Homicide Watch D.C., what the Washington Post calls “a much-praised combination of true crime blog, case log, document dump and victim memorial,” is closing tomorrow after chronicling hundreds of murders over the past four years. Everyone from Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier to victims' family members is lamenting the site's demise. Its creators, Laura and Chris Amico, wanted to find a new home for the site, which they created to “Mark every death. Remember every victim. Follow every case.” After many conversations with news organizations, the Amicos found no takers. Sister Homicide Watch sites in Chicago, Boston and Trenton, N.J., run in conjunction with local newspapers and a university, will continue operating.
Lanier saw Homicide Watch as one of her department's “engaged and committed allies” in the effort to reduce homicides. “The closure of the site will leave a void,” she said. Homicide Watch was “a valuable community service,” said Bill Miller, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Laura Amico, now working at BostonGlobe.com, said she and her husband will update existing cases so that suspects who are cleared of charges are not trailed by inaccurate information. They will not be adding new cases. The couple has been living in Massachusetts since 2012, when Laura Amico won a Nieman-Berkman fellowship in journalism innovation at Harvard.