42 Facts About Marvin Heemeyer

Marvin John Heemeyer was an American automobile muffler repair shop owner who demolished numerous buildings with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado, in June 2004.

On Friday, June 4,2004, Marvin Heemeyer used the bulldozer to demolish the Granby town hall, the house of a former mayor, and several other buildings.

Marvin Heemeyer killed himself after the bulldozer became stuck in a hardware store he was destroying.

Marvin Heemeyer was born on October 28,1951, on a dairy farm in South Dakota.

John Bauldree, a friend of Marvin Heemeyer's, said that he was a likable person.

Marvin Heemeyer led a rescue effort on one such trip after a friend became trapped in a small avalanche.

Marvin Heemeyer was strongly in favor of gambling legalization and campaigned for the cause on several occasions.

Marvin Heemeyer was an avid supporter of the proposal, and so passionate about the cause that he nearly came to blows with a local reporter who was opposed to the proposal.

In 1992, Marvin Heemeyer purchased two acres of land for $42,000 at auction with plans to lease the property to a friend who intended to build an auto repair shop on the site.

Marvin Heemeyer claimed that Cody Docheff had berated him for several minutes afterward out of anger at losing the property; however, no other party present recalled any such interaction.

The cost to update the sewer system would be nearly double the $42,000 Marvin Heemeyer paid for the property.

City officials told Marvin Heemeyer that putting in a septic tank was a less expensive alternative, but he rejected both options and said that the government not paying for the sewage line hookup was "extortion by government fiat".

Marvin Heemeyer asked for $250,000 for his property, but later claimed he had had the lot reappraised and asked for an additional $125,000.

The Docheffs managed to collect $350,000, but according to Susan Docheff, Marvin Heemeyer again upped his asking price, claiming he had the property appraised again at a higher value, this time asking for $450,000.

Marvin Heemeyer had attempted to buy this land just before the Docheffs, but was unsuccessful.

Marvin Heemeyer later proposed a land swap whereby he would receive the prime lot.

The Docheffs initially accepted the offer, but Marvin Heemeyer demanded the Docheffs construct a new building on the lot at great expense.

Marvin Heemeyer launched a public campaign against the planned concrete plant.

Marvin Heemeyer's campaign was initially successful, with members of the public concerned about potential environmental impacts packing into hearings on the construction proposals.

In November 2000, Marvin Heemeyer filed a lawsuit to block the project.

Marvin Heemeyer tried to appeal the decision, claiming the construction blocked access to his shop, which it never did according to the judge handling his case, a local journalist, and people inspecting aerial photography.

Marvin Heemeyer complained to the Environmental Protection Agency; this resulted in the Docheff family having a professional noise analysis done.

Marvin Heemeyer responded by pumping his sewage with a gasoline pump into the irrigation ditch that ran behind his property.

Marvin Heemeyer attempted to illegally connect to a neighbor's sewer line, but was caught and the incident reported to the sanitation district.

Marvin Heemeyer was found in contempt of town code in November 2001 by the municipal court, and required to fix the connection issues before he could inhabit or use the property for business purposes again, as well as remove the truck barrel before July 2003.

Marvin Heemeyer kept it outside of his business with a "For Sale" sign on it and tried to auction it, but few paid it any mind.

Marvin Heemeyer erected a wall to separate his space from the rest of the building and changed the locks.

At one point, Marvin Heemeyer charged at a firing position occupied by several state troopers, who evacuated mere seconds before he demolished it, with one eyewitness noting that had they taken any longer, they would have been killed.

Marvin Heemeyer dropped a flash-bang grenade down the bulldozer's exhaust pipe, with no apparent effect, and was later forced to jump down to avoid debris.

All occupants were evacuated only moments before Marvin Heemeyer reached the building, an hour after the rampage began.

Marvin Heemeyer turned to the Liberty Savings Bank, where he aimed at the corner office where a woman who was a part of the zoning board worked.

Marvin Heemeyer next targeted several street fixtures, such as trees and traffic lights, before moving on to the offices of the local newspaper, and in turn the homes of the Thompson family and their workplace.

Marvin Heemeyer then fired upon nearby power transformers, with a high risk of igniting the tanks, but struggled to find a good angle.

Marvin Heemeyer hit the transformers once and missed his other shots.

Marvin Heemeyer finally attacked the Gambles Store, targeting it due to the owner's involvement in the hearings about the batch plant.

Defenders of Marvin Heemeyer said that he made a point of not hurting anybody during his bulldozer rampage.

Ian Daugherty, a bakery owner, said Marvin Heemeyer "went out of his way" not to harm anyone.

Marvin Heemeyer has since gained supporters on the Internet who view his rampage as an act of patriotic civil disobedience against a corrupt government.

One entrant was the local Catholic Church, due to their opposition to his attempts to legalize gambling, as well as theological differences as Marvin Heemeyer was a member of the Christian Reformed Church.

Marvin Heemeyer mailed these to his brother in South Dakota shortly before stepping into his bulldozer.

Marvin Heemeyer's brother turned the tapes over to the FBI, who in turn sent them to the Grand County Sheriff's Department.

Marvin Heemeyer said it was God's plan that he not be married or have a family so that he could be in a position to carry out such an attack.