Jonathan Luna
Encyclopedia
Jonathan P. Luna was a Baltimore-based Assistant United States Attorney who was stabbed 36 times with his own penknife
and found drowned in a creek in Pennsylvania
.
near Yankee Stadium. He was of African-American and Filipino
ancestry. He was a graduate of Fordham University
and the law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. He worked at Arnold & Porter
in Washington, DC in 1993–1994 and the Federal Trade Commission
in 1994–1997. He worked as a prosecutor in Brooklyn before moving to Baltimore. He was married to an obstetrician and had two children. He was 38 years old when he died.
No suspects or motive for murder was determined. The federal authorities (FBI) lean towards calling it a suicide but the local Lancaster County authorities, including two successive coroners, ruled it a homicide. Additional evidence collected during the investigation has captured a second set of blood and a partial print, as well as some grainy footage from near the time of the gas station purchase made with Luna's credit card at the Sunoco service plaza . The investigation remains ongoing. There is an unclaimed federal reward of $100,000 for information leading to a conviction.
in order to force the Lancaster County coroner to conduct an inquest
into Luna's death, after an earlier request was declined.
Penknife
A penknife, or pen knife, is a small folding pocket knife, originally used for cutting or sharpening a quill to make a pen nib. Originally, penknives did not necessarily have folding blades, but resembled a scalpel or wood knife by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle...
and found drowned in a creek in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Personal background
Luna grew up in the projects in the South BronxSouth Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
near Yankee Stadium. He was of African-American and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
ancestry. He was a graduate of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
and the law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He worked at Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter LLP is a nine-office international law firm based in Washington, D.C. Arnold & Porter is well known for its trial, corporate, and antitrust work, and for its pro bono commitments and support for liberal causes.-History:...
in Washington, DC in 1993–1994 and the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
in 1994–1997. He worked as a prosecutor in Brooklyn before moving to Baltimore. He was married to an obstetrician and had two children. He was 38 years old when he died.
The night he died: December 3–4, 2003
- 11:38 pm: Luna left the Baltimore courthouse and went northeast on I-95. He used his E-ZPassE-ZPassE-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
on I-95 into Delaware but not on the New JerseyNew Jersey TurnpikeThe New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
and Pennsylvania TurnpikePennsylvania TurnpikeThe Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
s. After three toll interchanges, he switched to buying toll tickets. - 12:57 am: $200 was withdrawn from Luna's bank account from the ATM at the JFK Plaza service center near NewarkNewark, DelawareNewark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. - 02:47 am: he crossed the Delaware toll bridge to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
- 03:20 am: his debit card bought gas at the Sunoco King of PrussiaKing of Prussia, PennsylvaniaKing of Prussia is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,936. The community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after...
service plaza. - 04:04 am: his car exited the turnpike at the Reading-Lancaster interchange. The toll ticket had a spot of his blood on it suggesting that he was already injured. His car was parked at the back of the Sensenig & Weaver Well Drilling company at 1439 Dry Tavern Road, Denver, PennsylvaniaDenver, PennsylvaniaDenver is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,332 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Denver is located at ....
(Brecknock Township) before it was later driven into the creek. - 05:00 am: the first employee of Sensenig & Weaver arrived.
- 05:30 am: the car was noticed, with its lights off and the front end into the stream. Blood was smeared over the driver's door and the front left of the car. Luna was face down in the stream under the car engine. He was wearing a suit and a black overcoat with his court ID around his neck. A pool of blood was found on the rear seat floor. Although stabbed 36 times with his own penknife around the chest and neck plus a head injury, the death was due to drowning.
No suspects or motive for murder was determined. The federal authorities (FBI) lean towards calling it a suicide but the local Lancaster County authorities, including two successive coroners, ruled it a homicide. Additional evidence collected during the investigation has captured a second set of blood and a partial print, as well as some grainy footage from near the time of the gas station purchase made with Luna's credit card at the Sunoco service plaza . The investigation remains ongoing. There is an unclaimed federal reward of $100,000 for information leading to a conviction.
Suicide theory
It was initially reported that Luna did not have the expected substantial defense wounds on his hands and that many of the wounds are shallow which are called "hesitation" wounds in a suicide victim. These claims were rebuffed by the coroners' office, which stated that his hands had been "shredded" and that he experienced significant slashing to the throat and scrotum. Some suggested motives for suicide were that Luna was to take a polygraph test concerning $36,000 which disappeared from a bank robbery case that he had prosecuted. Luna had a charge card which his wife, Angela, did not know about. His name was on an Internet dating site and he had a $25,000 credit card debt. There is also an accidental suicide theory that Luna was fabricating a kidnapping and attack and that he went too far.Homicide theory
The Lancaster County coroner's office, who performed the autopsy, has stated in unambiguous terms that they rule Luna's death as a homicide due to the nature and type of the wounds . Luna left his glasses, which he needed to drive, and his cell phone on his desk. He had called defense attorneys earlier in the night saying he would fax over documents that night but they never arrived. The pool of blood in the back seat would suggest Luna was in back and someone else was driving.Inquest
In early February 2007, a private investigator and an attorney, both hired by Luna's family, filed a petition for a writ of mandamusMandamus
A writ of mandamus or mandamus , or sometimes mandate, is the name of one of the prerogative writs in the common law, and is "issued by a superior court to compel a lower court or a government officer to perform mandatory or purely ministerial duties correctly".Mandamus is a judicial remedy which...
in order to force the Lancaster County coroner to conduct an inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into Luna's death, after an earlier request was declined.