Lucas Jury Urged to Consider Each Slaying Separately

A lawyer for murder suspect David Lucas told jurors Thursday that they must consider each murder charge separately from the others and criticized the prosecutor’s final argument as trying to “inflame” the jury.

Steve Feldman, who presented his final argument all day Thursday, is expected to finish his presentation today. Also today, Alex Landon, another attorney for the 33-year-old carpet cleaner from Spring Valley, will give his closing argument.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan Williams will then give a rebuttal and San Diego Superior Court Judge Laura Hammes will then instruct the jury, which is not likely to begin deliberations until Monday.

Lucas is charged with six murders, four of which occurred in East County, and an attempted-murder charge stemming from an attack on a woman in El Cajon who has identified Lucas as her attacker.

On Wednesday, Williams gave a dramatic presentation, calling Lucas “a butcher” who had a “lust for death.” Feldman criticized Williams to the jury repeatedly Thursday, saying Williams had “thrown words around to inflame you.”

Feldman methodically went through most of the killings and listed details that, he said, require jurors to acquit Lucas on all charges.

In contrast to the prosecutor’s sweeping statements linking Lucas to all seven throat slashings as part of a pattern, Feldman told jurors they must evaluate the facts on each charge and not consider them jointly.

Feldman tried to cast blame for some of the killings on other people, focusing much of his argument on Johnny Massingale, a mildly retarded drifter from Harlan, Ky., who once was charged with killing two of the people that authorities now attribute to Lucas.