(Fed. Prosecutor) LUNA GASSED UP 2 CARS BEFORE DEATH

New York Post ^ | 12/11/03 | NILES LATHEM and DON MURRAY

[kattracks]

December 11, 2003 -- Investigators picked up their first scent of Bronx-born federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna's killer yesterday when a gas station attendant on the Pennsylvania Turnpike reported that the slain lawman bought gas for two cars less than three hours before he died. On his roundabout trip from downtown Baltimore to Lancaster County, Pa., early last Thursday morning, Luna, 38, stopped at a Sunoco at the King of Prussia service plaza.

[clee1]

I suspect an affair gone bad.

[kcvl]

Source: Luna Discusses Marital Problems Online
Luna Concerned Over Repaying Student Loans, Sources Say

POSTED: 2:55 p.m. EST December 10, 2003

BALTIMORE -- Authorities investigating the murder of federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna are looking into his personal life, sources told 11 News.

Investigators said they have learned that Luna openly discussed problems in his marriage using e-mail messages with acquaintances.

Sources also said that Luna was worried about repaying student loans on his federal salary.

[kcvl]

Luna parents wait, hope for word on son's killer
Slain prosecutor described as devoted to his family

December 11, 2003

All Paul and Rosezella Luna can do now is wait.

They've read about the homicide investigation in the newspapers - subscriptions their son bought for them. They get the latest updates on their new television set - a recent gift from their son, who also helped pay their rent.

To the right of his brown corduroy armchair, Paul Luna keeps a Philippines guidebook, given to him by his son as they prepared for a trip to the father's native land early next year. They were to have visited the Filipino embassy in Washington, D.C., this week to take care of travel paperwork.

"I feel terrible. I can't sleep," Luna said yesterday while sitting in his living room, a wooden cane at his side. "The most I've slept all this week is about three hours. ... It would give me closure if they found and convicted the killer."

Paul Luna, 83, and Rosezella, 72, remember their son as loyal and affectionate, and a loving father and husband. He worked diligently through college and law school, and lifted himself and his parents out of a low-income housing complex in the Bronx.

But now, they're struggling to make sense of all that's been said about their son's life and death, which they read in newspapers and hear on the television news as they cope with their grief.

Paul Luna said he sometimes doesn't know what to believe about his son anymore. "I don't know anything about a love life of Jonathan's outside his marriage," he said.

His wife flat-out dismisses the media reports. "Do I believe it? No, I don't," she said, about reports that investigators are looking into possible relationships her son had with other women.

With their television constantly on during the day, the Lunas click between the news and other programs while their pet birds chirp from their cages in the kitchen. Photos of their son and his family hang on their walls.

On one wall, they've posted brightly colored drawings made by one of their son's two young boys. On the refrigerator, they keep one of their most prized photographs: a picture of their son standing next to President Bush in 2000, before he became president.

The couple answer endless questions from reporters about their son. In one moment, the father recalls how his son had aspired to be a journalist during high school but ultimately chose the legal profession.

Family always seemed to come first for the younger Luna. He left law school at the University of North Carolina during his first year to help care for his father when he was suffering from complications with an ulcer that required an operation.

"I want everybody to know about my son," he said as he leafed through photo albums the day after his son's death. He then broke into tears.

Luna used to visit his parents with his children almost every weekend. He lived with his family in Elkridge, about a 10-minute drive away.

Now his son's wife and other relatives visit the parents, keeping them company and bringing food. When the phone rings, they hope it's the FBI with new information - ideally, word of a promising lead or suspect.

It is usually a reporter seeking comment. They receive phone calls for interviews from scores of media outlets. People magazine and America's Most Wanted, a popular television show about law enforcement and fugitives, have called.

"The reason why I wanted to talk is because I want them to catch the killers," he said. "I'm trying to help. Whatever I can do, I'll do it."

But now, he vows to talk less to the media. One story in another newspaper erroneously quoted him as saying that his son had a daughter. The mistake prompted phone calls to his house from other media outlets to see if it was true, upsetting the couple.

"We want to be left alone for now," said Paul Luna

[kcvl]

Coroner: No Indication Luna Was Restrained When Stabbed

Wednesday December 10, 2003 11:46am

Baltimore, Md. (AP) - A medical examiner says there's no indication that federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna was restrained or tied up when he was stabbed 36 times and left to drown.

Doctor Barry Walp is coroner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He says all the stab wounds were on Luna's neck and the front of his chest - including several deep neck wounds that caused internal bleeding.

Walp says he plans to release the body by Friday. He's still waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

Baltimore FBI (website) spokesman Barry Maddox says investigators have received results from forensic testing, but he won't comment on the nature of the evidence.

Maddox is urging people who may have seen Luna to continue calling a tip line. He says the hot line has received a steady flow of calls, but investigators need more information.

[ambrose]

I said on here when this story first hit to not be so quick to blame the rappers he was prosecuting.

[archy]

I suspect an affair gone bad.

With a female, I wonder. Or otherwise?

-archy-/-

[dirtboy]

Luna, 38, stopped at a Sunoco at the King of Prussia service plaza.

That's a rather interesting place for Luna to have been. The shortest route from I-95 to where Luna was found would have been up I-476 to I-76 and to the turnpike. But that would have put Luna just to the WEST of the service area in question - a service area that can only be accessed by westbound traffic. So either Luna screwed up and went out of his way by taking I-476 to the turnpike and then headed west, or he had a reason to go out of his way and be travelling from that particular direction - and I would guess the latter is the case - and that would have put him in the northern Philly suburbs at some point.

[elli1]

"He's still waiting for the results of toxicology tests."

This is one strange case. I'm really interested in those toxicology reports because a lot of this isn't stacking up. Early reports said there were signs of defensive type wounds. Now the reports are saying that all of the stab wounds were to the neck & torso and that there are no signs he was bound. So he almost had to be chemically incompacitated, one would think.

He was late for court on the 3rd...said he had been up all night w/ his child in the hospital. (Was the kid in the hospital?) Then he's miles & miles away from Baltimore at 3:30 am on the 4th and he's supposed to be in court in Baltimore later that same day.

Really, really interesting case. I'm surprised that it isn't betting more attention here.

[clee1]

Ya never know, these days.

[cherry]

"Officials connected to the case said that if there was a second car following him, it bolsters the theory that Luna knew his killer. "

that's a jump, isnt' it....

there is no evidence that the person in the other car was the killer, and for all that we know, the person in the second car could be a victim as well....

BTW...newest tidbit is that the cops have blood from a second person in Luna's car....hmmmmm

[nmh]

Somewhere I read that he was using the internet and seeking a personal relationship under the name of Jonathan Luna. He was NOT in a happy mariage.

Saw this one too:

THE ASSISTANT U.S. attorney for Maryland, who had left his office the night before around 11:30, was dressed for work, his government ID still dangling from his neck, according to the Lancaster County coroner, who concluded the married father of two had died from 36 stab wounds, and drowning.

Attention immediately fell on the pair of would-be rap impresarios being prosecuted by Luna last week on drug and weapons charges. But the duo, still in government custody, had made plea agreements with Luna on Wednesday, and were waiting to finalize their deals in court the morning his body was discovered. They denied involvement with the murder.

Luna, a former rising star, had lately been in a slump. A Democrat, he didn’t get along well with his Republican boss, Thomas DiBiagio; relations had dipped so low that Luna had retained a lawyer and considered filing a complaint against the office, although he ultimately decided against the move. In recent days Luna seemed increasingly “depressed” and “stressed-out,” according to friends and colleagues still stunned by his death.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/1002203.asp#BODY

[nmh]

Odd for a Democrat to prize this:

"On the refrigerator, they keep one of their most prized photographs: a picture of their son standing next to President Bush in 2000, before he became president."

Luna was a Democrat. In fact he had trouble getting along with his Republican boss.

[nmh]

I believe you are right. I can't find the article but I distinctly remember reading that Luna was making the rounds on the internet dating sites. He used the name Jonathan Luna. They found this on his pc. There is also a credit card that he used that he wife was never aware of and from that they've been backtracking his activities. He often didn't come home at night.

Bet you a cyber dollar that he had an affair that went terribly wrong.

[r9etb]

His poor parents.

We can only hope that Luna wasn't having an affair on the side.

But if he did, I can't think of a better example than this article, for WHY YOU DON'T DO THINGS LIKE THAT!!! Look at the destruction caused by the mere suggestion -- the reality would be even harder to take.

[Protagoras]

I said on here when this story first hit to not be so quick to blame the rappers he was prosecuting.

I had one guy make about a dozen posts to me telling me what a moron I was for saying the same thing as you.

[ambrose]

Kind of amazing... people are murdered every day who don't prosecute rappers.

Also, the fact that they worked out a plea bargain would be evidence that the rappers wouldn't really have it in for the prosecutor.

[Ditto]

Odd for a Democrat to prize this:<

"On the refrigerator, they keep one of their most prized photographs: a picture of their son standing next to President Bush in 2000, before he became president."

I don't see it as odd. Sounds like a guy who grew up poor, with an immigrant father, and he came a long way in life to get himself a photo with the POTUS --- any POTUS. Sounds like he was a damn good son to his parents also. They must have been very proud of him.

With the exception of X41, I would be proud to have a photo of either of any of my children with a President of either party. It's not a political statement. For a guy like Luna, it's a sign of accomplishment.

I hope they can crack this case. Maybe the guy was folling around and maybe not. But even if that's so, it seems we all lost a good person.

[Devil_Anse]

I don't get that. One story said they got his name from looking at the inside of his class ring, which he was still wearing. This story says he still had his employee I.D. "dangling from his neck"?

[mewzilla]

MSNBC's Dan Abrams just did an update on the Luna case. Investigator are now supposedly considering the possibility of suicide. There's also some news about 25 grand in credit card debt, and 36 grand in missing money from a bank robbery case that Luna was involved in, though no-one's suggesting Luna had anything to do with the 36 grand going missing. Luna had 36 knife wounds on his body. Lots of blood in the car. And not just Luna's if I understood that correctly.