UPDATE: Months Later, Arlington Killing Remains a Mystery
Police said Zeller's body was found in front of the World Market store at Pentagon Row.
(By Larry Morris -- The Washington Post)
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It's been four months since Paul Matthew Zeller was shot to death outside the upscale Pentagon Row shopping complex in Arlington County, but police say they still do not know whether he was targeted or the victim of random violence.
So Monday, the four-month anniversary, his sister, Lydia Robertson, and some friends gathered at the place where he died to announce the creation of a reward fund. She said she hopes the money -- about $3,000 so far -- might entice potential tipsters to step forward.
"I don't think any of us expected to be here still not knowing who did this to Paul and why," Robertson said. "We're confident that someone has information about who did this."
Police said Zeller, 24, was fatally shot at close range early June 30. Investigators have interviewed witnesses, handed out hundreds of fliers and chased leads. Still, no suspect has been identified, they said.
Zeller was honorably discharged from the Army in September 2004 after serving in Iraq as a mortar man with the 82nd Airborne Division. He worked long hours at the College Park Honda dealership, where he sold and detailed cars, among other duties, his family said. Zeller commuted between Arlington and Prince George's counties on Metro and was walking home from the Pentagon City Station when he was killed. Family members said he did not appear to have been robbed.
Police said Zeller was found dead at 12:06 a.m. in front of the retail center's World Market store in the 1300 block of South Joyce Street. It is near several high-rise apartment buildings between the Pentagon City mall and Interstate 395. The bars at a couple of restaurants there stay open late, police said, so several people were in the area when the shooting occurred.
"It is far from a cold case," Lt. Brian Berke, head of the department's homicide and robbery unit, told reporters at the scene last week. He urged anyone with information about the case to call detectives at 703-228-4242. "We are following up to this day on active leads, and we plan on doing so until we can bring this case to closure."
The reward fund, Robertson said, might "help turn a bad thing around."
"You can't stop tragedy from happening, but I just hope this will get us what we need," she said. "I just hope that if someone has one small idea about what happened that night, they will call. Anything can help."
Those who want to contribute to the reward fund can send donations to PNC Bank -- Paul Matthew Zeller Reward Fund, 6805 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, Va. 22101, Account 5304437975.
-- Jamie Stockwell
