'The family is in pain': Police say misinformation about LSU student Allison Rice's murder is hurting case
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: No arrests have yet been made in the murder of Louisiana State University (LSU) student Allison Rice. Now, Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul has said misinformation about the murder is hurting the case and her family. Paul spoke at a recent news conference about the efforts being put to battle violent crime in the city. He also said a lot of work is left to do in Rice's case.
“The family is in pain,” Paul said, according to WAFB9. “They’re hurting and they’re mourning. I’m asking you to be respectful of that. When you put out misinformation, that hurts the family and that questions the integrity of our police officers. That interferes with our investigative efforts to find the person or persons responsible for this crime."
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A rumor that recently surfaced claimed a witness to the murder called police but did not get a call back from them. “That’s absolutely incorrect,” said Lt Kevin Heinz, who is the commander of the department’s Violent Crimes Unit. Heinz also said anyone who has said they have information on the case has been interviewed. “If you don’t think we are taking this seriously, I’m highly offended by that because these are my people. I’m telling you right now it is a rumor that we are ignoring a witness. That’s a hideous rumor,” said Heinz.
Prosecutors believe Louisiana State University (LSU) student Allison Rice was killed in a random attack. However, rumors that have been surfacing suggest that the murder may have been part of a gang initiation. Addressing the rumor, Heinz said, "We have zero indication that’s the case. If we had any indication that was the case, we would put it out there for the safety of the public. But as of right now, (based on) everything we see, I can confidently say that is not the case.”
The 21-year-old died after being shot more than 10 times while she waited at a train crossing in Louisiana, eating fries. At the time of the murder, she was on her way back home from a night out with friends. The Louisiana State University Senior was discovered dead inside her bullet-riddled car in Baton Rouge on Friday, September 16. She had been partying with friends at a bar on Government Street not far from the spot where she was killed. She was possibly trying to turn around at the tracks when someone shot her several times through her windshield.
Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore told WBRZ that the real motive behind Allison's murder is still a mystery. Detectives are at a loss as they have yet to identify a motive behind the brutal murder of the student. "This appears to be a totally isolated, random type act," Moore said. "It's way too early to tell. We never want to get out in front of the evidence and the facts of the case. Surely, that's not anything that's jumping out to me as a person that has done this for years."
While no arrests have been made yet, police have allegedly been flooded with tips about the identity of the killer. How credible the tips are, however, is unclear. The DA confirmed that multiple federal law enforcement agencies -- including the FBI, DEA, and the ATF -- have been brought in to assist in the case.