Seth Rich's death became a national news story amid swirling allegations about Russia, Trump and Wikileaks. Photo / Supplied
Seth Rich's death became a national news story amid swirling allegations about Russia, Trump and Wikileaks. Photo / Supplied
In the early hours of 10 July 2016, Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich left a Washington DC city bar for the short walk home to Bloomingdale where he lived.
He would never make it home.
At 4:19am police responded to shots fired and found the 27-year-old lying in the street, less than two blocks from the home he shared with friends. His wallet and mobile phone were still on him.
He died in hospital 1 hour and 40 minutes later in what police called a suspected armed robbery.
In the months that followed, Rich's death became a national news story and one of the most poured over conspiracies on the internet, amid swirling allegations about Russia, Trump and Wikileaks.
More than one year on, his name is in the headlines again alongside the President and Sean Spicer, despite his parents' distress. Here's what you need to know about the tragic death that won't go away.
TRUMP, SPICER NAMED IN SUIT
The death of the young Democrat is in the headlines again due to a new lawsuit, obtained by NPR, that was filed by former Fox News contributor Rod Wheeler against the company.
In the lawsuit, Wheeler claims members of the White House worked with Fox News to push a false narrative around Rich's death to distract from an investigation over Trump campaign links to Russia.
At the time, conspiracy theorists claimed Rich's death may have been part of a DNC cover-up after Wikileaks published 30,000 internal party emails. Some claim Rich was punished as the source of the leak, despite US intelligence agencies concluding Russian hackers were behind it.
In the lawsuit, Wheeler alleges quotes attributed to him in a Fox News article were fabricated. He also claims to have met with Sean Spicer and come under pressure from Trump supporter, Ed Butowsky - who had paid Wheeler to investigate Rich's death - in a text message which said President Trump saw the story before it was posted online.
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he met with Wheeler and Butowsky but there was no specific topic of discussion. Photo / AP
Wheeler claimed Butowsky wrote to him: "Not to add any more pressure but the president just read the article. He wants the article out immediately. It's now all up to you. But don't feel the pressure."
Butowsky told AP he had never met Trump and the text was "tongue in cheek".
The offending article was retracted by Fox News a week after publication, with the company saying it was not subject to the usual "high degree" of editorial scrutiny.
This week Sean Spicer admitted he met with Butowsky and Wheeler but said there was no "specified topic" on the agenda.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said she didn't find it "strange" that Spicer would meet members of the media, as "you guys come to us with stories all day."
"The President didn't have knowledge of this story. The White House didn't have any involvement in the story. And beyond that, it's ongoing litigation that doesn't involve anybody in the building, and so I'd refer you to the parties that it does," she said.
Donald Trump has called investigation of collusion with Russia a "witch hunt" against him. Photo / AP
Fox News said it was "completely erroneous" to suggest their story had been used to distract from a wider investigation around Russian links to Trump's campaign team.
President Jay Wallace said they have "no evidence" Wheeler was misquoted and "the retraction of this story is still being investigated internally."
News headlines scroll above the Fox News studios. Fox contributor Rod Wheeler, who worked on the Seth Rich case, claims Fox News fabricated quotes implicating the murdered man. Photo / AP
FAMILY'S ANGER
Rich's family have released a statement supporting the lawsuit, saying: "While we can't speak to the evidence that you now have, we are hopeful that this brings an end to what has been the most emotionally difficult time in our lives and an end to conspiracy theories surrounding our beloved Seth."
They have previously expressed anger their son's death was politicised, saying it was "unfortunate and hurtful" his killer remained at large.
At the time of his death, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement saying there was "no indication that Seth Rich's death is connected to his employment at the DNC."
Trump has repeatedly called himself the victim of a "witch hunt" over alleged Russian interference in the campaign.
