Kanika T. Powell was 28 when she was ambushed in the hallway of her Laurel, Maryland, apartment building on August 28, 2008. A U.S. Army veteran employed at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory with a top-secret clearance, she had reported a series of unsettling doorstep encounters in the days before the attack — men claiming to be delivering packages and, once, claiming to be an FBI agent who could not produce identification. Neighbors heard her cry out before multiple gunshots; she succumbed to her wounds the next day. Her wallet and keys were found beside her, which led investigators to rule out robbery.

Authorities investigated several theories. Some considered a possible work-related motive because of her security clearance; others noted the amateurish ruse at the door and questioned that link. Jason Scott, later convicted in other local killings and known to have worked for a delivery service, was questioned but never tied to Powell’s death. Months later another national-security professional, Sean Nicholas Green, was killed about 30 miles away, a similarity that prompted speculation but no official connection. More recently, friends said Powell was planning a weekend trip with a new female partner and that the partner’s jealous ex-boyfriend drew suspicion. No arrests have been announced. Does anyone who knew Kanika, her social circle at the time, or the people who showed up at her door have information that could help close this case?