Kathy Pinna
Demanding death, son gets life
Christopher Lunz asked for death and got life. Convicted of killing his father, Lunz, 39, took the witness stand in the penalty phase of his trial Friday and demanded that jurors "bring on the electricity" in the most outlandish courtroom performance that the case's attorneys could recall. "The most bizarre presentation I've ever seen," said veteran prosecutor Mark McGarry.
Over a rambling 45 minutes, Lunz took no responsibility for the death of his father, David Lunz of Palm Harbor. He said his father was executed just as he would be executed. He told jurors he was a serial killer of pedophiles and had murdered 20 people whose bodies have never been found. He described a childhood of abuse and an adulthood of addiction. He talked about having multiple personalities. And he described choking a man and leaving him dead.
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Dee Anna Farnell asked Lunz if he was certain. Lunz responded that the four voices in his head had taken a poll and the vote was 3-1. Authorities say Christopher Lunz ordered his housemate, William Westerman, 26, to shoot his father with a shotgun after the two men drove from North Carolina to Palm Harbor to pay him a visit. On March 6, 2003, they arrived at David Lunz's home near Lake Tarpon. Westerman testified this week that father and son, who hadn't seen each other in years, greeted each other with a hug. The three men then went inside the house and chatted, shooting the breeze until Christopher Lunz went to the kitchen to bring his dad a present, Westerman said.
It was a sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun. Lunz smashed it into the back of his father's head, Westerman said, setting off a fight that ended after Lunz tossed the gun to him. While the younger Lunz held his father in a chokehold, he instructed Westerman: "Shoot him! Shoot him! . . . Get a pillow and put it over the shotgun to muffle the noise." David Lunz was shot in the head at close range.
Prosecutors argued that Lunz orchestrated the murder to inherit money. Westerman, who was also charged in the slaying, agreed to plead guilty and testify against Lunz in exchange for a 30-year prison sentence. Throughout the trial, Lunz had called his former best friend a liar, a drug abuser, a deadbeat dad. On Friday, Lunz said he had nothing bad to say about Westerman, that he loved that boy. One of his defense attorneys, Dyril Flanagan, reminded him that Westerman was the triggerman, and asked if he was comfortable with his plea deal.
"I think he did nothing wrong," Lunz said. "I think he shouldn't be in jail. I think he should be a free man."
Before Lunz began his testimony, he asked the judge to remove his younger sister from the courtroom. He said her presence would make him too emotional. Later, he called Jennifer Lunz, 35, the truest human being in the world. She was the only person who loved him, and it was mutual. "Westerman, I love him. But he does for himself," Lunz said. "There's people I love. But I'm not a lovable man."
Christopher Lunz told jurors he had no remorse for his father's murder, without admitting to killing him because "there's still possible appeals and things like that." He said the victim was an "evil, evil man" who sexually abused him as a child. He admitted to being addicted to crack, to nearly molesting a boy and teenage girls, but holding back and taking pride in his restraint. He said that once, after getting out of prison in New Jersey after serving a 3-year sentence for stealing a police car in Miami, he killed a man who was about to sexually abuse a young girl. The two men had just gotten high in a bathroom.
Lunz put the man in a chokehold after finding him with the girl, he said. "And he didn't get up," Lunz continued. "He died right there. Choked him to death. . . . I haven't been arrested for that."
He thought it was a good thing to do, killing pedophiles, Lunz said. He estimated a death toll of 20. "I think them through. Is it more wrong, is it more right? I think them through."
At one point, he smirked at his defense table. "My lawyers are out there having a fit. "Shut up!' they're saying. "Shut up! You're going to have another trial.' But I live by the truth." Lunz paused for a moment. Then, he continued: "The kill is good, don't get me wrong. You feel like you've done something good taking one of these people out." The defendant then told jurors to have no compassion for him. He wanted to die. In the past he tried getting help for himself, writing to Dr. Phil, to senators, telling them what was going on, that he was killing people, he said. But authorities never found any bodies, no DNA.
"But you know what, I found out you could be convicted without DNA evidence!" said Lunz, referring to his own case, in which no physical evidence tied him to the crime scene. "I'm laughing. I don't care. Make sure I die. Please." If he had to call them nasty names, he would. "I don't like you," he told jurors, cursing at them. "Don't have remorse. Bring on the electricity."
As he finished his testimony, he pounded the witness stand and told jurors to take care of business. By the way, he added, this whole trial he's worn a 15-pound "shocker" on his leg in case he makes a threatening move. "The cat's out of the bag," he said. His defense attorneys were blindsided. In response to a question about his mental disorders, Lunz said: "I'm not looking to mitigate nothing. Fry me up."
"I now know what it feels like to be hit by a ton of bricks," said defense attorney Keith Hammond, who had just 35 days to prepare for the capital murder case because Lunz had insisted on a speedy trial. Lunz told the court that he had devised this all along. "I was quoted earlier as saying he has a master plan," said Flanagan, the other attorney. "I think that is coming to fruition." "We were puppets," Hammond said.
As Farnell sentenced him to life in prison, Lunz shook his head and appeared to talk to himself. The judge imposed the sentence after jurors spent just 40 minutes deliberating. Unlike Lunz, jurors had no comment on the case.
- Tampa Bay Times on June 10, 2006 by Vanessa De La Torre
Over a rambling 45 minutes, Lunz took no responsibility for the death of his father, David Lunz of Palm Harbor. He said his father was executed just as he would be executed. He told jurors he was a serial killer of pedophiles and had murdered 20 people whose bodies have never been found. He described a childhood of abuse and an adulthood of addiction. He talked about having multiple personalities. And he described choking a man and leaving him dead.
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Dee Anna Farnell asked Lunz if he was certain. Lunz responded that the four voices in his head had taken a poll and the vote was 3-1. Authorities say Christopher Lunz ordered his housemate, William Westerman, 26, to shoot his father with a shotgun after the two men drove from North Carolina to Palm Harbor to pay him a visit. On March 6, 2003, they arrived at David Lunz's home near Lake Tarpon. Westerman testified this week that father and son, who hadn't seen each other in years, greeted each other with a hug. The three men then went inside the house and chatted, shooting the breeze until Christopher Lunz went to the kitchen to bring his dad a present, Westerman said.
It was a sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun. Lunz smashed it into the back of his father's head, Westerman said, setting off a fight that ended after Lunz tossed the gun to him. While the younger Lunz held his father in a chokehold, he instructed Westerman: "Shoot him! Shoot him! . . . Get a pillow and put it over the shotgun to muffle the noise." David Lunz was shot in the head at close range.
Prosecutors argued that Lunz orchestrated the murder to inherit money. Westerman, who was also charged in the slaying, agreed to plead guilty and testify against Lunz in exchange for a 30-year prison sentence. Throughout the trial, Lunz had called his former best friend a liar, a drug abuser, a deadbeat dad. On Friday, Lunz said he had nothing bad to say about Westerman, that he loved that boy. One of his defense attorneys, Dyril Flanagan, reminded him that Westerman was the triggerman, and asked if he was comfortable with his plea deal.
"I think he did nothing wrong," Lunz said. "I think he shouldn't be in jail. I think he should be a free man."
Before Lunz began his testimony, he asked the judge to remove his younger sister from the courtroom. He said her presence would make him too emotional. Later, he called Jennifer Lunz, 35, the truest human being in the world. She was the only person who loved him, and it was mutual. "Westerman, I love him. But he does for himself," Lunz said. "There's people I love. But I'm not a lovable man."
Christopher Lunz told jurors he had no remorse for his father's murder, without admitting to killing him because "there's still possible appeals and things like that." He said the victim was an "evil, evil man" who sexually abused him as a child. He admitted to being addicted to crack, to nearly molesting a boy and teenage girls, but holding back and taking pride in his restraint. He said that once, after getting out of prison in New Jersey after serving a 3-year sentence for stealing a police car in Miami, he killed a man who was about to sexually abuse a young girl. The two men had just gotten high in a bathroom.
Lunz put the man in a chokehold after finding him with the girl, he said. "And he didn't get up," Lunz continued. "He died right there. Choked him to death. . . . I haven't been arrested for that."
He thought it was a good thing to do, killing pedophiles, Lunz said. He estimated a death toll of 20. "I think them through. Is it more wrong, is it more right? I think them through."
At one point, he smirked at his defense table. "My lawyers are out there having a fit. "Shut up!' they're saying. "Shut up! You're going to have another trial.' But I live by the truth." Lunz paused for a moment. Then, he continued: "The kill is good, don't get me wrong. You feel like you've done something good taking one of these people out." The defendant then told jurors to have no compassion for him. He wanted to die. In the past he tried getting help for himself, writing to Dr. Phil, to senators, telling them what was going on, that he was killing people, he said. But authorities never found any bodies, no DNA.
"But you know what, I found out you could be convicted without DNA evidence!" said Lunz, referring to his own case, in which no physical evidence tied him to the crime scene. "I'm laughing. I don't care. Make sure I die. Please." If he had to call them nasty names, he would. "I don't like you," he told jurors, cursing at them. "Don't have remorse. Bring on the electricity."
As he finished his testimony, he pounded the witness stand and told jurors to take care of business. By the way, he added, this whole trial he's worn a 15-pound "shocker" on his leg in case he makes a threatening move. "The cat's out of the bag," he said. His defense attorneys were blindsided. In response to a question about his mental disorders, Lunz said: "I'm not looking to mitigate nothing. Fry me up."
"I now know what it feels like to be hit by a ton of bricks," said defense attorney Keith Hammond, who had just 35 days to prepare for the capital murder case because Lunz had insisted on a speedy trial. Lunz told the court that he had devised this all along. "I was quoted earlier as saying he has a master plan," said Flanagan, the other attorney. "I think that is coming to fruition." "We were puppets," Hammond said.
As Farnell sentenced him to life in prison, Lunz shook his head and appeared to talk to himself. The judge imposed the sentence after jurors spent just 40 minutes deliberating. Unlike Lunz, jurors had no comment on the case.
- Tampa Bay Times on June 10, 2006 by Vanessa De La Torre
Trey Haas 
