Metallica might not be the most loved band at the moment, following the disastrous flop that was Lulu, their collaboration record with Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed, and comments that ‘The world’s our oyster. We can basically do whatever we want.’ The metal titans however, are not devoid of good will.
Metallica are currently helping out the Federal Bureau of Investigation with an investigation into the murder of a fan who disappeared following her attendance at one of the band’s concerts two years ago.
Morgan Harrington, a student of Virginia Tech, was in attendance at Metallica’s October 17, 2009 performance at the John Paul Jones Arena on the University campus in Charlottesville, Virginia, and at approximately 8:30pm she left the concert after being separated from her friends and failing to re-enter the arena.
She was last seen attempting hitch-hike a ride home from passing traffic, a torn Pantera t-shirt belonging to the 20-year-old was found outside an apartment near the Charlottesville arena a month later, while the skeletal remains of her body were discovered in January 2010 in a remote field on Virginia farmland. Since then no further details have helped the FBI catch Harrington’s killer.
Metallica originally offered a $US 50,000 reward for anyone able to catch Harrington’s killer, but now the band’s frontman, James Hetfield, has recorded a new public service announcement urging fans to come forward with any relevant information regarding Harrington’s disappearance.
The video is part of a new multimedia campaign launched by The FBI and Virginia State Police last Wednesday, “remember, any information – no matter how small you might think it is – could be that crucial piece investigators need to help solve the case,” pleas Hetfield in the PSA.
On top of Metallica’s own boutny, the Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers are offering an additional $US 100,000, which brings the total reward to $US 150,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators responsible for Morgan Harrington’s murder.
