WikiLeaks Offers $20,000 Reward for Killer of DNC Staffer

WikiLeaks is offering a $20,000 reward for help tracking down the killer of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich.

August 10, 2016

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Complex Original

Amid internet rumors that Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was killed for conspiratorial reasons, WikiLeaks is offering a $20,000 reward for help tracking down Rich's killer. The 27-year-old was shot and killed near his home in Washington D.C. on July 10, and as of Tuesday's reward announcement, WikiLeaks is in the business of determining who the shooter was.

Just after Rich was killed, his mother, Mary Rich, told NBC 4 in Washington that police told her that Seth had been robbed and shot:

Despite police describing a robbery as the circumstances of Rich's death, the Washington Post reports that speculation about a politically-motivated hit surfaced very quickly after the news of Rich's killing broke. Some theorists online feel that Rich could have been the one who leaked 20,000 DNC emails that badly embarrassed the Democratic party during their convention last month, and forced DNC Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign. Still others think that Rich was working with the FBI to find evidence of foul play related to the election.

But Rich's parents aren't interested in the online theories, according to the Washington Post. Rich's father, Joel Rich, told the Washington Post, "I hope the additional money helps find out who did this. But I don’t want to play WikiLeaks' game."

Mary Rich appealed to the public for help last Thursday, calling for anyone with information to come forward, saying that Seth's killer could be capable of killing anyone next.

The Metropolitan Police Department is offering its own $25,000 reward for information leading to Rich's shooter, as is standard for homicides for the Department.

WikiLeaks and the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately reply to Complex's requests for comment.