Contribution shines spotlight on Crime Solvers, unsolved case - Inside NoVA

The 2006 murder of 24-year-old Paul Zeller in Pentagon City has remained unsolved, and family members acknowledge closure might never come.

But they have made a decision to ensure that other Arlington crimes will successfully be closed.

The family donated the $5,000 that had been in a reward fund for Zeller to Arlington County Crime Solvers, which will use it to provide money to tipsters who help close cases.

“I appreciate the work you and your group group [are] doing,” Lydia Robertson, Paul Zeller’s sister, told Crime Solvers president Andres Tobar during a ceremony held July 28 at Washington Workplace in the Columbia Pike corridor.

“We really hope [the contribution] has an impact on the community,” Robertson said, “to help others get through their tragedies.”

“It does help keep his memory alive,” she said.

Earlier this year, Robertson contacted the county police department, asking for suggestions on an organization that could use the funding. County police spokesman Ashley Savage, who serves on the board of the local Crime Solvers affiliate, put her in contact with Tobar.

The money, Tobar said, would be placed in a special fund just for payments to tipsters – no administration costs will be taken out.

Paul Zeller was walking home from the Pentagon City Metro station in June 2006 when he was shot and killed in the 1300 block of South Joyce Street.

Arlington police ruled out robbery, and both the motive and a suspect remain unknown. “We may not ever know,” Robertson acknowledged.

The case occasionally has resurfaced as Robertson has worked to keep it in the public eye. Media attention related to the donation will shine a spotlight on it again.

At the time of his death, Zeller had been traveling home from his job at a car dealership in Maryland. Like many members of his family, he had served in the military, including a stint in Iraq with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

Tips on the case, and other unsolved crimes, are accepted by Arlington County Crime Solvers at (866) 411-TIPS. Rewards of up to $1,000 are offered for information that leads to an arrest in certain cases.

Let's block ads! (Why?)