Bond reduction request for Donna man facing death penalty denied
EDINBURG — A 29-year-old Donna man accused of capital murder had his bond reduction request denied after being arraigned for a separate aggravated assault indictment by state District Judge Letty Lopez Friday morning.
Geoffrey Jay Luna is accused of murdering 16-year-old Julian Zuniga on Jan. 16, 2025, during a drug deal gone wrong, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
His brother, 33-year-old Leeroy Luna, is also charged with capital murder and is a co-defendant in the case. He is not facing the death penalty.
The both have pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this year, Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios said the state was seeking the death penalty on Geoffrey Jay Luna due to his criminal history.
Lopez, the judge, gave the same reason to Geoffrey Jay Luna’s attorney Rogelio Garza who fought to have his client’s bonds reduced.
Lopez stated that she doesn’t understand what it’s like to be in Geoffrey Jay Luna’s position but that having the death penalty looming over his head could be reason enough for him to be a flight risk to which Garza agreed.
The judge then recalled that his brother, Leeroy Luna, had fled to Kansas after allegedly killing Zuniga.
At around 8:08 p.m. on Jan. 16, deputies responded to the 1900 block of Walker Road in Donna after a Hidalgo County Precinct 1 constable made a call for assistance.
That constable had reported that they chased a gray Jeep Cherokee driven by a man who was “covered in blood.”
The driver of the Cherokee told police that he dropped his brother off — Zuniga — at the Alamo Freestanding Emergency Room after being shot.
As for the aggravated assault charge he was arraigned on Thursday, the indictment accuses him of using his hand to strike a man called Felix Luna while displaying a deadly weapon.
That incident also allegedly happened on Jan. 16 — the day of the murder.
Both Geoffrey Jay Luna and Leeroy Luna remain jailed on $2.1 million and $1.35 million in bonds, respectively.
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