"What It Was Like" Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: I Was Nearly Killed by the 'Killdozer'

Host: Julian Morgan
Guest: Patrick Brower, local journalist and editor involved in the Killdozer incident
Date: October 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the infamous 2004 ‘Killdozer’ rampage in Granby, Colorado—when local muffler mechanic Marvin Heemeyer used a home-built armored bulldozer to exact revenge on his town. Host Julian Morgan and guest Patrick Brower, a survivor and key chronicler of the event, recount the build-up to the attack, Brower’s firsthand experience, and the mythologizing of Heemeyer in American culture. The conversation dives deep into the psychology, cultural resonance, and misinformation that surrounded—and still surrounds—this extraordinary act of domestic vengeance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Scene Setting: Granby Before the Rampage

• Granby described as a "resort rural" town with a Western flavor—working ranches, cowboys, and ski instructors.
  Patrick: “Granby is an evolving town...with a lot of gas stations, repair stations, a few retail stores. Not as touristy as, say, the ski area towns further east...” [07:02]
• Brower moved to Granby in 1979 as a reporter and became editor of the local newspaper. [07:50]

Marvin Heemeyer: Character and Grievances

• Heemeyer remembered as a "big guy...with a taciturn intensity." He was known for holding grudges over perceived slights, particularly around money or business.
  Patrick: “He would get sort of sullen and a little bit angry and basically never talk to them again.” [10:39]
• He perceived himself as constantly wronged by the town, especially regarding property disputes, sewer hookups, and new developments. [10:58]
• Heemeyer’s brooding led to isolation and resentment—though not seen as dangerous by others at the time.
  Patrick: “I never sensed him as dangerous.” [11:14]

The Build-Up: Property Disputes and the Killdozer Plan

• Heemeyer's failed efforts to stop a concrete plant next to his property marked the turning point, fueling his sense of persecution. [12:05]
• He acquired and hid a Komatsu bulldozer for 9 months, using “experimental modifications” as a cover for his clandestine armoring activities. [13:18]
• Construction of the Killdozer was intricate and methodical:
  • Layered steel and concrete for bulletproofing
  • Shooting ports and embedded firearms
  • Surveillance cameras for remote navigation
    Patrick describes the technical build: “He welded a layer of half inch steel all the way around the cab...then poured concrete in between...He had a 30 caliber rifle mounted...a .223 semi automatic...and a .50 caliber sniper rifle mounted.” [17:34]

June 4, 2004: The Day of the Rampage

The Attack Begins

• A woman at Heemeyer's old muffler shop reported a “tank” in her yard; police arrived as Heemeyer was already destroying buildings. [22:39]
• Cody Docheff, the new owner, confronted the Killdozer—firing at it and trying to block its progress. Patrick: “He grabbed a handgun...and fired at it...that didn’t do a thing to the dozer...then Marv started shooting at the front end loader.” [24:05]
• Heemeyer shot at people attempting to intervene, but miraculously didn’t kill anyone.
  Patrick: “He could have easily killed Cody, could have easily killed that state trooper.” [25:15]

Escalation and Targeted Destruction

• Heemeyer targeted buildings and people on a personalized “revenge list,” including the town hall, newspaper office, and specific businesses and homes. [34:04, 34:46]
• Brower's firsthand account:
  • He received an evacuation call, stayed at the office to “cover this thing,” and narrowly escaped as the Killdozer destroyed the building.
    Patrick: “If I had tripped, I’d be dead right now...the building was falling down around us as we ran out the back.” [37:00]
  • He recalls the absurdity of the moment: “This is slow motion absurdity...this thing slowly destroy our business, kind of laughing like, this is absurd.” [38:15]

The Killdozer’s End

• Heemeyer attempted to ignite a propane facility near a residential area; only mechanical limitations prevented a disaster. Patrick: “He starts shooting the .50 caliber rifle...he’s shooting at the tanks, but he’s hitting his own armor because he can’t angle the dozer down.” [41:57]
• After overheating and becoming stuck in a building, Heemeyer ended the rampage by dying by suicide. [43:15]

The Aftermath: Misinformation & Mythology

The "Second Rampage"—Online Glorification

• Immediately after, misinformation about Heemeyer’s motives and actions flourished online—fueling a folk-hero status among anti-government groups. Patrick: “The second rampage is the tons and tons of misinformation...A lot of people call him the last great American folk hero.” [43:26]
• False claims included denial of violence and embellishment of Heemeyer as “the hero fighting corrupt government.”
  Patrick: “You try to factually address it and you just get shouted down...” [49:45]

The Tapes and Manifesto

• Heemeyer left behind cassette tapes (and a manifesto) justifying his actions as divinely sanctioned. Patrick: “He says...I was doing this because God told me to do it.” [19:39], [47:40]
  • Tapes were mailed to his brother and later released to the public; they detail his grievances and self-justification. [47:43]
  • Headline from local paper: “God made me do it.” [48:19]

American Individualism & Revenge: Cultural Reflection

• The story resonates with longstanding American archetypes:
  Patrick: “It’s the underdog who is misunderstood by either law enforcement or society in general. Has to fight against the forces that be. To create justice.” [59:11]
• Current social media culture amplifies myth-making—algorithms reinforce echo chambers, making the “folk hero” narrative more resilient. [60:23]
• Persistent local trauma: The memory is divisive in Granby—some quietly admire Heemeyer, others resent the destruction. [54:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the terrifying moment of destruction:
  “The ground was rumbling. I mean, it was literally rumbling from the weight of this thing. And you could sort of hear the tread squeaking. It was loud, just loud...all of a sudden, it takes a right turn...bam, he just slams into the wall...the building was falling down around us.”
  — Patrick Brower [37:00]

• On Heemeyer's mindset:
  “I think Marv was really the victim of his own conspiracy theories. He victimized himself, he pitied himself...”
  — Patrick Brower [55:48]

• On American mythology:
  “When you consider what he thinks the wrongs were to him—not that big of a deal...Marv was a hero without a cause.”
  — Patrick Brower [50:46]

• On the unstoppable online narrative:
  “When most people just hear it encapsulated, that’s what they think and they like it. They latch onto it...People’s eyes glaze over when they hear the facts.”
  — Patrick Brower [57:56]

Key Timestamps

• 02:16 Patrick’s firsthand account of the Killdozer hitting his office
• 07:02 Description of Granby and introduction to the town
• 13:18 How Heemeyer constructed and concealed the Killdozer
• 22:39 Beginning of the rampage: 911 call and initial destruction
• 24:05 Confrontation with Cody Docheff, first gunfire
• 32:06 Details of weapons, missed attempts to harm people
• 37:00 Patrick’s escape from the newspaper office
• 43:15 Rampage ends: Heemeyer’s suicide
• 47:43 Discovery and impact of Heemeyer’s tapes
• 54:10 The community’s divided reaction and aftermath
• 59:11 Discussion of the American lone-hero archetype

Conclusion

Patrick Brower’s personal recollections reveal the harrowing experience of surviving the Killdozer rampage and the complex legacy it left behind. Through his eyes, listeners revisit not just the mechanics of that day, but the broader questions about American individualism, revenge, and the ways in which myth and misinformation can overpower fact. The conversation blends the absurd with the terrifying, highlighting how an act of private vengeance became a public legend—disturbing, defiant, and impossible to separate from the culture that produced it.