MD MD - Jonathan Luna, 38, Baltimore, 4 December 2003

[strach304]

There is no way someone stabs themselves to death to commit suicide. I think pulling the trigger on a gun KNOWING that it would be instantaneous would be hard enough, but to stab yourself over and over until what? You pass out from blood loss, then bleed to death, you finally hit a vital organ, you think you have enough blood flowing to die? NO WAY!!

I agree and cause of death was drowning in a small depth of water as well if I remember the details correctly. This story grabbed my attention right away when first reported because I am from Baltimore so I do know that there is a possibility he was corrupt but I haven't seen any proof of that after all this time. The details of blood in the backseat of his car and 30 some puncture wounds etc, were details I recall from the first reports and at that time no mention of a possible suicide so to hear that now I find the idea absolutely ridiculous. None of the stab wounds were fatal so what'd he do stick his face in the water and drown as well as drove that far to do it? If they did find evidence of corruption you can bet several someone's are covering up for their own sake. This man was murdered I am sure but why I don't know, seems if it was personal like an affair or something like was already looked into we'd know about it.

 

[mysteriew]

uh, Strach I believe that one of the issues is there is some money that was evidence in a court case. He was the last one kniown to have possession of it. The money came up missing. He was supposed to have taken a lie detector test for it, but rescheduled the test. Then he disappeared.

 

[sneezy]

From abc27:
Attorney, P.I. Ask for Inquest in Prosecutor's Death
Posted: February 26, 2007 11:58 AM EST
URL: http://www.abc27.com/news/stories//400659.html

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A private investigator and a family attorney are trying to force the Lancaster County coroner to conduct an inquest into the mysterious death of a federal prosecutor more than three years ago.

Private investigator Ed Martino and attorney Jim Clymer filed a petition earlier this month, contending that the coroner, G. Gary Kirchner, wrongly declined to conduct an inquest into the death in 2003 of 38-year-old Jonathan Luna.

Coroner's office attorney Neil Albert argues that the law does not require Kirchner to conduct inquests.

Luna was found dead in a stream on December 4th, 2003. His car was hanging over the stream bank, still running, and investigators found blood on the floor of the back seat.

Authorities say Luna, who was an assistant US attorney, had left his office in the Baltimore federal courthouse shortly after 11:30 the night before.

--



(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[PSUfan]

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/207180

Luna case far from forgotten
Unsolved death of federal prosecutor here in 2003 attracts more attention.

By HELEN COLWELL ADAMS, Staff writer
Sunday News
Published: Jul 22, 2007 12:16 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa - In May, a Lancaster County Court judge rejected efforts to force an inquest into the 2003 death of federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna.

Yet under the surface, activity in the case is bubbling, some of which Luna's advocates don't want to talk about.

A television network is looking into the story.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's office is asking questions.

 

[Taximom]

Dateline is covering this case tonight. 7pm e.s.t. NBC

 

[Taximom]

Dateline is covering this case tonight 7pm e.s.t. NBC

 

[Pdoe]

The Baltimore Sun ran a lengthy story on this case today:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.luna30nov30,0,7328941,full.story

Not much new information but still an interesting summary of the case

 

[littlehorn]

I always wondered if there was some involvement in the Ray Gricar disappearance. Similar circumstances but they never found Ray.

 

[gaia227]

bumping.

Today is the 4th anniversary of Ray Gricar's disappearence which led me to start thinking about Luna.

Article outliniing the similarities:
http://www.yardbird.com/midnight_ride_similarities_w_luna_gricar.htm


Apparently the author of Midnight Ride with Jonathan Luna" has been slapped with a defamation lawsuit and might be forced to reveal his sources.
http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12056290

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Under "Sporadic Comments on the Gricar Case," I'm doing a three part series on the Luna Case, but looking at similarities with the Luna case.

The first one is summary of the Luna case. There were a few new things.

http://www.centredaily.com/opinion/blogs/

 

[Mia]

There is no way someone stabs themselves to death to commit suicide. I think pulling the trigger on a gun KNOWING that it would be instantaneous would be hard enough, but to stab yourself over and over until what? You pass out from blood loss, then bleed to death, you finally hit a vital organ, you think you have enough blood flowing to die? NO WAY!!

Actually, suicide by stabbing is more common than you think (and by that I mean that it happens at all). There are documented cases of suicide by stabbing that can be found with a quick Google search. Eliot Smith (singer/songwriter) committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart, and he had two additional slight, non-fatal stab wounds that investigators theorized he made while he was "working up the courage" to make the deep plunge. I think there is a good chance that Luna committed suicide, but was hoping to make it look like murder. He was a prosecutor, so he would know how to stage a scene, and I think all of the little wounds were, again, him 'working up the courage' to stab himself deeply. It can't be easy to plunge a knife into oneself, deep enough to penetrate organs.

It seems pretty obvious that Luna stole the $35,000 from the evidence vault (his delaying of the lie detector test, the fact that he canceled a loan application for $30,000 not long after the money went missing, the sudden appearance of a mysterious $10,000 in his possession). The choice to commit suicide could have arisen from extreme stress brought on by some mistakes he made, perhaps combined with personal and other work-related problems. It all probably caught up with him at once, and he saw suicide as the only way out.

I'm surprised I'm saying this because in situations like this I usually go for the cover-up angle, because I do believe such things happen ALL the time, especially with the federal government. But in this particular case, I can actually see suicide as being a viable cause of death. Anyone agree with me? I know I'm probably in the minority here.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Eliot Smith (singer/songwriter) committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart, and he had two additional slight, non-fatal stab wounds that investigators theorized he made while he was "working up the courage" to make the deep plunge.

It does occur, and I've heard of "2 shot suicides" as well. There may be another explanation.

It seems pretty obvious that Luna stole the $35,000 from the evidence vault (his delaying of the lie detector test, the fact that he canceled a loan application for $30,000 not long after the money went missing, the sudden appearance of a mysterious $10,000 in his possession). The choice to commit suicide could have arisen from extreme stress brought on by some mistakes he made, perhaps combined with personal and other work-related problems. It all probably caught up with him at once, and he saw suicide as the only way out.

The Washington Post reported that it was more than $10,000. There is a Federal reporting requirement for cash transactions above $10,000, so finding it untraceable probably means a series of smaller cash transactions (or there would be an electronic record).

Mr. Luna was in danger of losing his job. Assume that he was innocent. If he was to take the polygraph, pass it, and then be fired for unrelated reasons, any possible employer could easily assume assume that he was fired because of it.

I think it is probable that Mr. Luna's were self inflicted; he might have staged it to avoid the polygraph. He may, however, not have intending to kill himself. He might have wanted it look like he was attacked. One wound was just too deep and in hit an vein. He panicked or was confused due to the loss of blood and drove in the wrong direction, running his car into a ditch, go out, and fell into the ditch, were he drowned.

I'm not convinced that the wounds were self inflicted, beyond a reasonable doubt, but I think it is likely.

 

[gaia227]

Actually, suicide by stabbing is more common than you think (and by that I mean that it happens at all). There are documented cases of suicide by stabbing that can be found with a quick Google search. Eliot Smith (singer/songwriter) committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart, and he had two additional slight, non-fatal stab wounds that investigators theorized he made while he was "working up the courage" to make the deep plunge. I think there is a good chance that Luna committed suicide, but was hoping to make it look like murder. He was a prosecutor, so he would know how to stage a scene, and I think all of the little wounds were, again, him 'working up the courage' to stab himself deeply. It can't be easy to plunge a knife into oneself, deep enough to penetrate organs.

It seems pretty obvious that Luna stole the $35,000 from the evidence vault (his delaying of the lie detector test, the fact that he canceled a loan application for $30,000 not long after the money went missing, the sudden appearance of a mysterious $10,000 in his possession). The choice to commit suicide could have arisen from extreme stress brought on by some mistakes he made, perhaps combined with personal and other work-related problems. It all probably caught up with him at once, and he saw suicide as the only way out.

I'm surprised I'm saying this because in situations like this I usually go for the cover-up angle, because I do believe such things happen ALL the time, especially with the federal government. But in this particular case, I can actually see suicide as being a viable cause of death. Anyone agree with me? I know I'm probably in the minority here.

BBM

I just had to comment on Smith. He is one of my all time favorites artists and his suicide was devestating. Anyone familiar with Smith would not be all that surprised that is how he choose to die or that he committed suicide in the first place. His friends just released a CD of previously unheard tracks that didn't make onto his albums.

I think suicide it a viable option in Luna's case. It certainly is not how I would chose to kill myself but I know it happens and in Luna's case the motive is there. He had gotten himself pretty deep. I can see other viable options in his death too but I don't think suicide should be ruled out.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I think suicide it a viable option in Luna's case. It certainly is not how I would chose to kill myself but I know it happens and in Luna's case the motive is there. He had gotten himself pretty deep. I can see other viable options in his death too but I don't think suicide should be ruled out.

It might have been an unintentional suicide. With the polygraph test looming, he might have been trying to fake an attack.

 

[cutter99]

It's been ten years this month.

http://lancasteronline.com/article/...al-prosecutor-s-slaying-remains-unsolved.html

http://www.abc27.com/story/24020059/midstate-mysteries-the-death-of-federal-prosecutor-jonathan-luna

 

[G&AMom]

The thing that gets me is that there are so many questions in this case. I wish the FBI and the US Attorney's office would lay out exactly what they found rather than letting all these rumors swirl. Personally, I don't believe he committed suicide, but I'm really not sure what happened. As far as I know, the Lancaster, Pa., coroner ruled his death a homicide -- it's hard to find accurate information.

This article from the ABA Journal from December 2013 says "authorities still haven't solved the slaying" of Luna. If it's a homicide, why isn't the FBI investigating? Or maybe it's time somebody else should be.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://thedailyrecord.com/2014/08/02/jonathan-luna-and-the-foia-request/

As I was searching through federal court filings last week, I noticed a request to unseal a 13-year-old document filed by prosecutors.

“The reason for which the United States originally sought to have these documents sealed no longer exists and the documents can and should be unsealed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham wrote. The motion was filed July 29 and granted the same day.

The now-unsealed document is below. At the very top, it says the filing is an application for “historical records of electronic communications.” What stopped me in my tracks was the name in the third line of the application, the same name signed on the last page: Jonathan P. Luna.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

http://thedailyrecord.com/2014/08/02/jonathan-luna-and-the-foia-request/

Thanks. It could be someone aligned with Brown, or it could be a Luna researcher; there are a few out there.

 

[Falcon500]

Actually, suicide by stabbing is more common than you think (and by that I mean that it happens at all). There are documented cases of suicide by stabbing that can be found with a quick Google search. Eliot Smith (singer/songwriter) committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart, and he had two additional slight, non-fatal stab wounds that investigators theorized he made while he was "working up the courage" to make the deep plunge. I think there is a good chance that Luna committed suicide, but was hoping to make it look like murder. He was a prosecutor, so he would know how to stage a scene, and I think all of the little wounds were, again, him 'working up the courage' to stab himself deeply. It can't be easy to plunge a knife into oneself, deep enough to penetrate organs.

It seems pretty obvious that Luna stole the $35,000 from the evidence vault (his delaying of the lie detector test, the fact that he canceled a loan application for $30,000 not long after the money went missing, the sudden appearance of a mysterious $10,000 in his possession). The choice to commit suicide could have arisen from extreme stress brought on by some mistakes he made, perhaps combined with personal and other work-related problems. It all probably caught up with him at once, and he saw suicide as the only way out.

I'm surprised I'm saying this because in situations like this I usually go for the cover-up angle, because I do believe such things happen ALL the time, especially with the federal government. But in this particular case, I can actually see suicide as being a viable cause of death. Anyone agree with me? I know I'm probably in the minority here.

I wanted to single you out for a very reasoned and well thought out explanation of the death of Jonathan Luna. My best guess is that his death happened just about as you described it.

He wanted to deflect suspicion away from himself so he thought up a hair-brained scheme where he would be found in his car and then claim that he had been kidnapped from his office. He made sure that he visited several spots where the presence of his car would be documented. His wounds were superficial and it's likely that be became confused, got out of his car, and fell into the creek and drowned.

The coroner was probably not a pathologist as is the case in many PA counties. I recall a story about a PA coroner who was a tow truck driver.





There is a misconception among the general public that the FBI are experts in investigating every type of crime. Not true. An FBI agent may go through his entire career without ever seeing a dead body and certainly would not get involved in a suicide. This is because murder and death investigations are not federal crimes except in very limited situations. It was a mistake to let them get the lead in this case. The local county or state police would have been the best choice. They see bodies everyday and investigate all types of suicides. The FBI should have done the internal investigation about the missing money and bank transactions but the crime scene work and manner of death determination should have been left to the experts.

 

[Fromthedeepestjungle]

I wanted to single you out for a very reasoned and well thought out explanation of the death of Jonathan Luna. My best guess is that his death happened just about as you described it.

He wanted to deflect suspicion away from himself so he thought up a hair-brained scheme where he would be found in his car and then claim that he had been kidnapped from his office. He made sure that he visited several spots where the presence of his car would be documented. His wounds were superficial and it's likely that be became confused, got out of his car, and fell into the creek and drowned.

The coroner was probably not a pathologist as is the case in many PA counties. I recall a story about a PA coroner who was a tow truck driver.





There is a misconception among the general public that the FBI are experts in investigating every type of crime. Not true. An FBI agent may go through his entire career without ever seeing a dead body and certainly would not get involved in a suicide. This is because murder and death investigations are not federal crimes except in very limited situations. It was a mistake to let them get the lead in this case. The local county or state police would have been the best choice. They see bodies everyday and investigate all types of suicides. The FBI should have done the internal investigation about the missing money and bank transactions but the crime scene work and manner of death determination should have been left to the experts.

This happened about 1 week and a half ago reported on wtaj tv 10 out of altoona pa A female took a screwdriver and took this male for what reason and stuck the screwdriver in his male parts and other places on his body not sure why she did they did not say I had to think where did she come up with doing that to the man and think on how luna was done in his car can a man or woman do this to them self what was the cause for her to stab this male with a screwdriver in the groin and body again when I seen this on tv I had to think of luna was there a female with him that nite