Post by marion on Jun 12, 2006 2:20:50 GMT -5
Convicted killer sentenced to life in prison after begging jurors for the death penalty
Christopher Lunz was found guilty
of killing his father in a scheme to
get his inheritance.
By Bo Rosser
Court TV
June 9, 2006
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A North Carolina man convicted of killing his father to collect his inheritance was sentenced to life in prison Friday, despite his impassioned plea for the death penalty.
Christopher Lunz, 38, begged the jury for a death sentence after testifying about his tortured life of child sexual abuse, drugs and murder.
"I want you to hate me, make sure I die," Christopher Lunz said. "Please make sure I die." (VIDEO)
Lunz shook his head several times and rolled his eyes after the sentence was read.
Judge Dee Anna Farnell followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.
The panel found Lunz guilty Thursday of first-degree murder for plotting his estranged father's murder in his Florida home in March 2003.
Lunz, who represented himself during the trial, addressed the jury in a 45-minute monologue in which he described having a split personality and being sexually molested by his father.
Enduring such abuse at a young age defined his life, Lunz said, and forced him to kill other child molesters.
The first time he committed murder, he was in a crack-induced haze, Lunz said. After witnessing a drug buddy molest a baby in a hotel room, Lunz said he choked the man to death and disposed of the body.
"He was the first pedophile in over 20 I've killed," Lunz said. "I decided it was a good thing to do."
Lunz testified that he had turned himself in to the FBI, to mental hospitals and to funeral parlors, but because no victims materialized, there was never any follow-up to his confessions.
"You actually feel good when you take out one of these people," Lunz said.
The 38-year-old offered a desperate take on a world riddled with problems including overcrowded schools, war, drug abuse, prostitution and loneliness. He told jurors through tears that he had never been in love or had any friends.
"[My sister] is the truest person on this planet," Lunz said. "She's the only one who loves me, the only person I've ever had a mutual relationship with."
Lunz's relationship with William Westerman, a former roommate who testified against Lunz, seemed to exemplify the isolation he felt throughout his life.
"I love [Westerman], but he does for himself," Lunz said. "I am not a lovable guy, you know?"
Westerman pleaded guilty to firing the gun that killed Lunz's father, but denied knowing about the murder plot until the two men were in the victim's home and he was ordered to shoot. Westerman avoided the death penalty for his testimony.
Even though Westerman turned on him, Lunz reiterated his feelings for the younger man.
"I have nothing bad to say about [him]," Lunz told jurors. "I love that boy. He's a sex-abuse survivor."
Westerman testified earlier that Lunz was a father figure who took him in after his own father skipped town.
Prosecutors called no witnesses in the penalty phase after Lunz was convicted following a three-day trial. Despite confessing to multiple murders, Lunz maintains he did not kill his father and that Westerman framed him.
Judge Dee Anna Farnell, who repeatedly advised Lunz not to represent himself, asked the convicted murderer about his mental capacity after the bombshell testimony, in which he described having four different people in his head who "vote" when he needs to make a decision.
"I have identified them, separated them, and I've learned which ones to use in situations," Lunz said. "I am able to fix myself."
After the judge's questions, Lunz said he would abandon his self-representation and allow his lawyers to take over, but added that he was fit to stand trial and represent himself.
Lunz asked why the world can't unite and speculated about how citizens would act if aliens landed on earth.
"Every problem we have in this world can be solved, every single one, " Lunz said. "What happens one day when someone comes down from outer space?"
Christopher Lunz was found guilty
of killing his father in a scheme to
get his inheritance.
By Bo Rosser
Court TV
June 9, 2006
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A North Carolina man convicted of killing his father to collect his inheritance was sentenced to life in prison Friday, despite his impassioned plea for the death penalty.
Christopher Lunz, 38, begged the jury for a death sentence after testifying about his tortured life of child sexual abuse, drugs and murder.
"I want you to hate me, make sure I die," Christopher Lunz said. "Please make sure I die." (VIDEO)
Lunz shook his head several times and rolled his eyes after the sentence was read.
Judge Dee Anna Farnell followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.
The panel found Lunz guilty Thursday of first-degree murder for plotting his estranged father's murder in his Florida home in March 2003.
Lunz, who represented himself during the trial, addressed the jury in a 45-minute monologue in which he described having a split personality and being sexually molested by his father.
Enduring such abuse at a young age defined his life, Lunz said, and forced him to kill other child molesters.
The first time he committed murder, he was in a crack-induced haze, Lunz said. After witnessing a drug buddy molest a baby in a hotel room, Lunz said he choked the man to death and disposed of the body.
"He was the first pedophile in over 20 I've killed," Lunz said. "I decided it was a good thing to do."
Lunz testified that he had turned himself in to the FBI, to mental hospitals and to funeral parlors, but because no victims materialized, there was never any follow-up to his confessions.
"You actually feel good when you take out one of these people," Lunz said.
The 38-year-old offered a desperate take on a world riddled with problems including overcrowded schools, war, drug abuse, prostitution and loneliness. He told jurors through tears that he had never been in love or had any friends.
"[My sister] is the truest person on this planet," Lunz said. "She's the only one who loves me, the only person I've ever had a mutual relationship with."
Lunz's relationship with William Westerman, a former roommate who testified against Lunz, seemed to exemplify the isolation he felt throughout his life.
"I love [Westerman], but he does for himself," Lunz said. "I am not a lovable guy, you know?"
Westerman pleaded guilty to firing the gun that killed Lunz's father, but denied knowing about the murder plot until the two men were in the victim's home and he was ordered to shoot. Westerman avoided the death penalty for his testimony.
Even though Westerman turned on him, Lunz reiterated his feelings for the younger man.
"I have nothing bad to say about [him]," Lunz told jurors. "I love that boy. He's a sex-abuse survivor."
Westerman testified earlier that Lunz was a father figure who took him in after his own father skipped town.
Prosecutors called no witnesses in the penalty phase after Lunz was convicted following a three-day trial. Despite confessing to multiple murders, Lunz maintains he did not kill his father and that Westerman framed him.
Judge Dee Anna Farnell, who repeatedly advised Lunz not to represent himself, asked the convicted murderer about his mental capacity after the bombshell testimony, in which he described having four different people in his head who "vote" when he needs to make a decision.
"I have identified them, separated them, and I've learned which ones to use in situations," Lunz said. "I am able to fix myself."
After the judge's questions, Lunz said he would abandon his self-representation and allow his lawyers to take over, but added that he was fit to stand trial and represent himself.
Lunz asked why the world can't unite and speculated about how citizens would act if aliens landed on earth.
"Every problem we have in this world can be solved, every single one, " Lunz said. "What happens one day when someone comes down from outer space?"