Rewards Increase to $110K in Grosse Pointe Farms Teen's Murder

Private donors have raised $100,000 for information leading to the conviction of Paige Stalker’s killer. “This crime didn’t happen in a bubble,” Detroit police Capt. Eric Decker said. A $10,000 reward has been offered by Crime Stoppers. (Family photo)

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A new $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the conviction of the murderer of a Grosse Pointe Farms teen.

Paige Stalker, 16, was killed and three other teens were injured in a Christmas week spray of gunfire from a semi-automatic rifle. Police are calling the Dec. 22 shooting a “robbery gone bad.”

A fifth teen was not injured in the incident. which took place in the desolate area of Philip near Charlevoix. Nothing was stolen during the attack, which police said lasted just a few seconds.

The reward money was raised by a group of private donors and is being offered through the non-profit Detroit Crime Commission, the Detroit Free Press reports. Andrew Arena, the executive director of the group and retired bureau chief of the Detroit FBI, said the reward is one of the largest he’s ever seen.

The donors, who know the Stalker family and one another, “want this crime solved,” Arena said.

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Because of the amount of money involved, those offering tips will have to leave their phone number when they report tips at (313) 596-2663.

A separate $10,000 reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587), The Detroit News reports.

The donors wish to remain anonymous. All have some experience with the non-profit crime commission. “They know us, they have a history with us and quite frankly they trust us with handling their money,” Arena said. “We’re usually not involved in rewards ... and this is probably a one-time deal for us.”

“There Are People Who Probably Witnessed It”

Last week, police said that unless a witness comes forward, making an arrest will be difficult.

“This crime didn’t happen in a bubble,” Detroit police Capt. EricDecker said. “People know about this incident. There are people talking (and) there are people who probably witnessed it, who have knowledge. We need that information.”

Ribbons in pink and green – Stalker’s favorite colors – were tied all around Grosse Pointe Farms in the days following the popular teen’s death. Her death shocked the community and classmates and staff at University Liggett School, an exclusive private school where she maintained a straight-A record, played on the school’s lacrosse team and aspired to become a doctor.

She was a devoted granddaughter who had dinner with her grandfather four nights a week and routinely ran errands for her grandmother.

“It’s terrible. I know all grandparents say their grandkids are fabulous. But this one was. I don’t know if the expression one in a million is good enough,” Stalker’s grandfather, Dave Lawrence, told the Free Press. “She was goal oriented, No. 1 in her class – a straight-A student … She was the type of student that if she got a 93 on a paper, she’d go in to talk to a teacher and ask, ‘Why didn’t I get the other 7 points?’ “

Related:

• Grosse Pointe Teen Killed As 30 Shots Pumped Into Vehicle
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The Lawrences dispute the story offered by police – that the teens had pulled over and were smoking marijuana when the shooting occurred. “Paige was just super clean” and planned to go to a movie with her younger siblings on the night she was killed, Dave Lawrence said, adding that he wasn’t “being naïve” or in a state of denial.

Minister: Follow Paige Stalker’s Example

Stalker was remembered at a somber funeral service Saturday at the stately St. James Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe Farms.

“We are not supposed to be here today,” the Rev. Scott McKinney – the only speaker at the service – told about 300 mourners.

“Many of us have been overcome by the violence of Paige’s death,” he said, urging family and friends to embrace and remember Paige’s goodness and remember her for how she lived, and not the details of her death.

“None of that will bring Paige back to us,” he said.

Instead, McKinney suggested mourners ponder “what would Paige do?” and aspire to be more like her.

“What better way to have Paige’s life carry on than to … deliberately choose the best qualities of Paige to guide our own lives,” McKinney said.