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The man who rented his basement to Karl Michael Roush says he is entitled to the reward money if Roush is convicted of slaying Sofia Silva.
Charles Hudson said Tuesday that he will hire an attorney if necessary to secure his claim on the $30,400 reward.
Hudson believes that he supplied key information linking Roush and the slain teen-ager.
Hudson said he walked up Bounds Street to the Silva house on the night Sofia's body was discovered in King George County and told a police investigator that he was suspicious of his former tenant.
"I had my suspicions Mike knew something. I never thought he murdered her," Hudson said.
Hudson said he was not motivated by the prospect of collecting a reward, since none existed then.
"I was being legit," he said. "I was trying to help out."
Hudson said he is not sure why he was suspicious of Roush. He said Roush's behavior changed after Sofia was reported missing.
"I just felt there was something wrong," Hudson said.
Roush had rented rooms in Hudson's basement at 5511 Bounds St. since last May, but left suddenly and without explanation in mid-September. Roush had paid rent through the end of October.
Hudson said he thought Roush moved out of his house on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 14. Sofia was last seen on Monday, Sept. 9.
Hudson said police did not seem to know about Roush until he mentioned him.
Police interviewed Hudson and his wife, Patti, several times about their tenant and eventually brought a search warrant to their house.
Hudson said Roush left some items in the house, including pillows, paint cans, a picture, bar and plastic crate. Hudson said he threw some of the material away and gave some of it to police.
He said police recovered a pair of woman's panties from the basement.
An investigator also poured chemicals on the ceramic tiles in front of the basement wood stove, apparently searching for latent evidence. Hudson said he did not understand what the investigator was doing, and she did not offer an explanation.
Hudson said he has received death threats and hang-up phone calls since Roush was identified as a suspect in press accounts.
He said at least one neighbor complained to him about Roush prior to Sofia's abduction. He said the neighbor did not like the way Roush drove slowly down Bounds Street.
But Hudson said Roush was a good tenant who paid his rent on time and did painting and spackling work in the basement.
Local governments, businesses and civic groups have donated the reward money to the Spotsylvania Crime Solvers.
"The reward will be paid when we have an arrest and conviction," said Lt. John Burruss, Crime Solvers coordinator.
Burruss said if someone is convicted of Sofia's slaying, he will meet with the investigators and the commonwealth's attorney to see which evidence was crucial to solving the case.
If there are competing claims for the reward, a committee may have to be formed consisting of the Crime Solvers board, the commonwealth's attorney and key donors to see how it will be divided, Burruss said.
Staff reporter Kate Bailey contributed to this story.
