The house where Helen Hill was murdered

This is the house where Helen Hill was murdered.

It is situated at 2444 North Rampart Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hill was an independent filmmaker, artist, teacher, and peace activist who was killed during a home invasion in the early hours of January 4th, 2007. Her husband, Dr. Paul Gailiunas, was also shot but survived. Their infant son, Francis Pop, was unharmed, as Gailiunas reportedly huddled over him when the gunman opened fire.

At the time of the shooting, Hill was sleeping by herself in the couple's bedroom, as Gailiunas had nodded off in their son's room.

Gailiunas said that he woke up to the sound of his wife screaming, "Don't! Get out! Don't hurt my child!" at someone near the front door.

At first, he thought she was having a nightmare. However, when he exited their son's bedroom, he saw her struggling with a man in the hallway.

When the man shot Hill and pushed her aside, Gailiunas grabbed their son and ran to the bathroom, where he attempted to hide. The intruder calmly followed suit and fired several shots at him.

One of the bullets grazed Gailiunas' cheek. The other two cut through his arm and hand.

The attacker reportedly left the house a few minutes later without saying a word or taking anything of value.

By the time Gailiunas found his wife and attempted CPR, it was already too late, as she had died from a bullet wound to the neck.

Gailiunas suspects that his wife's murder may be linked to an earlier break-in attempt that occurred in the same neighborhood.

Twenty minutes before the shooting, an unknown man began knocking on a nearby B&B. When the occupant, True Faust-Finnin, got out of bed and partially opened the door, she saw that he was holding a gun.

The man in question mumbled something and then attempted to push his way inside. However, during the struggle, Faust-Finnin and her husband managed to keep him out by using all of their weight to force the door closed.

Following the incident, the startled couple called the police, who arrived within minutes.

At around 5.30 a.m., they were standing in the kitchen of their B&B when they heard the sound of a man wailing. After going outside, they saw Gailiunas.

Although Gailiunas said that the killer had a medium build, he has been unable to offer any other description, as he was not wearing his glasses during the shooting.

The first week of 2007 was a particularly bloody one in New Orleans. Within a single day, Hill and five other individuals lost their lives in separate incidents.

The spate of shootings culminated in thousands of people marching on City Hall to demand an end to the violence. It also led to the formation of a nonprofit organization called "Silence ls Violence," which campaigns for peace in New Orleans.

Gailiunas left New Orleans after Hill's death and vowed to never return. The doctor, who grew up in Edmonton, Canada, currently practices medicine in Pasadena, California. The couple's son, Francis Pop, is now in his early twenties.

The New Orleans Police Department labeled Gailiunas as an uncooperative witness in the aftermath of his wife's death. During an interview with a local news channel, they said that he had become difficult to reach after leaving New Orleans.

Gailiunas publicly hit back at this claim, explaining that he had made two statements before leaving and that he had also given investigators several contact numbers.

A spokesperson for the NOPD said that he wasn't a suspect.

Later, it was confirmed that detectives had spoken to Gailiunas directly in South Carolina.

It appears as though there has been little movement in Hill's case since 2007.

Her murder remains unsolved to this day.