Following the recent arrest of Cory Girard, the former boyfriend of Darien Richardson- a Portland woman who died from a bullet wound sustained in a 2010 home invasion at her former residence- the Richardson family has revamped efforts to publicize the reward of $10,000 being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for Darien’s death.

Judi Richardson, Darien’s mother, posted this on her Facebook wall:

“Please share this reward poster. Social media is a powerful method for sharing information. You or someone you know may have information that may help in solving my beloved daughter, Darien Richardson’s homicide. What you think may be nothing could be the very key needed to lock this case up. The time is now!”

The post was also accompanied with this graphic:

The graphic reads, “the family and friends of Darien Richardson offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for her death.

In the early morning hours of January 8, 2010 Darien and her boyfriend were attacked in her home at 25 Rackleff Street. They were sleeping when an intruder shot them. Darien later died suddenly and unexpectedly of complications resulting from her gunshot wound.

Anyone with information regarding Darien Richardson’s murder is asked to contact the Detective Division of the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8533 or www.portland-police.com.”

When reached on Saturday afternoon for comment, Judi Richardson explained the effort:

“We have had the reward up for over four years now, but the police haven’t had any takers. I was noticing all the posts about Cory being arrested and thought it was a good time to remind folks that the reward still stands.”

Concerning Girard, who was shot in the arm during the attack, he was arrested Wednesday night on a charge of possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance, marijuana. It remains to be seen how these developments will affect the murder investigation- if at all.

The charge covers a period of several months, including the night Richardson was shot in 2010, and it’s not yet clear if the arrest indicates a break in the investigation. In the past Girard, who was believed to be involved in illicit drug dealing at the time of the murder, has been unhelpful with investigators, denying any knowledge of who shot them.

An organization called Remembering Darien was set up in her memory with a stated mission to “help innocent victims of violent crimes to heal and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of incomprehensible violence.”

You can find the Remembering Darien website here, or check them out on Facebook.