Post by HeadMarshal on Sept 13, 2016 5:20:12 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: defrostingcoldcases.com)
Starting in the 1960s, journalist Raymond Nelson started manage the campaign of senate candidate Claiborne Pell. Raymond went to work as Pell's administrative assistant up until 1974 when he switched departments and joined the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. In 1976, Raymond openly declared himself to be gay but retained good relations with his wife and children. Nothing seemed to be amiss with his life.
On June 1, 1981, someone bludgeoned Raymond to death with a typewriter in his D.C. apartment. Senate members, television network executives and news reports attended his funeral which showed how prominent a man Raymond was. Police later admitted they did not do a proper investigation at the beginning, allowing a senate member to remove classified documents from the murder scene and compromising evidence. The murder scene itself appeared to be staged. No motive and no suspects were ever identified in this case which to date remains unsolved.
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Thoughts? This appears to be a complete whodoneit, 35 years later. There are a few possibilities as to why Raymond was murdered in my opinion. Someone in his department may have wanted his position and therefore could have wanted him murdered. Another is that this may have been a hate crime based on Raymond's homosexuality. It's going to take a lot of new evidence to get an indictment in this case, which despite the odds I hope can still happen.
According to Metropolitan Police Department website, anyone with information on the murder of Raymond Nelson should call the Metropolitan Police Department’s Synchronized Operations Command Center (SOCC) at 202 727-9099
or email unsolved.murder@dc.gov
Moderator Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Nels_Nelson
mpdc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/mpdc/publication/attachments/nelson_raymond%20%281%29.pdf