FL FL - David Lau, 23, Fort Myers, 30 December 2012

NBC2 was on the scene after learning of a house fire just a few houses away from the home where the body was found.

Adrian Torres, who lives in the home that caught fire, said he had just gotten off of work and came home to find fire trucks and police cars surrounding his home. "I went around the home and saw my bedroom was the one that caught fire. They told me it was an electrical issue," said Torres.

And right after we spoke with him, Torres came running outside again and asked our crew to call 911 – saying that a neighbor was on the floor and bleeding severely at 2355 Lafayette Street. "He said the guy that died was a friend of his, that's why he was acting that way," said neighbor Ed Brown. "It's just tragedy, you know. His house caught on fire and then his neighbor, dead."

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David Harry Lau Jr. was Fort Myers’ 24th and last murder victim of 2012. He was found dead inside a home on Lafayette Street on Dec. 30. He would have turned 24 the next day.

Lau’s family and friends have not forgot the Pennsylvania native in the nearly two years since... David Lau came to Fort Myers in a roundabout way after growing up mainly in Delaware, stopping in New York before heading here. He enjoyed playing the piano and loved baseball, his mom said.

Judy Lau said her son was not a mean person nor a fighter but ran afoul of drugs and ended up in jail in Charlotte County on theft charges. With her help, he was able to complete a Salvation Army drug program. But, being thousands of miles away, Judy Lau said she could not keep that close a watch on him and he slid back into drug use.

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Amanda Lau can't believe it's been nearly a year since her twin brother was murdered and still no arrest. Like most twins, Amanda and David Lau were used to being there for one another for most of their lives...

It was inside a Fort Myers apartment on Lafayette street... just a day before their 24th birthday, last December. Someone shot David shot twice in the back and once in the head. ...

Amanda acknowledges her brother had slipped into the wrong crowd .. as he struggled with drugs...but he was making progress in getting sober. Trish Routte with crime stoppers says David "had been really trying to right himself... he realized he had a problem with addiction. He was addressing that problem... and he was really trying to get himself back on the right track."

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Family seeks closure in unsolved, 3-year-old Fort Myers murder

On the third anniversary of 23-year-old David Lau’s murder, the Lau family struggles to find closure as the crime remains unsolved.

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“We don’t consider it a cold case, we just haven’t received many leads in the last couple years regarding this case. We believe the person who set the fire is the person who killed Mr. Lau,” said Detective Sgt. Brian O’ Reilly.

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“We believe there was an altercation that happened the day before between him and somebody who stole narcotics. We know there were witnesses to that altercation and those people may be witnesses to what transpired that evening,” said O’ Reilly.

Authorities say it’s possible the murderer may already be in jail for an unrelated crime, all the more reason for people to speak up.

“When some may believe hope is lost, to get that great witness that comes forward and gives that piece of evidence to clear the case, we’ve done it before,” said O’ Reilly.

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David Lau’s family lives in Delaware. His mother is part of an organization bringing together victims and suspects of violent crime. She also started a 5K run in her son’s name to benefit at-risk kids in the community.

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