Post by Scumhunter on Jun 4, 2015 9:14:18 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: Wikipedia)
It has now been over 8 years and still no answers in the murder of New Orleans filmmaker Helen Hill. The case was aired on the September 15th, 2007 episode of AMW, and has also been aired on 48 Hours as part of a story on post-Hurricane Katrina violence in the city. Below is the case description from the archives:
Young Mother Gunned Down In Home
The senseless murder of a filmmaker in New Orleans has touched people across the country. Police say on January 4, 2007, an armed suspect took the life of Helen Hill, and wounded her husband, Paul Gailiunas.
According to police, the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. at the couple's home in the downtown New Orleans' neighborhood of Faubourg Marigny. Police say a black male armed with a handgun entered the home and confronted Helen. Detectives believe the armed intruder entered the home through the backdoor. Helen's husband Paul, and their 2-year-old son, were fast asleep when they heard the commotion.
Paul quickly ran to noise, but it was too late. Police say the gunman shot Helen. Paul grabbed his son and fled to a bathroom to hide. Police say the gunman found Paul and their son and opened fire. Paul shielded his son and was struck 3 times. Detectives say the gunman then took off through the back door.
Although Paul was shot in the hand, cheek and forearm, his injuries were not life threatening and his young son was unharmed. Helen died at the scene.
Young Mother Gunned Down In Home
The senseless murder of a filmmaker in New Orleans has touched people across the country. Police say on January 4, 2007, an armed suspect took the life of Helen Hill, and wounded her husband, Paul Gailiunas.
According to police, the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. at the couple's home in the downtown New Orleans' neighborhood of Faubourg Marigny. Police say a black male armed with a handgun entered the home and confronted Helen. Detectives believe the armed intruder entered the home through the backdoor. Helen's husband Paul, and their 2-year-old son, were fast asleep when they heard the commotion.
Paul quickly ran to noise, but it was too late. Police say the gunman shot Helen. Paul grabbed his son and fled to a bathroom to hide. Police say the gunman found Paul and their son and opened fire. Paul shielded his son and was struck 3 times. Detectives say the gunman then took off through the back door.
Although Paul was shot in the hand, cheek and forearm, his injuries were not life threatening and his young son was unharmed. Helen died at the scene.
No Motives, No Suspects
Police say when they arrived at Helen's home the shooter was long gone. They are diligently working leads, but do not have a suspect at this time. Shortly before Helen's murder, police were investigating a report of armed black man roaming around a bed and breakfast hotel nearby. Detectives don't know if they incidents are related
A Tragic Loss
As they wait for answers, Helen's family, friends, and co-workers are mourning the loss of a wonderful mother and woman. Helen, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, attended Harvard University, where she met her husband, Paul. The couple married in 1995 and settled in New Orleans in 2001.
Helen made a name for herself locally by setting up the New Orleans Film Collective. Friends say she was an accomplished experimental animator and offered classes at a local coffee shop. As a doctor, Paul set up a low-cost medical center to help the underprivileged in the city. The couple spent a lot of their free time handing out food to the needy and believed in giving back to their community.
Thoughts? The reason I'm posting this case today is they replayed the 48 Hours episode on the ID channel last night and I happened to catch it. While New Orleans still struggles with crime today, it seemed especially chaotic (and this may be an understatement) in the years right after Katrina. Police Detectives were working out of FEMA trailers. Hill's murder was also around the time as the high-profile murder of popular local musician Dinerral Shavers, whose case was also on the same episode. (Shaver's alleged killer would be acquitted- another sign of a lack of justice in post-Katrina New Orleans, but would later be sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted in an unrelated attempted murder case). Rallies were held to protest the violence appealing to the police and then Mayor Ray Nagin, the same Mayor who would later be sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges. According to 48 Hours, fewer than half of the city's homicides in the years after Katrina led to arrests, and there were even less convictions.
Hill's husband Paul would reluctantly return to New Orleans to complete one of her films. Paul felt betrayed by the city he once loved, feeling not enough was done to solve Helen's case. (Paul himself was once considered a suspect, but was ruled out after it obviously didn't make sense considering the facts).
I must say that I have been to a few cities in America and New Orleans is still by far my favorite. It's hard to explain the magic of the city without visiting there. I was there in 2011, and even back then I could tell there was still elements of Post-Katrina danger. (I think I told this story in off-topic, I once got a bit lost and wandered way away from the French Quarter and walked into a bar where the bartender immediately looked at me- must have been able to tell I was a tourist- and told me I needed to leave right away because I was in a very dangerous area and called a cab for me to go back to my hotel. Obviously even five-six years later there still a lot of post-Katrina crime.)
And obviously in the news there are still struggles with crime affecting this charming city. Solving Hill's murder would go a long away.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot to work with. There was a robbery at a bed-and-breakfast a few doors down from Helen's home days before her murder but no connections were ever made. It seems the only thing that may solve Hill's murder is the $15,000 reward being offered. Unfortunately, the reward is still out there, and New Orleans Crime Stoppers are still hoping to one day give it out.
Admin Note #1: According to online news articles & various websites, anyone with information on Helen Hill's unsolved murder should contact New Orleans Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111. You can also submit a web tip to them at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=351
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20070811114916/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=42393
www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/10/filmmaker_helen_hills_husband.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Hill
