A reward of up to $15,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest in connection with the July 23 triple homicide at 235 E. 11th Ave.
One Ohio State student, Kayla Hurst, 21, was murdered along with Eric Hlass, 22, and Aaron Grexa, 23.
The reward was put out yesterday by Crimestoppers with the aid of Hurst’s family and their attorney Art Morrow.
“The family has a great deal of faith and respect in the Columbus police, but they are low on leads, and rewards are a way to attract leads,” Morrow said.
The reward fund was established by Hurst’s parents. Hurst is the only one from the Columbus area, and her parents are putting up the reward fund in memory of their daughter.
But Hurst’s parents do not want all of the focus to be on their daughter.
“There were two other people killed besides Kayla but if you kind the killer to one you find the killer to all three of them,” Morrow said.
There have been other things done to try and create leads.
“We have already gone door to door in the area, and this is another approach to get leads on the crime,” said Sgt. Brent Mull, spokesman for the Columbus Division of Police.
Mull said Crimestoppers plans on putting billboards in the area where the crime was committed, but no date has been set for when the billboards will be displayed. Crimestoppers also plans on placing an ad in The Lantern to help attract leads.
The reward, however, is geared to more than the university area.
“It is geared toward the community at large, since they lived in between the university area and Weinland Park,” Mull said.
Anyone with any information which could help lead to an arrest in connection with the murder of Hurst, Hlass and Grexa should call the Crimestoppers hotline at 645-8477.
