WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- The violent death of a U.S. prosecutor -- initially thought to have been tortured to death -- may have been a suicide, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Jonathan Luna, 38, was found dead Dec. 4 face down in an eastern Pennsylvania creek. His body had been stabbed 36 times, in what initially was seen as a torture and revenge killing by drug lords whom the assistant U.S. attorney had prosecuted.
However, more extensive review of his death has prompted experts to suggest suicide.
There are no obvious signs Luna struggled. The stab wounds, many of them superficial, were on his chest and neck.
Two forensic scientists not connected with the case said the number of stab wounds -- which a coroner initially said suggested Luna had been tortured -- does not rule out suicide.
Known as hesitation marks, shallow wounds are sometimes seen in suicides though rarely in such number, said Henry Lee, a Connecticut forensic scientist who often testifies as an expert witness in criminal cases.
Additionally, investigators believe Luna's pocketknife was used in the stabbing, law enforcement sources said.
Also, the absence of evidence pointing to another person has fueled the suicide theory, though not all detectives accept it.
