New Study Fuels Seth Rich Conspiracy Theories
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Nathan Guttman June 21, 2017
A new report presented Tuesday in Washington D.C. seeks to shed light on the mysterious murder of Jewish Democratic staffer Seth Rich — but his family says it provides no new evidence.
The report was compiled by a group of George Washington University forensic students called Profiling Project, which was founded by Jack Burkman, a Republican lobbyist who volunteered his services for investigating the murder but has since been accused by the family of advancing unsubstantiated theories regarding their son’s death.
The Profiling Project’s key finding is that it is unlikely Rich was murdered by random attackers as part of a robbery gone bad and that it is more likely the crime was carried out by “a hired killer or serial murderer” who is still at large.
“It’s the lack of clues that has led to this conclusion,” said the Profiling Project’s Kevin Doherty in a press conference, pointing to the “sanitized” crime scene.
The report does not support conspiracy theories tying Rich’s murder with the DNC pre-election email dump.
But Rich family spokesman Brad Bauman dismissed the report as containing no new evidence about the puzzling case.
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
