Lexington investigators offering $2,500 for tips that lead to arrests in homicide cases
Bluegrass Crime Stoppers announced Friday that it’s committing $10,000 towards an effort to solve open 2022 Lexington homicide cases for the summer.
Over the next three months, people who provide information that leads to an arrest and closure of any open 2022 homicide case in Lexington will be rewarded $2,500, Bluegrass Crime Stoppers said. Nine of the 22 homicides in Lexington this year are still open cases, according to Lexington police data.
“Bluegrass Crime Stoppers is very excited to announce this partnership with the Lexington Police Department to help bring closure to some of the open homicides,” Katina May, the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers board chair, said in a statement. “We hope this increase in reward money will encourage those with information to come forward and help provide closure to the victims and their families.
“In addition to providing closure to the families, they can remain anonymous and receive $2,500 for their information.”
More information about the initiative will be revealed at a press conference Monday.
Nine homicide cases from 2022 remain open, including the first murder of the year and five from May. All but one of the open homicides cases involved a gun.
35-year-old Joseph Richardson was the victim in Lexington’s latest homicide. Police said he was shot outside a Lexington church where people were gathered for a funeral for Malcolm Long, 29, who died after a shooting on Locust Avenue May 24.
In a statement to the Herald-Leader, Lexington police chief Lawrence Weathers described the rising gun violence as “a tragedy for this community.”
“Now more than ever, we need the community’s help,” Weathers said in a statement to the Herald-Leader. “Violence isn’t the answer to solving problems. If you have information about potential criminal activity, reach out to us.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM.
