The murder in Queen Anne that happened 16 years ago and has a $1.5M reward

David Payne and Jody Gottlieb spent nine months investigating the murder in Queen Anne of Assistant District Attorney Tom Wales.

RELATED: Reward raised, new attention on US prosecutor’s slaying

Payne and Gottlieb, who host a podcast “Somebody Somewhere,” spoke with KIRO Nights’ Gee Scott and Zak Burns about their investigation.

There have been a lot of “wild goose chases” Payne said, but also “a lot of chasing trails, some of which led to very fruitful evidence.”

“We kept getting stuck,” Payne said. “Because the prime suspect does not fit the pattern” that has been put out to the public. “When you really start pulling it back and take away that top level story and that narrative that has been out there, the pieces don’t make sense.”

“It’s far more complicated than your standard murder case,” Gottlieb said. “For a nine-month investigation, we know a lot about a lot of the people but we know very little about Tom Wales.”

Was there a hitman? Host Gee Scott pointed out that shady people hang around other shady people and those people usually end up talking.

Payne also wonders, “with a $1.5 million reward, the top priority of the Justice Department, why is no one talking?”

Zak Burns wanted to know if Payne and Gottlieb ever feel like Mulder and Scully (X-Files), where you think you’re approaching an answer and then you open a box and there are 10 new questions.

Gottlieb explained, “Every time they turned around, there was Pandora’s Box. It’s still pretty mind blowing and intense.”

If you have any information on the case, Payne and Gottlieb are asking for help: 414-909-1482

“Somebody Somewhere” just concluded its first season and planning a second while the investigation continues.