The reward for capturing the killers of an Iraq war veteran has long since doubled, but there are still no answers as to who gunned down Paul Zeller.
The 24-year-old had just stopped at a Harris Teeter in Pentagon City and was continuing his midnight walk home from work when he was shot at close range. Police have not yet developed a motive for the June 30, 2006, killing, though they say it’s not believed to have been a robbery.
Zeller served in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division as a mortarman and was honorably discharged in 2004. On the night of his death, he was heading home from College Park Honda, where he often worked the late shift, according to a Web site his mother, Lois, created.
On the site, Zeller’s mother marveled at how her son could return home safely from war, only to die in the suburban streets of the Washington area.
“He came back from Baghdad safely; to a safe country, and was beginning to adjust to normal American life,” she wrote. “So what an unimaginable shock it was to have that phone call telling us he had been killed; murdered by an unknown assailant.”
Anyone with information should call the Arlington County police tip line at 703-228-4242 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Crime Solvers is offering a separate $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. That is in addition to the $5,000 from friends and family, and $5,000 provided by Harris Teeter.
