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Arrest Made In Murder of Fundraising Platform CEO
DonorSee CEO Found Shot To Death

The founder and CEO of the online giving platform DonorSee was allegedly shot by “an acquaintance” multiple times at close range while asleep in bed with his wife at their home in Fairfax City, Va., police said Wednesday.

The suspect, Joshua Daniel Danehower, 33, of Arlington, Va., was arrested on a murder warrant late Tuesday while arriving at his job at a FedEx facility located at Dulles International Airport, which straddles Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Virginia.

The victim, Gret Glyer, 32, was shot around 2:58 a.m. on June 24 as he slept beside his wife, Heather, who was not injured, Fairfax City Police Captain Jeff Hunt said during a news conference livestreamed on Facebook.

Hunt and department Lt. Matthew Lasowitz would not disclose possible motives for the crime. Hunt described Danehower as “an acquaintance of the family” and confirmed police are probing whether they met at a church. A spokeswoman for the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, which will prosecute the case, has not immediately responded to a request for comment.

While interviewing people about the homicide, Hunt said, police received information from a person who told them to check into Danehower.

“The investigation has revealed multiple rounds were fired at him (Glyer) in his bed. His wife was asleep and lying in bed next to him,” Hunt said. “We have no reason to believe he was colluding with anyone,” Hunt said of the suspect. Police obtained warrants to search Danehower’s vehicle and home, with those warrants currently sealed by court order.

Heather Glyer called 9-1-1- at 2:58 a.m., saying that her husband was shot and she believed an intruder was responsible, police said. Gret Glyer was deceased when police arrived. Heather Glyer and the couple’s daughter and son, 3 years of age and 6 months, were escorted safely out of the house, police said.

Danehower is charged with second-degree murder, a crime that carries punishment upon conviction of between 5 and 40 years, and possession of a firearm in the use of a felony. He was arraigned on the charges on Wednesday in General District Court, Fairfax, and ordered held without bail. He will be assigned a public defender and is next due in court on Aug. 16, court officials said.

Glyer commonly referred to his faith in postings on his website for DonorSee that he started in September 2016 as an online giving platform that focuses on ending poverty, famine and lack of housing, primarily in African countries. According to information on the website, DonorSee has connected with aid workers in 38 countries and donor bases are built by workers posting feeds and videos of projects in countries in which they are serving so that donors get a visual impact of projects.

Glyer himself turned to followers for financial help a few years ago, stating in a fundraising post on the membership platform Patreon.com that he needed to support his family while pursuing a dream of ending poverty and hunger through DonorSee. His post asked that supporters serve as patrons to his family or make one-time, tax-deductible contributions. A nonprofit, Cherish the Dove, also appealed on its website for funds to help support the Glyers.

A GoFundMe fundraiser started by a person identified online as Hannah Gourley has raised more than $122,000 since the killing. The goal originally was set at $50,000 but was raised to $150,000.