The murder of a Democratic National Committee staffer remains unsolved and now his family is asking for the public’s help in finding the killer.
Seth Rich, 27 was shot and killed in July in the Bloomingdale area of Washington, D.C. The murder was originally thought to be a robbery gone wrong, but Rich’s wallet, watch and cell phone were not taken.
“You have two people who shot my son twice in the back,” said his mother, Mary Rich.
“We’re not going to stop until we find my son’s murderer. We will find his murderer, but we need all of you.”
Patriot Seth Rich was murdered 132 days ago today. America will never forget you, buddy. pic.twitter.com/sBN88O6b1V
— Brittany Pettibone (@BrittPettibone) November 18, 2016
Rich’s parents were joined at a news conference today by Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman
FOX DC reports that Burkman put up $100,000 as a reward for information leading to an arrest, bringing the total to $125,000.
Rich also applauded interim DNC chair Donna Brazile for helping their efforts to find the murderer.
In August, WikiLeaks offered a $20,000 reward amid rumors and conspiracy theories about Rich’s death, which came just days before the release of hacked DNC emails.
Police said they have no evidence to suggest the murder was related to Rich’s job at the DNC and on Monday, a family spokesperson said “there is no conspiracy theory.”
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange discussed the reward money in an August interview with Megyn Kelly, saying the organization was “very interested in anything that might be a threat to alleged WikiLeaks sources.”
“We’re not saying Seth Rich’s death necessarily is connected to our publications,” he added.
The parents of a Jewish Democratic National Committee staffer killed near his Washington, DC, home this summer have called on the public to help them find his killer.
Seth Rich, 27, was killed while walking home before dawn on July 10. Police have speculated that he was the victim of a robbery gone awry. Rich’s body was found about a block from his home with his wallet, watch and cell phone still in his possession.
His parents, Mary and Joel Rich of Omaha, Nebraska, arrived in Washington on Monday in an attempt to find new leads in the case.
In a news conference, they upped the reward for information leading to their son’s killers from $25,000 to $125,000. The $100,000 was put up by Washington Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman.
“D.C. is like a political fraternity. This could have happened to any one of us, it could have happened to my Republican staff, it could have happened to my Democratic staff. I have people working for me and often in those same neighborhoods so it’s just something that tugs on your heart strings,” Burkman told reporters.
Rich’s parents revealed new information in the case during their news conference, including that Seth Rich was on the phone with his girlfriend up until a couple minutes before he was shot dead by at least two bullets, likely from a revolver.
The couple has also, for the second time, asked the public not to traffic in lies and conspiracy theories about their son’s murder, including one connected to Wikileaks that points a finger at the Clintons and says that Seth Rich was meeting with the FBI over Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Seth Rich served as the voter expansion data director for the DNC, and worked on databases to help voters identify polling stations, the Washington Post reported. Colleagues told JTA that he was also engaged in Jewish outreach.