Torture Is Possible in Prosecutor's Death

NY Times ^ | 12-6-03 | JAMES DAO and ERIC LICHTBLAU

[Pharmboy]

Reuters
Jonathan P. Luna, who was last
seen alive leaving a garage.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 — Jonathan P. Luna, a federal prosecutor in Baltimore whose body was found in rural Pennsylvania on Thursday, was stabbed 36 times and may have been tortured before he was thrown into a creek to drown, officials said on Friday.

Mr. Luna's body was discovered near the town of Ephrata, south of Reading, Pa., on Thursday morning, hours before he was scheduled to appear in court in Baltimore, 70 miles away, in the case of a rap artist and his associate accused of running a violent heroin ring.

Though investigators have interviewed the two men in the heroin case, they said Mr. Luna, a 38-year-old assistant United States attorney, prosecuted an array of violent criminals who might have wanted vengeance. The investigators have begun poring through those case files in search of clues.

But the officials have also not ruled out other motives. "This could be case-related; it could be totally unrelated," an investigator said.

Barry Walp, the coroner for Lancaster County, where Ephrata is located, said in an interview on Friday that the autopsy revealed that Mr. Luna died as a result of both freshwater drowning and stab wounds.

Dr. Walp described the small wounds as "prick marks" that may have been inflicted to exert psychological pressure, rather than actual injury. He said he was uncertain whether the pricks were an effort "to get information from him, or whether it was a preliminary way of killing him." He added that there were no signs of a struggle.

"He was alive when he was put in the water, and he drowned," Dr. Walp said. He added that if Mr. Luna had not been moved to the creek, he would probably have bled to death. But the coroner is listing both the stab wounds and the drowning as causes of death.

The shock of Mr. Luna's killing has sent investigators scrambling from Baltimore to the Amish country of southeast Pennsylvania to retrace the final, murky hours of his life in search of a motive for his death.

Mr. Luna, who was married and had two young sons, was in court on Wednesday for the third day of trial in the heroin case. But he and defense lawyers reached a plea bargain late in the day with the two defendants, Deon Smith, a rap artist, and Walter O. Poindexter, his business associate.

Investigators have established that Mr. Luna went to his home near Baltimore after work and then returned to his office about 8:40 p.m. to write up the papers on the plea deal, a law enforcement official said. Mr. Luna left the office about 11:40 p.m., the last known sighting, the official said.

"We just have the vehicle leaving the garage," the official said.

The car was found near Mr. Luna's body.

Investigators are hoping that a picture of the prosecutor released Friday to news agencies and posted on the F.B.I.'s Web site will generate tips from witnesses who might have seen him after he left the garage.

Judge Andre M. Davis of Federal District Court, who presided at four of Mr. Luna's cases in Baltimore and considered himself a mentor to the younger man, said Mr. Luna handled a large number of cases involving violent criminals.

During the past two years, Mr. Luna won convictions or guilty pleas in cases involving the leader of a bank robbery ring and a man who tried to burn six Mexican immigrants out of their home. He also led the prosecution of a Navy physicist accused of trying to use the Internet to seduce a teenage girl. That case ended in a mistrial.

But Judge Davis said other federal prosecutors in Baltimore have handled cases with equally dangerous criminals. "These tend to be offenders who have a lot to lose from any kind of conviction," he said.

Friends, judges and former professors remembered Mr. Luna as a buoyant, gently ebullient presence, a rising star whose ambition never grated, a sharp intelligence who never threw sharp elbows.

"Some people have people skills," said Louis Bilionis, a professor who taught Mr. Luna at the University of North Carolina law school. "But what he had was much different. He had a great way with people. He was attentive, not only to what you were saying, but to what you were feeling."

Born in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, Mr. Luna attended Fordham University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1988. He attended law school in Chapel Hill, N.C., later that year. But after one semester, he returned to New York to attend to his father, who was seriously ill, friends said.

After a year away, Mr. Luna went back to North Carolina, was elected president of the third-year students and graduated with the class of 1992. The experience showed Mr. Luna's ability to win friends quickly, said Judge William L. Osteen of Federal District Court in North Carolina, who hired Mr. Luna as a clerk in 1992.

"I really hoped he would someday run for office," Judge Osteen said. "He would have been an outstanding elected official. I tried to nudge him in that direction."

While clerking for Judge Osteen, Mr. Luna met his future wife, Angela, then a medical student at North Carolina, friends said.

In 1994, Mr. Luna went to work in the general counsel's office of the Federal Trade Commission, giving legal advice to regulators around the country. But he often talked about returning to New York to be near his beloved Yankees and become a prosecutor, said Bruce G. Freedman, an assistant general counsel who supervised Mr. Luna at the commission.

"He was devoted to the Bronx," Mr. Freedman said.

Indeed, in a letter to The New York Times in 1991 regarding a series of articles about the Bronx titled "Life at the Bottom," Mr. Luna complained that "decent hard-working people" like his parents had been overlooked.

"Perhaps it is time to look for what is good about places like the South Bronx," he wrote.

In 1997, Mr. Luna and his wife moved to Brooklyn, and he took a job in a unit of the Kings County district attorney's office that covered Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene and Red Hook. Two years later, he moved to the United States attorney's office in Baltimore.

Though Mr. Luna was considered an aggressive prosecutor, Judge Davis said he was "enormously aware of the power of a federal prosecutor." Mr. Luna, who was black, was also uncomfortable with the rigidity of sentencing rules that required stiffer penalties for possession of crack cocaine than powder cocaine, a rule some critics say is unfair to blacks, Judge Davis said.

Yet if Mr. Luna was keenly aware of race issues, he was never strident about them, friends said. Kevin Bringewatt, a clerk with Mr. Luna under Judge Osteen, recalled being stared at when the two men walked into a restaurant in rural North Carolina. Mr. Luna just smiled, said Mr. Bringewatt, who is white.

"He kidded me about not having noticed it," Mr. Bringewatt said. "He had friends of all races, of all walks of life. He and I came from extraordinarily different places. No one would have guessed that we would have crossed paths and been good friends. But we were."

[Pharmboy]

Boy--you didn't think it could get worse in this case.

[Thebaddog]

My sense is that he got it precisely because he was black. This is so sad. I hope they catch the punks that did this.

[Itzlzha]

I guess Gangsta Rappers/Hip-Hop "Artistes" and Islamazis have something in common...

Both believe in surrender to their anti-social ways, and both seem to be a "Religion of Peace" for the Urbanites!

Cane we all now agree that Cities are anathema to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as set forth in the Declaration of Independence? Even the Barons of Commerce do not LIVE in the inner cities (Except NY...don't ask me why ANYONE lives in Manhattan, and I have close friends that live on Central Park West in a double condo/apt!)!

These Blue Zone death-camps must be left by all who would see America grow...let the savages enjoy their city living!

I personally like being able to live free, and see the Milky Way on a clear night!

[thesummerwind]

I'd say 36 pen holes n his neck qualifies as torture. This is awful.

[cynicom]

Stared at??? That is stupid. If that were true, I would be stared at all the time.

[Vigilantcitizen]

For later.

[Az Joe]

Gee, where are Jackson and Sharpton? Oh right, Mr. Luna was a prosecuter and therefore a sellout to the man.

[Hacksaw]

My sense is that he got it precisely because he was black. This is so sad. I hope they catch the punks that did this.

That is what I thought to. Black prosecutor handles case against black rap "artist" - "artist" camp sends message. My own uninformed opinion of course (to keep the lawyers here happy).

[aristeides]

Killing sends a message. I suspect the torture was to get information out of the guy.

[Catspaw]

In this article, it says that there were a series of ATM withdrawals in the hours between the time Luna left his office and the time he was found. But how would the perp get away from that remote area? By another person or persons in another vehicle?


http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-te.md.luna06dec06,0,6340901.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

[international american]

If money was the motivation, why the bills left in the car? I wouldn't know where to start looking for these scumbags.

[LouD]

An argument for concealed carry. If my job was to put away violent criminals, I'd carry a .45 whether it was legal or not.

[aristeides]

Personal motive suspected in killing of U.S. prosecutor

I wonder what that means.

[international american]

That narrows it down quite a bit, does it not?

[lelio]

An argument for concealed carry. If my job was to put away violent criminals, I'd carry a .45 whether it was legal or not.

Are federal employees exempt from anti-CCW laws?

[auboy]

But he and defense lawyers reached a plea bargain late in the day with the two defendants, Deon Smith, a rap artist, and Walter O. Poindexter, his business associate.

IMO, this plea bargain agreement does don't immune Mr. Smith and Mr. Poindexter (and their associates) from suspicion. They were still going to be serving quite a stretch of time. Exacting revenge while making an example is SOP for scumbags who believe the law does not apply to them.

Say a prayer for Mr. Luna's family. We just lost one of the good guys.

[Born Conservative]

Pennsylvania allows CCW, but I believe Mr. Luna was from the People's Republic of Maryland; I doubt that they allow CCW there...

[Texas Eagle]

Interesting that this hasn't been called a lynching yet.

[Pharmboy]

Excellent point!

[Texas Eagle]

With the emphasis on the "yet".

I don't know the exact numbers so I'll just pull them out of a hat. Something like 99% of crimes committed against American-Africans are committed by their fellow American-Africans.

Funny what gets Jesse's and Al's undies in a bundle.

[Devil_Anse]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Thanks for the great, detailed article. But the article you posted said Luna's wife said he got a call about 11 p.m. and he said, "Honey, sorry, but I have to go out." (And from the first, I had heard that this victim got a call which caused him to leave his home late at night.)

The article at the top of the thread said he was at his office from 8:40 pm to 11:40 pm.

Also, the article you posted describes what clothes he was found wearing--suit, tie, etc. That makes it sound like he worked late and never made it home that night.

What gives?

[Arpege92]

Why spend the time torturing this guy if it wasn't personal? The worst thing that could happen now is if the people behind the murder of this guy are not brought to justice. By not doing this, it sends the wrong message to those who are involved in serious felony crimes. In fact, it might even guarantee that this will happen again.

[Catspaw]

Given how early this investigation is, it's no surpise the media hasn't gotten the facts or timeline straight.

In the Baltimore Sun article, for example, it says that the "killing was the result of a personal relationship that turned violent and was not linked to his work, a law enforcement official said yesterday" and because of that, the case would be handled by the Lancaster PA county prosecutor. There's no way in Hades they could have determined if this linked to Luna's work or not in this brief a time period (they'd have to investigate all of his prior cases and pending cases, and that takes quite a bit of time). In fact, I heard on one of the cable channels (either Fox or MSNBC) this afternoon that this story wasn't factual in that regard.

I've come to expect that initial reports may or may not have all their facts straight.

[catraqcha0929]

I am devastated about his death Jonathan was my uncle, my godfather, a longtime family friend. He was a great man who was smart and educated who never in a million years deserved a death like this. He left behind his two wonderful children and his beautiful wife. I just can't think right at this moment. I just hope the catch the sons of b*tches who did this. And get the death penalty. This was a crime of vengeance because noone is going to stab you repeatedly for your credit cards. Know what I mean?

[Devil_Anse]

Insider Fraud ping.

"catraqcha0929"

[Devil_Anse]

Insider Fraud ping! The poster in question is called "kasey1". Claims to live near where Jonathan Luna's (murdered federal prosecutor) body was found. Brand-new account.

[netmilsmom]

Good catch!!!!
Was Kasey1 post 24 that was removed?

[tubebender]

This is the second case of a newbie claiming to be a relative of a victim. It maybe true but it is sure odd...

[cherry]

I am thinking that it was a personal relationship....

IMO......please don't come down hard on me for saying this, but the picture of him makes him look a little fruity, if you know what I mean....

[cherry]

the story seems to be changing....now we learn that there was a struggle and there were defensive wounds..

at first, the authorities were saying that the stab wounds were not that deep, but now they are saying that he could have bled to death, if he hadn't drown first.....

They must have cell phone records and they must have ATM video....

there must have been something else that has so quickly made this a "personal" relationship gone bad, and not a professional one....

[Catspaw]

They've got to be looking at all aspects of his life, personal and professional--and it's far too soon for investigators to eliminate professional contacts. They'd have to examine every case he's handled and investigate the defendants and witnesses. That takes both time and personnel. They also have to investigate his personal contacts--and if this was a stranger abduction. In fact, if the investigators eliminate anything this early, they're not very good investigators.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41853-2003Dec6.html

[Catspaw]

In this story, they say they have no solid leads.

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.luna07dec07,0,4521905.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

[hellinahandcart]

This is the second case of a newbie claiming to be a relative of a victim. It maybe true but it is sure odd...

Actually, it's about the hundredth time. It's becoming a dialy occurrence.

If you mean "second case on this thread", well, you're right. It's the second one so far. Other "friends of Luna" should be chiming in shortly.

I don't know what is to be done about this, but these trolls are getting on my last nerve...

[Howlin]

Just what I'd do if a close friend or family member had been murdered: register at Free Republic.

[hellinahandcart]

It's part of the "grieving process".

Seriously, it's getting to the point that we can't have any discussion of any crime here anymore, without some pathetic poser showing up here looking for undeserved attention and sympathy.

[Howlin]

Do you remember the breast feeding woman who got arrested in Ohio and her husband showed up the next day? I always wonder if they don't have more pressing things in their lives.

[hellinahandcart]

That one was for real. He appeared on Hannity and Colmes after showing up here, and he sounded JUST like his long weird posts.

[AnAmericanMother]

Here's another one.

Thunderbird thread. Claiming the deceased pilot was his brother.

[Howlin]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20031205/lo_wews/1906034

[Devil_Anse]

Why, thank you!!

My list now includes:

bbaby091
nashvilleguy
hicksmokey
pris
afk
bravehearted1 (not sure)
katia
BeBe ATLsFINEST
Tony08540
KKRN
Stenson63
Hagitay
gigi6
Furhouse
cbfromgf
alwayshavesomethingtosay
RickShelton (may be different species of troll)
sparkl
btown80
dasani
bothsidesnow
heathrnd
kasey1
catraqcha0929


Most of the names above have not been banned.

If you look at their posting histories, you usually find they only posted on one thread and then crawled back under their rock.

[Jim Noble]

We should institute a DITHF award.

[Devil_Anse]

Maybe the "men" who used to come on the Laci Peterson threads and complain about how "bored women" discussing crime were not "working to roll back decades of government largesse"--maybe those complainers have taken a new tack.

However, hellinahandcart, I must point out that one troll of this type apparently turned up on a Rush Limbaugh thread, didn't they? And I don't think there're very many FR people who resent our having threads concerning the Limbaugh situation.

As far as furthering conservatism, and accomplishing the goals stated on the homepage, I agree with those goals. I think that following the investigations of crimes, and the prosecutions of criminals, is worthwhile for a conservative. Too much leniency for criminals is one of the things that has been wrong with this country since the Brennan/Marshall era.

[Howlin]

What is that list?

[Devil_Anse]

No, that was a post by Doc Savage! Doc gets kind of extreme sometimes, but overall his posts are fine, IMO. Plus, he is a regular--not some idiot who keeps signing up under multiple names just to create trouble.

kasey1 is on another thread. Guess what? I ended up talking to kasey. While I do think kasey1 is an incarnation of this same multiple-names poster, as we know, sometimes the our Obligatory Insider starts out soft and just talks like a normal person. For a while. Then all of a sudden, out comes the "admission": "I'm from the same town as the victim", or "That's my uncle." kasey1 says it's from right near Lancaster County. Bull.

[muggs]

You're probably right about your list but there was a thread posted here a few months ago about a close family member of mine. Glad I kept my mouth shut or I might be on your list. LOL

[dighton]

good morning. im vinse bugilosey, i persecuted the mansin case and sent many other criminles to jale. you'r list is bogis, it smaks of mckarthyism, why is it on this sight.

[hellinahandcart]

We'd believe you.

But these recent "insider" sign-ups have established no bona fides at all, and their posts nearly always fit a now-predictable pattern.

[Devil_Anse]

Ooops! My above list should also include:

xlbder

That's the one on the pilot thread.

[muggs]

I was kidding about ending up on your list, but still glad I kept my mouth shut.

When someones we never heard of shows up with that kind of post, they are highly suspect.