in a home in unincorporated Arapahoe County where police conducted a search on Sunday night.

In the Web writings, which are now being investigated by Colorado Springs Police, Arvada Police and the FBI, Murray warned, "I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. ...God, I can't wait till I can kill you people. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don't care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you ... as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world."

Murray had time to post again before heading to the New Life Church in Colorado Springs for the second round of violence, and managed to "say goodbye" to those he had contacted in the forums:

Murray's first posting on the day of the shootings is time stamped 10:50 a.m. It begins with a goodbye to those he has corresponded with for the past several months.

"You guys were awesome. It's time for me to head out and teach these (expletive) a lesson."

Murray continued, "Thanks for listening and all ... even though even many of you ex-Pentecostals don't understand ......(sic) See you all on the other side, we're leaving this nightmare behind to a better place."

Murray's descent into anti-Christian derangement was chronicled over several months of despondent, hateful posts:

Investigators already have copies of Murray's writings and are studying other Web sites.

Throughout his writings, which spanned several months, Murray's violence continued to accelerate.

Some of the users tried to counsel Murray and one psychologist even offered her services after reading his poem called "Crying all alone in pain in the nightmare of Christianity".

Murray rebuffed her offer.

"I've already been working with counselors. I have a point to make with all this talk about psychologists and counselors 'helping people with their pain,'" he wrote.

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Murray's family issued a response yesterday:

"Our family cannot express the magnitude of our grief for the victims and families of this tragedy. On behalf of our family and our son, we ask for forgiveness," said Pastor Phil Abeyta, 24-year-old Matthew Murray's uncle. "We cannot understand why this has happened. We ask for prayer for the victims and their families during this time of grief. We are cooperating fully with the police agencies involved in the investigation of the events that led to this tragedy. Respectfully, the Murray family."