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Seth Conrad Rich (January 3, 1989 – July 10, 2016) was fatally shot in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He was a 27-year-old employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Early life and career

Rich grew up in Omaha, Nebraska in a Jewish family. In 2011 he graduated from Creighton University where he majored in history and political science.

At the time of his death, Rich was the Voter Expansion Data Director at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years and had worked on a computer application to help voters locate polling stations.

Death and aftermath

Rich was shot about a block from his home in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Police were alerted to gunfire at 4:20 am by an automated gunfire locator called ShotSpotter. Rich was found conscious but later died in the hospital. Newsweek reported that police said he may have been killed in an attempted robbery and that the neighborhood had recently been plagued by robberies. Although Rich's watch strap was torn, nothing had apparently been taken from him.

According to police, he died from two shots to the back. Rich's girlfriend told NBC Washington, "There had been a struggle. His hands were bruised, his knees are bruised, his face is bruised, and yet he had two shots to his back, and yet they never took anything...They didn't finish robbing him, they just took his life." The Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) posted its customary reward of $25,000 for information about the death. Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman has stated that he is offering an additional $105,000 reward.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement mourning the loss and praising Rich's work "to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans — the right to vote." Hillary Clinton spoke of this fatality during a speech advocating limiting the availability of guns. Rich's parents and girlfriend appeared on Crime Watch Daily to speak about the murder case. In October 2016, a plaque and bike rack outside the DNC headquarters were dedicated to Rich's memory.

In February 2017, the Beth El Synagogue in Omaha named an existing scholarship after Rich, one which helps Jewish children attend summer camps. On March 19, 2017, Rich's brother Aaron started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the murder investigation.

Conspiracy theories

Newsweek reported that the murder stoked right-wing "Clinton conspiracy theories" and that Rich's parents were distressed by the politicization of his murder. The killing of Rich has given rise to conspiracy theories in rightwing circles that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party had Seth Rich killed allegedly because he was the source of the DNC leaks. In August, WikiLeaks offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction; Rich's family stated they were unable to verify this reward offer.

Rod Wheeler investigation and controversy

Ed Butowsky, a Fox News contributor and financial adviser, contacted the Rich family and recommended hiring Rod Wheeler, a former homicide detective and Fox News contributor, as a private investigator of Seth Rich's murder; an offer which the family accepted. On May 15, 2017, Wheeler told Fox 5 DC there was evidence Seth Rich had contacted WikiLeaks; a claim which was never independently verified by Fox. The next day, while other news organizations were extensively covering Donald Trump' revelation of classified information to Russia, Fox News published a lead story on its website and provided extensive coverage on its cable news channel about what it said were Wheeler's uncorroborated claims about the murder of Seth Rich. In reporting these claims, the Fox News report re-ignited right-wing conspiracy theories about the killing.

Other news organizations revealed that Wheeler was a Donald Trump supporter, and according to NBC News had "developed a reputation for making outlandish claims, such as one appearance on Fox News in 2007 in which he warned that underground networks of pink pistol-toting lesbian gangs were raping young women." The family of Seth Rich, the Washington D.C. police department, the Washington D.C. mayor's office, the FBI, and law enforcement sources familiar with the case, rebuked Wheeler's claims. The family said, "We are a family who is committed to facts, not fake evidence that surfaces every few months to fill the void and distract law enforcement and the general public from finding Seth's murderers." The spokesperson for the family criticized Fox News for its reporting, alleging that the outlet was motivated by a desire to deflect attention from the Trump-Russia story: "I think there’s a very special place in hell for people that would use the memory of a murder victim in order to pursue a political agenda."

Over the course of the day, Fox News altered the contents of the story and the headline. When CNN contacted Wheeler later that day, who said that he had no evidence that Rich had contacted Wikileaks. Wheeler claimed that he only learned about the possible existence of the evidence from a Fox News reporter. Fox News did not respond to inquiries by CNN, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post.

See also

• Crime in the District of Columbia
• List of unsolved deaths

References

1. ^ Morton, Joseph. "D.C. police, family of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich urge anyone with information about murder to come forward", Omaha World-Herald (August 4, 2016; Updated August 10, 2016).
2. ^ Morton, Joseph. "WikiLeaks offers $20,000 reward for help finding Omaha native Seth Rich's killer", Omaha World-Herald (August 10, 2016; Updated August 11, 2016): "Rich had worked for the DNC for two years and helped develop a computer program to make it easier for people to find polling places on Election Day."
3. Kamp-Wright, Annette van de (July 20, 2016). "Seth Conrad Rich". The Jewish Press. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
4. Feldman, Ari (July 11, 2016). "Promising Jewish Democratic National Committee Staffer Shot Dead on Own Washington D.C. Block". Forward.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
5. ^ "Rich, Seth C." Omaha World-Herald. July 13, 2016.
6. ^ Hermann, Peter (July 12, 2016). "Hillary Clinton invokes name of slain DNC aide Seth Rich in calling for gun control". Washington Post.
7. DNC Employee Fatally Shot in DC., WUSA9.com, August 11, 2016; retrieved September 2, 2016.
8. Rojas, Warren (July 11, 2016). "DNC Staffer Killed in DC". Roll Call.
9. ^ Stein, Jeff (August 20, 2016). "Seth Rich: Inside the Killing of the DNC Staffer". Newsweek.
10. ^ Khan, Mariam. DNC Employee Shot Dead in DC Over the Weekend, ABC News, July 11, 2016.
11. ^ (August 5, 2016). Mother, Police Seeking Tips on Killing of DNC Staffer Seth Rich, nbcwashington.com; retrieved August 22, 2016.
12. ^ Shrier, Adam. "Democratic National Committee staffer killed in Washington, D.C. shooting", New York Daily News, July 11, 2016.
13. ^ Hermann, Peter; Williams, Clarence (July 11, 2016). "Slain Democratic National Committee staffer 'wanted to make a difference'". Washington Post.
14. "Is Julian Assange Exposing Innocent People to Persecution With Reckless Leaks?". The Nation. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
15. Collins, Pat; Swalec, Andrea (July 11, 2016). "27-Year-Old DNC Staffer Seth Rich Shot, Killed in Northwest DC". NBC Washington.
16. ^ Morton, Joseph (November 23, 2016). "Parents of DNC staffer Seth Rich vow to find his killer; reward now $125,000". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
17. "GOP lobbyist adds $5K to reward for info on murder of former DNC staffer Seth Rich", WJLA-TV, December 5, 2016.
18. Roig-Franzia, Manuel (January 18, 2017). "Seth Rich wasn't just another D.C. murder victim. He was a meme in the weirdest presidential election of our times". The Washington Post.
19. "Family of murdered DNC employee Seth Rich speaks out on 'Crime Watch'". KOMO. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
20. Kurzius, Rachel (October 3, 2016). "Murdered DNC Staffer's Mom: 'Seth Would Be So Offended' By Conspiracy Theories". DCist. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
21. Burdine, Nikki (October 17, 2016). "DNC honors murdered staffer Seth Rich". WUSA. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
22. Kelly, Michael (February 25, 2017). "Kelly: Camp scholarship memorializes Omahan Seth Rich, who was killed in D.C. in July". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
23. "Family Seeks Funds for Answers, Leads in Seth Rich Death". NBC Washington. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
24. ^ "DNC staffer's murder draws fresh conspiracy theories". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
25. "WikiLeaks offers reward for help finding DNC staffer's killer", Washington Post, August 10, 2016.
26. Savransky, Rebecca (May 16, 2017). "Slain DNC staffer's family quashes report he had contact with WikiLeaks". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
27. ^ Darcy, Oliver (2017-05-16). "Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media -- hours later it fell apart". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
28. ^ Waldron, Travis (2017-05-16). "Fox Pushes WikiLeaks Murder Conspiracy From Man Who Warned Of Armed Lesbian Pedophiles". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
29. ^ "Family of slain Seth Rich says reports that he fed DNC info to WikiLeaks are untrue". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
30. ^ "FACT CHECK: Did DNC Staffer Seth Rich Send 'Thousands of E-Mails' to WikiLeaks Before He Was Murdered?". Snopes.com. 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2017-05-16.

Further reading

• Abraham, Rabbi Steven (July 22, 2016). "In Memoriam: Seth Conrad Rich". The Jewish Press. Eulogy given by Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue at the service on July 13, 2016.
• Harris, Chris (July 13, 2016). "Friends of Slain DNC Staffer Seth Rich Remember Him as 'Honest' and 'Self-Sacrificing'". People.

• 2016 murders in the United States
• Democratic National Committee
• Deaths by firearm in Washington, D.C.
• Unsolved murders in the United States
• Deaths by person in the United States
• 2016 in Washington, D.C.
• July 2016 crimes
• July 2016 events in the United States