Going West: True Crime - Jonathan Luna // 255

Episode Date: November 23, 2022

In December of 2003, a 38-year-old lawyer was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pennsylvania. He had been stabbed 36 times with his own pocket knife and then drowned in a creek next to his car. Although suicide was initially speculated, it seemed clear after his autopsy that he was murdered. But the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery. This is the story of Jonathan Luna. BONUS EPISODES Patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. The Baltimore Sun: https://www.newspapers.com/image/248579389/?terms=jonathan%20luna%20obituary&match=1 2. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/a-decade-later-prosecutor-lunas-death-still-a-mystery/2013/12/10/211e2ab8-f563-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html?utm_term=.1c738c1f4154 3. Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8155254/jonathan-paul-luna 4. Fox 43: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/jonathan-luna-murder-mystery-2003/521-2229b272-9355-43a8-8163-506440862577 5. The Baltimore Sun: https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bal-te.md.luna09dec09-story.html 6. Property Club NYC: https://propertyclub.nyc/article/most-dangerous-neighborhoods-in-nyc#:~:text=The%20most%20dangerous%20neighborhood%20in,is%20about%201%20in%2022. 7. NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24341781 8. The Baltimore Sun: https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bal-md.luna11dec11-story.html 9. ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90141&page=1 10. Fodor's: https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/maryland/baltimore/experiences/news/this-is-one-of-the-coolest-streets-in-america 11. The Baltimore Sun: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-07-14-0307140005-story.html 12. NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06prosecutor.html 13. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/12/21/lunas-three-state-car-trip-a-mystery-to-investigators/13878a02-2166-4328-bd59-c8b58e988ea9/ 14. Pherson Associates Jonathan Luna Case Study: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog885/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.geog885/files/file/Luna%20Case%20Study/CS10.pdf 15. The Baltimore Sun: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2002-09-10-0209100214-story.html 16. The Midnight Ride of Jonathan Luna: https://www.amazon.in/Midnight-Ride-Jonathan-Luna/dp/1882611187 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on True Crime fans? I'm your host Tee. And I'm your host Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Thank you to Carolyn for recommending this case. We have quite the story for you guys today. This one reminds us of we covered Uggdala Plaza. I don't know if many of you guys have heard that one or heard us cover that one in episode 191 of going west. That was a crazy story and then Robert Wahn. This case kind of gives those vibes. So definitely an interesting and just insane one we've got for you today.

Also, if you guys are looking for a different type of content that's not true crime, go check out our sister show, The Dark Parts. We just put out an episode on the legend of Boggy Creek down in Arkansas. It's a really crazy story with like, over a hundred eyewitness reports. Yeah, that's a creepy story, really good like urban legend,

but one that actually seems like it's true because of all these eyewitness sightings. Our editor said that he thinks it's his favorite dark parts episode yet, so go check it out. All right guys, this is episode 255 of Going West, so let's get into it! In December of 2003, a 38-year-old lawyer was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pennsylvania. He had been stabbed 36 times with his own pocket knife and then drowned in a creek next to his car.

Although suicide was initially suspected, it seemed clear after his autopsy that he was murdered. But the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery to this day. of Jonathan Luna. Jonathan Paul Luna was born on October 21, 1965 in the Bronx, Burrow of New York City. Jonathan's father, Paul, was from the Philippines, and his mother, Rosella, was an African-American woman from the South. Sadly, the family did struggle to make ends meet when Johnathan was very young. They resided in the Patterson houses, what they're called it, a public housing development

in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, colloquially known as the Projects, and situated across the Harlem River from Manhattan, the Bronx is known for its contributions to sports, being the home of Yankee Stadium, and arts and culture, and for being the birthplace of hip-hop. Jonathan himself was a die-hard Yankees fan. However, it is also the most impoverished and most crime-ridden borough of the city. So, Maat Haven, where Jonathan grew up, is the third most dangerous neighborhood in all of New York City, with a crime rate 400 times higher than the national

average. But despite his humble beginnings, Jonathan was super hardworking and a gifted student, and he was determined to get out of his neighborhood and take his family with him. A friend of Jonathan's named Daniel, who grew up in the same housing development, remembered quote, early on, he knew, you know, this is not where I want to end up. I have to study, work hard, and get to another place in my life." From a young age, he loved traveling and had a fascination with other cultures. He was passionate about politics long before he was able to vote, and he was a self-proclaimed bookworm and a voracious reader. When his friends were outside playing sports, Jonathan was locked in his closet reading reading anthologies and history books.

And his friend Daniel also remembered fondly, quote, we thought he was a bit of an oddball. But his love for learning didn't hurt his popularity. He was known for being open-minded, accepting, and social, and had a large circle of friends. He took his studies seriously and was known in his group for being a fascinista, often dressing up in suits to go to school. Jonathan graduated from high school in 1983 and began attending Fordham University in the Bronx majoring in history.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1987, he decided that he wanted to enter law school and was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, moving out in New York City for his very first time. Now, before he left for school, he took a solo trip to Germany, the first of many that he had planned. But at the end of his first year of law school,

tragedy struck the Luna family unexpectedly when his father was hospitalized. Always one to do the right thing, Jonathan promptly left school to tend to Paul back home in New York. His roommate and friend Reggie Schuford said quote, taking that year off was one of the easiest decisions that Jonathan ever made.

After that year, Jonathan returned to law school without missing a beat. He and his friend Reggie moved in together to save money, and Reggie joked that their relationship was reminiscent of the odd couple. He remembers Jonathan as a devoted friend saying, quote, he was an easygoing person. Anyone could get along with Jonathan, charming, gregarious, gentle, you name it. He recalls that Jonathan loved to cook his mother spaghetti and meatballs for his friends and classmates,

and that he was an avid runner and a very talented student. During Jonathan's 10 year in law school, he was elected the UNC Chapel Hill class president. He just seems so amazing and wonderful and so motivated and like we said, hard working like what a what a stand up guy Jonathan was. So after being set up on a blind date from a friend, Jonathan fell in love with a young obstetrician named Angela Hopkins and the two were married in 1993. He graduated from law school, passed the bar exam and was promptly offered a position back in New York City, working

as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, which he happily accepted and he was very excited to be closer to his family. Six years later, Jonathan got the opportunity to apply for a position in Baltimore, Maryland as an assistant U.S. attorney. And the judge who interviewed him for the job actually recalled that he was awarded the position over thousands of other applicants, but that there was no question that Jonathan was the one for the job. Saying quote, he had come from very basic roots and had learned the hard way that people needed to live in safe communities and do the right thing. And in the end, that would make all the difference.

In 2003, Jonathan, his wife Angela and their two young sons were living in Elkridge, Maryland, which is a suburb about 20 minutes away from Baltimore. Jonathan's parents had moved to that area as well, actually, so they were all very close to each other, living just about 10 minutes away from their son and their grandchildren. As 2003 was drawing to a close, Jonathan was prosecuting a high-profile drug case in Baltimore that sounded like straight out of an episode of the wire.

The city was, and unfortunately still is struggling with a drug problem, like many, especially heroin and prescription opioids. And in fact, from the 1980s to 1990s, drug use in Baltimore increased almost 100 percent, and then in the early 2000s, there were close to 350 heroin-related deaths in metropolitan Baltimore alone. Jonathan's case at the time centered around Baltimore rapper Deon Lionel Smith and his literal partner in crime Walter O'Reilly point-exster. The two co-owned a recording studio, aptly named Stash House Records, but prosecutors including Jonathan accused the studio of being a front for a drug operation that had even committed

a murder two years prior. Now this Stash House was tucked away in Urban Baltimore on a stretch of 36th Street nicknamed the Avenue by locals, blending in with coffee shops, boutiques, bars, and restaurants. The two men were charged with five counts of heroin distribution and conspiracy. Walter specifically was also suspected in the 2001 murder of a man named Alvin Jones that remained unsolved. The prosecution alleged that Alvin had stolen drugs from the studio's supply, although both men denied involvement in the murder, as well as the production and sale of drugs. Dion's defense attorney argued that this is a common theme among people who successfully make it out of their crime-ridden neighborhoods, and suggested that he was being framed

for the crimes by jealous former friends and competitors. His attorney claimed, quote, this is not the first time that legitimate businessmen have been caught up in the wrong doings of their friends. Mr. Smith grew up in the neighborhood, but the fact that he may know people who are involved in the criminal milieu doesn't mean that he's involved in any wrongdoing. So December 4, 2003 was supposed to be a big day for Jonathan Luna, as the sentencing for the drug trial that he was prosecuting against Dion and Walter was set to begin. But Jonathan wouldn't live to see that happen.

The day before that, which was December 3, 2003, Jonathan started his day as usual, leaving his wife and sons in their Elkridge townhouse for his office in downtown Baltimore. He served in court in the morning and spent the afternoon going back and forth with Dianne's and Walter's lawyers, working out a plea deal as the men were actually expected to enter guilty pleas in court the following morning in order to receive a reduced sentence. Jonathan headed home around 8 p.m. that night to touch base with his family and then headed back to the courthouse to work a bit more on the plea agreement for the following morning. This guy's working all day.

And at 9 p.m., he left a message for one of the defense attorneys, whose name was Archindulot to Minello. And Archindulot later said, quote, he told me that he had worked on the plea in his office and had to go home. He said once he got home, he would work on the agreement so that it was ready in the morning. I think he said he would return to the office. At 11.38 pm that evening, Jonathan finally left the courthouse

and, according to witnesses, seemed, quote, under no apparent duress. Jonathan Silver Honda Accord was seen leaving the courthouse and heading northeast on highway i95, the opposite direction of his home in Elkridge. So his car had an easy pass which pays for tolls automatically and the easy pass clocked him at a Delaware toll booth. But strangely, he pulled over and physically paid for the toll tickets when he made his way through the i-95 toll booths in Delaware and Pennsylvania which again with the

easy pass there is no reason to do that it scans it you don't have to do that which is why you have the easy pass exactly a little bizarre that he paid these you know uh... through the toll booth so to give you a sense of his whereabouts that night Jonathan lived about 14 miles or 22 kilometers northeast of the courthouse where he worked. And after leaving for the night late on the evening of December 3rd, Jonathan continued driving northeast on I-95,

which is the main north to South Highway on the East Coast, running all the way from Miami, Florida to the border of Maine and Canada. So like I said, he like surpassed his house and is carrying on into other states. So that automatically makes you think that maybe Jonathan is not driving his own car. Because if he was, probably wouldn't have stopped because he knows he has the easy pass. And also, why would he just go past his own home when he said he was gonna go home that night? The details are definitely strange

and they're gonna get even weirder. So he crossed from his home state of Maryland into neighboring Delaware before continuing Northeast into Pennsylvania. At 12.57 a.m. on 4th, his bank account showed that $200 was withdrawn from an ATM at the JFK Plaza Service Center, now known as the Delaware House Travel Plaza, which is a rest stop in Newark, Delaware, just across the border of Maryland and Delaware. Now unfortunately, no one can be sure if that charge was Jonathan or not.

Two hours later, at 2.47am, he paid a toll at the Delaware River Joint toll bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Then, at 3.20am, his card was used again at a gas station in Pennsylvania. And this was at a sonoco in King of Prussia, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia. Then, at 404am, Jonathan got off the Pennsylvania churn pike at the exit for Redding, Linkaster. The toll ticket from this exit, later discovered in his car car had a drop of blood on it, indicating that Jonathan may have already been injured at this point. Then he drove to the Senseneg and Weaver Well Drilling Incorporated, which is a well-drilling

contractor, located on Dry Tavern Road in Denver, Pennsylvania, and parked in the back of the building. Just over an hour later, Jonathan would be found dead. So let's kind of recap. I mean, this is a lot of stops. This is a lot of states he went through. I mean, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. You know, Maryland where he already was.

And seemingly for no reason as far as we know. Yeah. And so obviously, you know, this portion in the Northeast United States, the states are smaller. It takes a lot less time to go through them than say the West Coast from California, Oregon, Washington. So it's not totally crazy. But it's also like why would he be doing this late at night

when he worked all day, had an important trial, the following morning, and had to prepare for this. There's no reason he would be out until five in the morning driving around to different states. That's what I was going to say. He's a very responsible person, and we know this because we just talked about his character and how responsible he is Super. He's also a family man

So what would be the point of leaving the courthouse and driving through all these states and then you know And now we're at four in the morning and he's found in a different state in a parking lot. Yeah, it doesn't it doesn't make any sense and Just like you're saying with how responsible he is, knowing that just hours after all this driving around, all these errands, you have to go to court and do something very important for your career. I don't see him doing this. And then, you know, we have to talk about again,

the fact that he didn't use his easy pass. So was this him? Was it somebody else? Like what is going on? Well, it's kind of scary because he is, you know, he's prosecuting a very high profile case, so I don't know, I mean, it's very dangerous at that point. Absolutely. So at 5 a.m. on the morning of December 4, 2003. An employee of the drilling company Daniel Gaman arrived for his shift for the day. After clocking in and making a cup of coffee inside, Daniel came back out to fill the trucks up with gas for the day's work. But as he did, he noticed red lights a short

distance from the parking lot. Thinking that it may have been a drunk driver who had run off the road, he and a co-worker walked over to investigate. Yeah, because remember it is still dark outside. Yeah. So this was a rural area in the heart of Amish Country, Pennsylvania, and Daniel was surprised to see someone else there. Now the lights that they had seen were the dashboard lights of Jonathan's Honda, still running, but empty.

The front wheels nearly hung off the four-foot high bank of the creek that ran behind the business. Upon further inspection of the vehicle, Daniel was alarmed to see that blood was on the driver's seat and door. Then he saw Jonathan, face down in the water under the engine of the car, his body bloodied and lifeless. Upon finding Jonathan's body, the men contacted police and what was uncovered at the scene was obviously nothing short of baffling. Jonathan was still wearing the clothes he had worn in court the previous day, which was a suit and a black wool coat, with his work ID slung around his neck.

In addition to the blood on the driver's seat and the door, it was also splattered on the fender, and there was a pool of blood in the back seat of the car. So there's a lot of blood in a lot of different places both inside and outside the vehicle. About $200 in cash was scattered at the scene, but the most disturbing detail. Jonathan had been stabbed 36 times with his own pocket knife. More than half of the stab wounds were to his neck, but there were also cuts on his hands, bruises on his testicles, as well as indentations from fingernails. Some of the stab wounds, however, were superficial, and were what police called hesitation cuts,

which appeared to be self-inflicted. And often when someone is carrying out a suicide, for example, via maybe slitting their wrists or as in what may have happened in Jonathan's case stabbing themselves, which is exceedingly rare, the person will pause as they're carrying out this action, which leads to surface wounds instead of deeper ones. But this could also account for possibly a struggle. If someone was moving their body as they're being stabbed, it's possible that a few of those cuts or could be slices that aren't that deep. Absolutely agree.

Yes, of course. There's different scenarios. And it only bring up the potentially stabbing himself because that is what is going to be surmised as what potentially could have happened. But yeah, I completely agree with you. So Jonathan also had a blunt force injury to his head, which investigators posited,

had occurred when he fell into the creek. His carotid artery, which is the artery that supplies blood to the neck, face, and brain, had been slashed, leading to a very quick and dramatic loss of blood, but that's not what ultimately killed him. The water in Jonathan's lungs is what actually took his life, although if he hadn't drowned, it's likely that he would have bled out due to the cut on his neck.

At 8.05 a.m., 38-year-old Jonathan Luna was pronounced dead at the scene. Although the circumstances surrounding his death were extremely suspicious, and the FBI got involved right away, no suspects were announced, and in fact, the FBI wanted to rule it as suicide. I just like, I can't with these cases. I know, it's too tough. But the responding officers of Lancaster County Police, as well as two different corners,

remained convinced that it was a homicide. Finally, some smart people. Yeah, and a lengthy investigation was now underway. Jonathan's car was brought in for further inspection, and investigators found blood from a different person and a partial fingerprint that didn't match Jonathan's. I mean, that's a lot. Like, somebody else's blood? What else could that be other than somebody else being involved in this attack on Jonathan?

I mean, it definitely points in that direction. So while this didn't confirm that someone else was involved, it certainly brought forth a lot of questions. Alongside the evidence in the car, police officials had reason to believe based on security camera footage that a second car was driving with Jonathan on the night that he died. And I mean, this makes sense because we've talked about like kidnappings like this before. And oftentimes when something like this happens with a victim's car, there's usually a car following it. Yeah, absolutely. And luckily, with the surveillance footage that are able to view, you know, this includes the many tolls that Jonathan's vehicle went through.

Exactly. Even though it's 2003, they at least have that and are able to trace his whereabouts via the tolls and other cameras. So the credit card records from the Sonoco gas station in King of Prussia indicate that he may have paid to fill up another car in addition to his own. And some investigators believe that Jonathan had not been driving when his car stopped to pay for tolls.

Because obviously, like we said, he would have known to use his easy pass instead of stopping to pay for it. But whoever had been driving the car probably didn't. In the days following Jonathan's very sudden and shocking death, investigators scramble for more information. And Jonathan's case tried to move forward, but his family and friends reeled from the loss. I mean, again, he was such an amazing person.

He had two children, a wife, and then also to have all these questions of how he even died, you know, this is a lot to deal with. So the week after his son's death, Paul Luna told a local publication, quote, �I feel terrible, I can't sleep. The most I've slept all this week is about three hours. It would give me closure if they found and convicted the killer. The reason why I wanted to talk is because I want them to catch the killers. I'm trying to help. Whatever I can do, I'll do it. But as days passed and the investigation

wore on, Paul kind of changed his tune. As with anyone who dies under suspicious circumstances, every detail of their past and present lives, however mundane or sorted, comes to the surface to be picked apart by the media and spectators alike. And although Jonathan seemed to live his life by the book, you know, a family man who devoted his life to law and order, his secrets were no exception. So one week after Jonathan's death, law enforcement told reporters that they suspected his death had something to do with one of the cases that he was trying or one that he had tried in the past. Like he said, you know, this is the one that he's working on right now. At

least it's very high profile. It's dangerous. Yeah, very dangerous. And he's worked on many before. So FBI agents visited the Luna's that day and informed them that, regrettably, they still had no leads. You know, I mean, it is only a week later, but still within the first week, they feel like they have nothing. But a spokesman for the Baltimore's FBI office assured them, quote, "'Everybody's still working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get this thing resolved.'" Some blamed the very case that he had been close to wrapping up,

the case against Dion Smith and Walter Pointexter for ending his life, although neither law enforcement nor the FBI could find anything linking Jonathan's death to the men standing trial for heroin distribution. As Jonathan had suspected, the case ended in a plea bargain from the men and their defense lawyers and concluded without him.

But there was another case that Jonathan had prosecuted that was even more sensitive. So in 2002, an area man named Neko Ray Brown was on trial for robbery. Now Jonathan and his prosecution team were attempting to put Neko in prison for 25 years after he committed a string of robberies that he claimed was to save his failing gospel dinner theater company. Now I don't know what that is, but I'm just gonna kind of assume that it's pretty self-explanatory. Yeah, I think so.

A gospel dinner theater. Yeah, so he's saying he's just committing these robberies to save his own business. So, Neko's co-defendant, who assisted in at least one of the robberies, claimed that Neko justified it as service to a higher power, saying, quote, he said it was not like the money was going to personal things. It was going to a godly kingdom.

So weird. So Neko said in his trial that God gave him the idea to steal from banks to keep his company alive. I don't know. I don't know about that, man. So Neko committed at least four armed robberies stealing close to a half a million dollars That's a lot to save your theater company. Yeah, I don't think you need that much. I don't think so But the real controversy came during the trial when 36,000 of that half a million went missing and was never found

Now this came as a shock to the legal teams on both sides, and according to co-workers, Jonathan was particularly hard on himself about this. The FBI launched an investigation and some employees were even administered polygraph tests, but no one was ever convicted, and the money was never recovered. Jonathan himself had apparently been scheduled to take a polygraph test around the time that he died, which some say points to him being guilty, taking his own life to avoid being subjected to the test. I understand why you might, you know, theorize on that or speculate that, but the manner

of which he died and how bizarre that night was for him and all the things that he did Taking money out of an ATM. Why would you do that if you're just gonna end your life? And then to die via sound drowning and stabbing is I mean It's just an incredibly violent way to go not saying people can't do that, but I mean come on Yeah, it just doesn't seem that likely, but also to take your own life over a missing $36,000. It's not even like he was being convicted for it. They were just gonna give him a polygraph test,

which was routine. They're doing this with everybody. Yeah, they did it with everybody. And also it's like I said, it's not like it's a million or a few million dollars, it's $36,000. Yeah. So the source is unknown, but according to insiders in the Baltimore legal system, rumors swirled that Jonathan himself had been at fault,

taking the opportunity to cut down some of his debt. So while this seems odd for a prosecutor with an obstetrician wife who worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Luna's did have some credit card debt at the time of johnathan's death who doesn't yeah i mean that seems like a realistic thing for a lot of people what having debt yeah yeah i mean yeah everybody got some debt

it's like oh man uh... he took his life because he had debt and maybe took thirty six thousand dollars which is not even can't be substantiated in any way. I don't know, I just feel like, I don't know Jonathan personally, but knowing what we do know about him, this doesn't seem like something he would really do. Yeah, it kinda doesn't seem like his character,

not saying that people can't do things like this, but. I mean, who knows? So in addition to remaining student loans, Jonathan had a balance of about $25,000 remaining between credit cards, and he held as many as actually 16 credit cards, some of which his wife supposedly didn't even know about. Around the time as Neko's trial, but before the $36,000 went missing, Jonathan had applied for a loan of $30,000, but it was apparently withdrawn around the same

time that this money went missing, the $36K. And this is, I mean, it's probably just a coincidence, but there are people who believe that he stole the money and then spent the last year of his life trying to cover for it. One reporter, Eric Rich, explained that quote, one theory is that Jonathan Luna knew that he would have failed the polygraph. That would have had a devastating impact on his career and on his professional life, you know, that he might have faced charges in that. He certainly would have lost his job. In that theory, he then staged the abduction and then botched it by accidentally nicking an artery

or doing something else that caused him to die. It's an improbable sounding story, but everything about this case is improbable sounding. But another thought is, you know, is it possible that someone involved in the robbery case maybe just took revenge on him, or like the rumor suggests that he was guilty about stealing the money and then took his own life. I don't know, what do you think Keith? Just why we're talking about it right now. I don't know, it's like the scene of his death makes me feel like it's a homicide because

I don't know why you'd go through all the trouble to drive all that way. It's just so bizarre. And then stab yourself to death in a parking lot and then fall face down into a creek and drown yourself. Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me. And maybe other people out there think that it's possible. Anything is possible. Yeah, and that's totally fine to have your own theories or your own opinions on this because it is a crazy case. Yeah, I just, i don't know i personally don't think that i

feel like there has to be some other explanation but also so uh... johnathan supervisor at the time argued that many people had access to the money as it sat in evidence awaiting trial and that it also been left unattended and he claimed that johnathan was quote troubled because it happened during his watch but personally i have a hard time thinking he stole money so even a supervisor is saying that doesn't

sound like johnathan sounds like they just didn't do a very good job guarding this thirty six k yeah so that's what he that's what his supervisor saying is that could have been anybody he had guilt over the fact that it went missing on his watch and maybe that's why he felt bad but not that he felt bad because he was behind it and something really weird too that I mean it may have no correlation at all but it is weird that there was thirty six,000 stolen and Jonathan Luna was stabbed 36 times. Yeah, kind of kind of strange. It's kind of spooky.

It's a little bit spooky, but also like you're saying, may have no connection whatsoever. So the more the FBI and law enforcement dug, the more speculation came out. In addition to the NACO Brown controversy, Jonathan had reportedly been budding heads with a colleague, U.S. Attorney Thomas DeBiasio. Thomas had reviewed Jonathan's work performance a short time before his death, and apparently gave him a poor evaluation.

Co-workers even recall him telling Jonathan in a moment of anger, quote, don't come into work tomorrow and to, quote, pack his bags. This prompted Jonathan to hire his own lawyer in the event of an unlawful termination. So Jonathan was hurt by the criticism and according to colleagues, his work suffered. One work friend claimed that about a week before his death, Jonathan mentioned that he was considering leaving.

Another said quote, Jonathan was a human and certainly felt the effects of his own offices scrutiny, and he was struggling with that. Some speculate the pressure of balancing taking care of his parents, wife and children, paying off his debts, and all the work controversies that had been fallen him lately became too much for him to handle, and he needed a way out. An interesting anecdote to this theory, Thomas de Biazio resigned from his position

just over a year later, citing that he was being pressured by corrupt politicians wanting to protect their financial interests. Thomas was pursuing justice in the case of the governor at the time who was suspected of taking bribes from gambling lobbyists to promote new slot machines. At the time gambling was also illegal in Baltimore. So before and after his resignation, Thomas has maintained that he had nothing to do with Jonathan's death.

Another aspect of Jonathan's life that was broadcast after his death was his potential relationship with other women outside of his marriage. You know, like the rest of these rumors, this is purely speculation, but law enforcement located a profile of someone by the name of Jonathan Luna on a dating website. I mean, it's not the most uncommon name. That's what i was going to say there's probably a lot of johnathan luna's out there you're not even the the only heath marimen on this planet which is shocking and i think i'm the only dafty wolson crop though is that true is there another heath marimen i think there's a couple always going

fucking down but i feel like you have of fairly unique name now i'm just kidding i I love you, other Heath. So there was apparently no picture attached to this dating website, but this man described himself as a married black man in his 30s, which is what Jonathan Luna was, discreetly looking for a sexual partner and saying that he preferred blondes and redheads.

Law enforcement announced that they were looking into two potential women with whom Jonathan had a relationship, although they did not disclose details on what kind of relationship it was exactly. One publication even falsely printed that Jonathan had a daughter from another relationship, which is quite the jump to take.

And Jonathan's parents did admit that they remember him making extra trips to Philadelphia in the weeks and months leading up to his death, but Jonathan's father protested that his son was not the kind of person to have an extra marital affair, saying saying quote, I don't know anything about a love life of Jonathan's outside of his marriage. His mom Rosela agreed quote, do I believe it? No, I don't. So although that's not very relevant to the case, even if he did have an extra marital affair, the only way I would find it relevant is if somebody attached to one of those potential affairs was the person who killed Jonathan. Like a jealous boyfriend or an ex-husband or something.

But it's super unclear. So the media frenzy surrounding the case really was getting to Jonathan's family. His wife Angela refused to speak to reporters, just keeping herself and her sons out of the spotlight. Morning privately and trying to move on peacefully, which is totally fair, it's not fair that anybody is hounded by the media after they lose a loved one. Yeah, and it's kind of bullshit that that does happen. It really is.

Because it's like things, you know, people die and then all of a sudden there's this, these crazy wild accusations and there's these rumors that are being being put out there. I mean, and none of it, as we're saying, was ever substantiated. Yeah. So I mean, people could be so rude and so mean in Cold Harden. So after speaking with a few outlets to get their son's story to the public, the Luna's vowed to stop as well. And Jonathan's dad Paul said, quote, we want to be left alone for now. Two weeks after Jonathan's death, close to a thousand mourners gathered at the

long-reach church of God in Columbia, Maryland, which is where his parents lived, to celebrate his life. Many of Jonathan's colleagues, including Thomas Diabaggio, were in attendance. Diabaggio, Di Biaggio. Oh, Christ. It's so hard to say that guys. Di Biaggio. Di Biaggio. Di Biaggio. Sorry, Tommy. His tombstone simply says, quote, the Lord is my shepherd. Despite all the controversy surrounding his very mysterious death. Jonathan is remembered as a decent and gentle man who never forgot where he came from and was committed to helping those who were less fortunate. He gave his career to the cause

and it may have cost him his life as well. His college roommate and lifelong friend, Reggie Schuford, who is now the executive director of the ACLU in Pennsylvania, said of Jonathan, quote, The brutality of his murder is directly opposite to the gentle way that he lived his life. It's painful to the extent that all too quickly it became speculative and personal and salacious. It is not painful because we know what a great person Jonathan was. We know his character and nothing can shake that.

In 2004, a man named William Kiesling published a book called The Midnight Ride of Jonathan Luna detailing all of the corruption within the case and possible theories that led to Jonathan's murder. In 2020, a private investigator named William Buckingham took up the case, so about 17 years later, saying that he was sure that there was corruption involved from the FBI in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police. After denying William's request for access to the coroner records, Lancaster County sealed the records with a grant from a judge making them inaccessible. That's incredibly suspicious to me.

Yeah, they're like, we don't want anybody looking into this. Why not? William responded, quote, I know who sanctioned it, who did it, and who was behind the hit. If I know it, why don't state police know it? Although William and many others believe the FBI are involved, they are still offering a reward of $100,000 for information in Jonathan's death. And the investigation is still ongoing. If you have any knowledge of what happened to Jonathan Luna, although this may sound

contradictory, please call the FBI tip line at 1-800-225-532-4. 5, 3, 2, 4. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. And on Tuesday, right? Tuesday, right? Friday. On Friday, we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. We've done so many episodes in the last like five days. It's crazy.

We're trying to get ahead for Thanksgiving. So we'll see you after Thanksgiving if you celebrate the eating of food with your family. That's all it is. And for everybody else, just have a generally great Thursday. But if you are celebrating with family, we hope you have a great time. If not, hope you can just enjoy a day of peace. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. 1.5% 2.5% 2.5% 2.5%

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