Feb. 14, 2013

The presumed death of former LA police officer and suspected quadruple killer Christopher Dorner has left questions over the $1 million reward in his case.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's spokesman Peter Sanders said Wednesday it's too early in the investigation to determine whether anyone would deserve the award. 

LAPD Officer Alex Martinez says it's unlikely anyone can claim it because the reward referred to Dorner's capture and conviction.

Los Angeles police alluded to that on Wednesday morning.

"This issuance of a reward, again, is for the information that leads to the arrest and conviction of an individual," said LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman.

That may mean more bad news for Richard Heltebrake. He said he was carjacked by Dorner on Tuesday and immediately called authorities. On Wednesday, he announced that he deserves the $1 million reward.

"It was my call that directed the cops to right where he was," he said.

San Diego police Officer Jim Johnson, who heads the local Crimestoppers unit, says not so fast.

If others come forward with claims, such as the couple who said Dorner tied them up before they escaped and called 911, Heltebrake may have to split the money three ways.

"We look at how that information was gathered," said Johnson. "If I've got two or three or four different sources that brought information to the table, then we leave it to the investigator to maybe weigh each one."

But in the Dorner case, all three may go unpaid, since Dorner was not captured and he obviously was not convicted.

"This is certainly an unusual circumstance," said Neiman.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said it was the biggest such reward ever offered in Southern California.

http://www.10news.com/news/1-million-reward-fate-unclear-in-christo...