Family of Murdered Iraq War Veteran Donates Reward Money 11 Years After His Killing

Eleven years after someone gunned down and killed an Iraq War veteran in Arlington, Virginia, the victim's family is donating the reward money they raised to find his killer.

Paul Zeller had stopped in the Harris Teeter on Pentagon Row for a soda and cigarettes about midnight on June 30, 2006. After leaving the store, he rounded a corner and started walking up Pentagon Row. Shots rang out as he made his way toward the World Market. 

“I don’t walk past this area without thinking of what happened that night,” said Lydia Robertson, Zeller's sister.

His murder remains a mystery.

“I always think about the senselessness of what happened, the frustration of not knowing why,” Robertson said.

Zeller was 26 when he was killed and Robertson said he was the fun, young uncle to her two kids.

She said her family hasn't given up hope they will one day know the answer, but they wanted the reward money they raised to go toward helping other victims' families.

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On Friday, the family donated a check for $5,000 to Arlington Crimesolvers.

“I appreciate people continuing to talk about this story, because it’s not only important to our family, and remembering what happened with Paul. But we really hope this has an impact in the community and other people can be helped as well,” Robertson said.

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