Criminal investigation

How the Murder of a D.N.C. Staff Member Fueled Conspiracy Theories

In an August interview, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, discussed Mr. Rich’s death, and hinted that he had shared material with WikiLeaks.

“Whistle-blowers go to significant efforts to get us material and often very significant risks,” Mr. Assange said in the interview, with a Dutch television station. “There’s a 27-year-old who works for the D.N.C., who was shot in the back, murdered, just two weeks ago, for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington.”

Pressed by the host to be more direct, Mr. Assange said, “I’m suggesting that our sources take risks and they become concerned to see things occurring like that.”

He would not answer when asked directly whether Mr. Rich was a source, but he said that WikiLeaks was investigating what he called a “concerning situation.” Later, WikiLeaks offered a $20,000 reward for information about Mr. Rich’s murder.