There is a new reward for information in the death of 27-year-old Seth Rich.
Rich was born and raised in Omaha and attended Creighton University. He was living in Washington D.C. and working for the Democratic National Committee.
A day after his death, his family told KMTV that Rich was talking to his girlfriend on the phone outside when she heard some noise, and he said he had to call her back. He was shot around 4 a.m. on July 10th. He died at the hospital.
His father said at the time of the KMTV interview, "if it was a robbery-it failed because he still has his watch, he still has his money-he still has his credit cards, still had his phone so it was a wasted effort except we lost a life."
WikiLeaks announced on Twitter today that it will offer a reward for information about Rich's death. There have been no arrests in the case.
WikiLeaks Offers $20K Reward for Information in Murder of DNC Staffer Seth Rich https://t.co/c0YARaemzL
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 9, 2016
KMTV reached out to WikiLeaks today about why they wanted to offer a reward in this case. They issued this statement:
As a matter of policy we do not confirm or deny whether any person has ever been a source for WikiLeaks. After the Aaron Swartz case we formalised this policy to also cover alleged sources who were deceased. We treat threats toward any suspected source of WikiLeaks with extreme gravity. This should not be taken to imply that Seth Rich was a source to WikiLeaks or to imply that that his murder is connected to our publications. We hope our efforts will contribute to the family's calls for information and to the separate reward issued by police. We have a history of obtaining information that has significantly contributed to many legal proceedings, including successful prosecutions. -- statement approved by WikiLeaks' editor Julian Assange
Police announced their own $25,000 reward last week. Today, Assistant Chief Peter Newsham with the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. said police are pleased if people are coming forward with reward money. He went on to say, "At this time, we don't have any information to suggest that the case is in any way connected with his work at the DNC."
