Dear Readers,
In mid-August I had to come to you with some bad news: that a combination of lack of funding and opportunities in other cities would force Homicide Watch D.C. to permanently shut down. Your response to that message was overwhelming, and the volume of support that Chris and I, as founders of Homicide Watch D.C., received was simply breathtaking. Your financial support quickly followed and in less than 30 days we raised more than $40,000 to not only keep Homicide Watch D.C. alive, but to transform it.
Today marks the official start of that transformation.
Sam Pearson, Penny Ray, and Jonah Newman join the Homicide Watch team as your editor and reporters. Each are uniquely qualified for the positions and were selected out of the dozens of internship applications that we received.
They’ve been at work on the site since Friday and have published a dozen story updates to Homicide Watch D.C. already.
Much happened in the ten weeks in which Homicide Watch D.C. did not publish. Twelve people lost their lives to violence in D.C. Some defendants were convicted while others saw their cases dismissed. A jury hung. Suspects were arrested in twelve cases. Jurors were selected for a trial that will likely close this week.
We are happy to be bringing you these stories once again and hope that you’ll join us in a heartfelt welcome to Sam, Penny and Jonah. I know they are excited to be a part of the Homicide Watch D.C. community and have recorded short video introductions so that you might get to know them better, too.
Sincerely,
Laura Amico
Editor, Homicide Watch D.C.
A message from Laura
A message from Penny Ray
A message from Sam Pearson
A message from Jonah Newman
