Raymond Nels Nelson, 59, was found murdered in his apartment at 701 Quincy Street NE, near Catholic University in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 1981. A former bureau chief for The Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin who later worked on Senator Claiborne Pell’s staff, Nelson was discovered bludgeoned to death with a large office typewriter amid scattered newspapers and magazines.

The investigation has long been troubled. A Senate staff member was allowed to enter the apartment to remove sensitive documents before police sealed the scene, and decades later authorities described the crime scene as appearing staged and called the initial inquiry faulty police work. Family members who had been with Nelson the night before were reportedly not interviewed at the time. Numerous rumors and theories about motive have circulated, but no arrests or official suspects have been named.

The Metropolitan Police Department still lists the case as an unsolved homicide and offers a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Does anyone have information about Nelson’s life that might shed light on who could have wanted him dead?