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David Lunz, an aeroplane machinist and retired marine, was found fatally shot in his home in Palm Harbour, Florida, by authorities during a welfare check in March 2003. The crime scene suggested that a struggle had taken place between David and the killer(s), and the victim had suffered severe head trauma before he was shot.
The case went cold for two years until authorities recovered the murder weapon and received a vital tip from the ex-girlfriend of a man named William Westerman, who eventually confessed to committing the murder with David's stepson, Christopher Lunz. William pleaded guilty and was given less than 30 years in prison.
![Christopher Lunz [left] and William Westerman [right] (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime)](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/07/820c9-16892918716881-1920.jpg)
On the other hand, Christopher was found guilty, and while serving time in prison, he murdered a convicted child molester a day before killing himself in his cell. He had previously claimed that he was a serial killer of p*dophiles and s*x offenders.
An upcoming episode of A Time to Kill on ID is slated to chronicle David Lunz's murder this Thursday, July 13, 2023. The episode, titled Semper Fi or Die, will air on the channel at 9 pm ET. The official synopsis of the episode states:
"When Florida investigators find a retired Marine beaten then slain by a shotgun blast in his home, their suspect list grows from his estranged son to a mystery woman he'd just met to a possible serial killer."
Retired marine David Lunz suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was shot once with a shotgun
David Lunz's neighbor reportedly called 911, requesting a welfare check, in the evening hours of March 8, 2003, expressing concern about not having seen the retired marine for a while. When authorities arrived at David's house, they found the front door open and a pile of newspapers outside.
Inside the house, the living room was a complete mess, with stuff knocked over, chairs overturned, and bloodstains on the carpet. The bloody trail led towards the hallway near the bedroom, where David was found dead in a pool of his own blood. The 56-year-old suffered severe head trauma and had been shot at close range.
Authorities ruled out robbery after finding considerable cash still in the house. Given the living room's condition, they determined that a struggle between Daid Lunz and the killer(s) started there. Moreover, a Smith & Wesson .38/44 revolver case, likely from the missing murder weapon, was found by the bedstand during the search.
While conducting interviews with David's colleagues, authorities learned from his supervisor that he was at work on March 6 but failed to show up the following day. This information was used to determine the date and time of the murder, considering that the victim left work around 5:30 pm on the last day he was at work. The medical examiner ruled that he was murdered sometime between then and 10 pm.
David Lunz's murder was solved after authorities received a crucial tip, which led them to one of the killers
During the initial stages of David Lunz's murder investigation, detectives learned about his second wife, Laura, who had passed earlier in February that same year. They also found out about his stepson Christopher Lunz, who had a criminal background and lived nine hours away in Sylva, North Carolina.
They failed to link Christopher to David's murder, which ended the streak of leads causing the case to go cold for two years. Then in October 2005, a fisherman found a gun on the Cedar Cliff Lake banks, which matched the murder weapon.
However, the detectives only got a significant breakthrough after receiving a tip from a woman named Sarah Martini from North Carolina, who alleged that her former boyfriend William Westerman's friend had asked him to murder someone. Sarah also provided a picture of William's forehead wound caused from the gun's recoil.
William eventually confessed to authorities once confronted with the information and incriminated David Lunz's stepson Christopher Lunz as the mastermind. The latter was reportedly furious when his mother died, and his stepfather inherited the family's entire wealth.
Christopher then decided to commit murder for the inheritance. He first assaulted David with a sawed-off shotgun before passing the weapon to William to fire the shot, using a pillow as the silencer. Additionally, they stole the firearm and a gold Fendi watch from the crime scene and dumped the weapon in the lake.
More about the case
William Westerman pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and agreed to testify against his accomplice in exchange for a prison sentence of less than 30 years.
Meanwhile, Christopher Lunz went ot trial and asserted that his stepfather David Lunz s*xually assaulted him and that he was serial killer of p*dophiles and s*x offenders. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and other robbery charges, receiving life in prison without the possibilty of parole.
While serving his sentence in prison, he confessed to the slaying of a child molester. After being transferred to the Florida State Prison, he murdered a convicted child molester about a day before killing himself in September 2009.
Learn more about David Lunz's case on ID's A Time to Kill this Thursday.
