MINNEAPOLIS — Several local musicians spent Sunday night playing music and sharing memories inside Sociable Ciderwerks in Minneapolis, in hopes of finding justice for a friend whose murder has gone unsolved for nearly a year.
Dave Veljkovich, a stand-up comic and aspiring rapper known simply as Dave Velk, was found murdered in his home on Quincy Street last May.
"It's been unimaginable. This came out of nowhere," said Aurora Butler, a friend and former co-worker. "When they took Dave last year, they took his voice. Now it is time for us to speak up for him until he gets the justice he deserves."
"We're all devastated not having the conclusion we need right now," said Neil McArther, a friend and former roommate who says he discovered the murder scene on the morning of May 2nd after spending the night with his girlfriend.
"I walked in and the first thing I noticed as I walked in is there was a lot of s*** knocked over in the living room," said Neil McArther during an interview with KARE 11 last August. "And through that, I see all the way down to my studio and I see Dave is lying on the ground motionless."
According to the medical examiner, Velk died from a single gunshot to his torso. McArthur says it also looked like he was hit over the head with a laptop and it was clear a burglary had happened.
Though MPD has yet to make an arrest, the case remains open and McArther says he is still hopeful that an arrest will come eventually.
"I believe that with what's going on, something will happen," he said.
Velk's family is also hopeful.
"Until this case gets solved, we just really want the public to know who Dave was," said his sister, Andrea Olson. "He was important to us and he had a whole lot of people who really loved him."
Amid the songs and stories on Sunday night, that love was evident.
"He's going to be with all of us in spirit for the rest of our lives," McArther said.
Friends say they plan to make the Dave Velk memorial concert an annual event, in the meantime, they have created a 'What happened to Dave Velk?' Facebook Page to help share information about his music, legacy and murder investigation.
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