Piedmont Triad, NC -- They are questions you hope you never have to answer, "How much would it take to bring a killer to justice?" or "Is $10,000 enough to motivate someone to turn in an armed robber?"
Usually, witnesses come forward with tips after a crime and are sometimes rewarded with money.
Currently, the amount given through the governor's office is capped at $10,000.
But a state lawmaker says offering more could help take the state's cold cases off the books and help grieving families.
Greensboro, alone has at least 30 cold cases in an electronic database. These are violent crimes in which leads have simply dried up: no tips, no arrests, no information.
Could an increased reward help solve them?
Patricia Roberts, mother of a victim in a 15-year-old cold case, says she's willing to find out.
"It's bad enough having a child murdered, but when you actually don't ever know what happened to him, that makes it harder to live with," she said.
Since 1997 Roberts has waited for answers. For 15 years, no clues as to why someone shot and killed her son Mickey Ledwell in his own home on April 28th of that year.
"At some point, I would like to know who, what and why?" Patricia cried. "Without those answers it always leaves hurt in a mother's heart."
Police have offered $8,000 for information leading to an arrest and still nothing.
"I really feel in my heart that when more money is applied to his case, that someone will freely come forth," said the grieving mother.
It's that belief, for families like Patricia's, that's prompting Senate Bill 61.
The bill would raise state offered reward money from $10,000 to $100,000.
.
"$100,000 I think anyone would talk," Patricia said.
Chief Roger Reece with the Jonesville Police Department also believes an increased incentive could mean solving more cold cases.
"I feel like my life is worth more than $10,000 and it needs to be changed," said Reece.
The police chief is currently working on his own 15-year-old case that involves his own officer who was gunned down in 1996.
Becky Fallon with the Greensboro Crime Stoppers unit believes the money could help but has it's drawbacks.
"You would think that when additional money is offered that folks are going to come forward, I don't think that's always necessarily the case," she said. "Anytime you offer an additional reward there's also that concern that you're going to get a bunch of calls that are bogus calls."
Roberts, though, would rather try her luck.
"I'd gladly take that chance to see if it would make a difference," she said.
Fallon says one good thing about potentially increasing available reward money would be to bring new attention to cold cases and that could be the key in jolting memories and bringing in new leads.
Last year the Guilford Crime Stoppers Unit approved $36,000 in reward money. Fallon says they paid out $24,000 of that.
She says a third of the people whose tips led to solving a crime never called back for the reward.
Lawmakers are still pushing to bring Senate Bill 61 up for a vote in the legislature.
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