Larry Dale Lee

Larry Dale Lee (16 October 1958 – 28 December 1999) was an American financial and economic journalist for BridgeNews who was found stabbed to death in his apartment in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Personal history Lee was born in Rockford, Illinois, United States, and raised in Doniphan, Missouri. He graduated top of his class from Doniphan High School in 1976. Lee attended Emmanuel Baptist Church in his hometown of Doniphan. Family, friends and co-workers say that Lee had a strong interest in politics and social issues. He first graduated from the University of Arkansas, and then in the 1980s, he attended the University of Missouri, where he earned his graduate degree in journalism in 1987. Lee's career took him to writing for newspapers in Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida. During this period, he was employed as a journalist by the Southwest Times Record, Fort Smith, Arkansas; and then for a series of E. W. Scripps Company newspapers, including The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee; El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas; San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas; and The Stuart News in Stuart, Florida.

Death The red portion shows the location of the Department of Guatemala within the country.Lee had been working on a story about the Guatemala presidential election. He filed his last story for BridgeNews at 10:30 p.m. on 26 December 1999. He sent his last email shortly after midnight on 27 December. On 28 December, a friend came to check on him in his Zone 1 neighborhood, 13th floor apartment, and when Lee did not answer his door, the friend asked a janitor to check on him, and Lee was discovered dead. Police found Lee naked and his body slashed in his Guatemala City apartment. Lee had been stabbed in the back, throat and multiple times on the side. The autopsy established the time of death to be on 28 December. Journalism-related: The Committee to Protect Journalists has not determined whether or not the case was related to Lee's reporting on financial, social or political issues. President George W. Bush brought up the issue of impunity in Lee's case, as well as other Americans killed in Guatemala over an 18-month period, but only 5 percent of urban murders are brought to a successful conclusion in that country. And between Larry Lee's murder in 1999 and summer 2001, eight Americans were killed in Guatemala.

Lee's family filed a negligence case against Bridge Information Systems in April 2001. According to the lawsuit, BridgeNews had not responded to a policy that had established a set of procedures to follow if a reporter was not heard of after 24 hours. The time between Lee filing his last story and the time of death and discovery of his body were beyond the 24-hour-time period. BridgeNews denied any responsibility.

Impact In 1990, Roy Aarons, an editor came out publicly at a conference of editors and went on to found the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) in order ensure safe work environments for those who are members, promote respectful coverage and support gay and lesbian journalists in their professional pursuits.

Reactions The committee to Protect Journalists and family members have pointed out the flawed investigation. The CPJ criticized police for not requesting Lee's phone records that might have led to suspects. And Lee's brother, Scott Lee, who was the first family member to enter Lee's apartment after the murder, had found evidence, including blood that could have been tested by police.