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Attorney had led high-profile case against rapper, associate
BALTIMORE, Dec. 4 — The body of a federal prosecutor who failed to show up Thursday in court to wrap up a case against a rapper was found shot and stabbed in Pennsylvania, said the judge hearing the case.
THE MAN, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Luna, 38, was discovered face-down in the water behind the parking lot of a well-drilling company in Lancaster County, Pa., about 70 miles from Baltimore, Brecknock Township police said. A car was near the body, which had suffered multiple stab and gunshot wounds, police said.
“Let there be no doubt. Let there be no doubt that everyone in law enforcement, local police, state police, the United States Marshals Service, ATF, FBI, are united,†U.S. Attorney Thomas DiBiagio said. “We will find out who did this, and we are dedicated to bringing the person responsible for this tragedy to justice.â€
Authorities launched a search Thursday morning after Luna did not appear as expected at 9:30 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Baltimore, said U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles Jr.
The trial of aspiring rapper Deon Lionnel Smith and his onetime associate Walter Oriley Poindexter began Monday. They were accused of heroin distribution and running a violent drug ring in part from their Stash House Records studio in Baltimore.
But three days into the case, Luna and the defense attorneys began negotiating a plea deal, which they reached about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Quarles said.
Smith, who performs under the name Papi Jenkinz, agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of heroin and to possession of a firearm for the purposes of drug trafficking. Poindexter agreed to plead guilty to three counts of distribution of heroin to a government witness. Smith’s attorney, Kenneth Ravenell, said conspiracy charges were dropped.
All the parties were expected to appear Thursday morning to enter the agreement, but Luna was not present, the judge said. Two other prosecutors told Quarles that they were “out of touch†with Luna and that the FBI had begun looking for him.
Smith and Poindexter entered their guilty pleas about 11:30 a.m. Thursday and remained in custody. The judge was notified about 2 p.m. that Luna’s body had been discovered.
‘WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN’
Luna, who was married and had two children, grew up in New York City, attended Fordham University and went on to law school at the University of North Carolina.
He was an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission from 1994 until 1997. He then worked as a prosecutor in Brooklyn before coming to Baltimore.
Quarles described Luna as a “wonderful young man, responsible, charming and highly intelligent. He had genuine trial skills as a lawyer, and juries loved him.â€
Attorney General John Ashcroft called it a “tragic death.â€
“I express our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s family, colleagues and friends,†Ashcroft said. “We share his family’s grief and will provide any support and assistance to help them through this difficult time.â€
Ravenell, Smith’s attorney, called Luna “a good friend.â€
“I was kind of his mentor in many ways,†Ravenell said. “He’d call me often and discuss things outside of what we did on cases.â€
Other federal prosecutors have been the target of violence in the past.
Federal prosecutor Thomas C. Wales was shot to death in Seattle three years ago in an unsolved murder. The search for the killer has focused on at least one of the cases he had prosecuted.
Federal prosecutor Larry Barcella, now in private practice, was the target of a thwarted murder-for-hire scheme by ex-CIA agent Edwin Wilson, whom Barcella had put behind bars for selling weapons and explosives to Libya.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/1001372.asp?0cv=CB10
BALTIMORE, Dec. 4 — The body of a federal prosecutor who failed to show up Thursday in court to wrap up a case against a rapper was found shot and stabbed in Pennsylvania, said the judge hearing the case.
THE MAN, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Luna, 38, was discovered face-down in the water behind the parking lot of a well-drilling company in Lancaster County, Pa., about 70 miles from Baltimore, Brecknock Township police said. A car was near the body, which had suffered multiple stab and gunshot wounds, police said.
“Let there be no doubt. Let there be no doubt that everyone in law enforcement, local police, state police, the United States Marshals Service, ATF, FBI, are united,†U.S. Attorney Thomas DiBiagio said. “We will find out who did this, and we are dedicated to bringing the person responsible for this tragedy to justice.â€
Authorities launched a search Thursday morning after Luna did not appear as expected at 9:30 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Baltimore, said U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles Jr.
The trial of aspiring rapper Deon Lionnel Smith and his onetime associate Walter Oriley Poindexter began Monday. They were accused of heroin distribution and running a violent drug ring in part from their Stash House Records studio in Baltimore.
But three days into the case, Luna and the defense attorneys began negotiating a plea deal, which they reached about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Quarles said.
Smith, who performs under the name Papi Jenkinz, agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of heroin and to possession of a firearm for the purposes of drug trafficking. Poindexter agreed to plead guilty to three counts of distribution of heroin to a government witness. Smith’s attorney, Kenneth Ravenell, said conspiracy charges were dropped.
All the parties were expected to appear Thursday morning to enter the agreement, but Luna was not present, the judge said. Two other prosecutors told Quarles that they were “out of touch†with Luna and that the FBI had begun looking for him.
Smith and Poindexter entered their guilty pleas about 11:30 a.m. Thursday and remained in custody. The judge was notified about 2 p.m. that Luna’s body had been discovered.
‘WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN’
Luna, who was married and had two children, grew up in New York City, attended Fordham University and went on to law school at the University of North Carolina.
He was an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission from 1994 until 1997. He then worked as a prosecutor in Brooklyn before coming to Baltimore.
Quarles described Luna as a “wonderful young man, responsible, charming and highly intelligent. He had genuine trial skills as a lawyer, and juries loved him.â€
Attorney General John Ashcroft called it a “tragic death.â€
“I express our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s family, colleagues and friends,†Ashcroft said. “We share his family’s grief and will provide any support and assistance to help them through this difficult time.â€
Ravenell, Smith’s attorney, called Luna “a good friend.â€
“I was kind of his mentor in many ways,†Ravenell said. “He’d call me often and discuss things outside of what we did on cases.â€
Other federal prosecutors have been the target of violence in the past.
Federal prosecutor Thomas C. Wales was shot to death in Seattle three years ago in an unsolved murder. The search for the killer has focused on at least one of the cases he had prosecuted.
Federal prosecutor Larry Barcella, now in private practice, was the target of a thwarted murder-for-hire scheme by ex-CIA agent Edwin Wilson, whom Barcella had put behind bars for selling weapons and explosives to Libya.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/1001372.asp?0cv=CB10
