Researchers Believe A ‘Hired Killer’ Or ‘Serial Murderer’ Took DNC Staffer Seth Rich’s Life

Last summer, someone murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich. We still don’t have many answers, but the circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious. Authorities initially said Rich was the victim of a botched robbery, but nothing appeared to be taken from him. There have been a ton of conspiracy theories, detailing Rich’s alleged involvement with WikiLeaks.

I’m not pushing any theories. I just want answers. Here’s the latest possibility.

Newsweek has a piece out, detailing the latest theory. A group of forensic psychology students and teachers– volunteering for The Profiling Project (which is funded by GOP lobbyist Jack Burkman)– delved into the case and determined that Rich was not the victim of a botched robbery. They believe Rich’s death came at the hands of a “hired killer or serial murderer.”

The Profiling Project, based in Arlington, Virginia, consists of around 20 volunteers who are current and former George Washington University forensic psychology graduate students and instructors. The report states that Rich’s July 2016 “death does not appear to be a random homicide” or “a robbery gone bad,” as police had suggested. Instead, the report says, the “death was more likely committed by a hired killer or serial murderer,” and that the killer is likely still at large.

That’s right– a hired killer or serial murderer. Makes those conspiracy nutters sound a little less crazy, huh?

“The person folks [should be] looking for and considering isn’t a robber who kills, but really is a killer, and maybe a killer that doesn’t rob,” says Kevin Doherty, a recent George Washington University graduate and one of the volunteers with The Profiling Project. “The fact that this person has gotten away with it shows a level of proficiency.”

 

The Profiling Project did not provide the family with a copy of the report or consult with the family while preparing the report, Brad Bauman, a spokesman for the Rich family, says in a statement. He points out that The Profiling Project states in its methology that it “was given no special access to any materials, evidence or persons, and due to case sensitivity, conducted only informal, limited interviews.”

The group also concluded that– given the proficiency– this wasn’t the murderer’s first kill. In other words, his murderer probably wasn’t some random thug.

“We may never know why Seth was targeted for attack, but we do know that so many non-routine events had to take place prior to the interaction that it was not statistically random,” the researchers write. Those anomalies include Rich’s being out at around 4 a.m. and the fact that he was white, since only 6 percent of unsolved homicides in D.C. in 2016 involved non-African-Americans, according to the report.

 

The murderer, according to The Profiling Project, “brought a most likely unregistered firearm to the crime scene, utilized the firearm and most likely carried the firearm away from the crime scene.” The report continues, “That the crime scene appeared to be almost sanitized (no firearms casings were reported to be found, no physical evidence was reported), and that there does not appear to be excessive use of force (as only two shots were reported), the offender does not appear to be psychotic.”

 

The researchers believe there was just one shooter. That shooter could have been a serial killer or serial murderer, according to the report, which uses the FBI’s definition for an offender who kills two or more people in separate events. “With such a sanitized crime scene and no emotional indications,” the report says, “this is not Offender[‘s] first kill.”

However, the researchers refuse to call Rich’s murderer an “assassin,” given the fact that Rich didn’t pass away at the scene.

“A professional killer, whose sole job would have been to terminate Seth, did not accomplish their mission prior to escaping.”

 

“If this were a professional hit person, they failed,” says Doherty, the team member. “Nothing we’ve seen supports [the theory of] an assassin.”

Even Newsweek admits that this independent group’s 83-page report “seems to be more credible” than some of the other stuff out there.

The group said they have no agenda. They just want to help the family find answers. However, the family’s representative said the family hopes the public “takes the findings at face value.”

Bauman, the family representative, says, “the family hopes that the general public takes the findings at face value—valuable experience in research collection and report writing for students at George Washington University, but in no way should [it] take any findings contained within as new, credible or otherwise lending credence to conspiracy theories surrounding the circumstances of Seth’s death.”

Still, the group is determined to get to the bottom of this.

Doherty says the group will continue to follow the case and investigate new leads or information. “We’re personally tied to this,” he says. “This is a case that we want to solve. We want to provide closure on this.”

Surely, critics will point out that this group had no access to special information and will argue that they couldn’t possibly do a better job than Actual Investigators, but the findings are interesting and should certainly be considered. After all, it doesn’t take a freaking genius to realize that this wasn’t a botched robbery.

Thoughts?