GUILTY OH - Dr Gulam Moonda, 69, shot to death on Ohio Turnpike, 13 May 2005

lisalou

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I thought this case was interesting. Short and sweet of it: Dr. from PA is travelling with wife/mother in law on Ohio Turnpike to Toledo. They pull over to the side of the road to change drivers when, allegedly, a black mini-van or suv pulls up behind them (sorry folks, but if that happened to me, I wouldn't mosey on over to ask how their day was...I'd be off and running). Guy approaches dr. and demands $$. Dr. gives him his wallet, when guy shoots dr. in head. No leads on the black vehicle.

I'm going to cut and paste the story as it appears on the local news website (www.newsnet5.com for anyone intersted). (I hope that's ok). Anyway, intesting to me that this crime occurred at 6:30 pm, on a Friday night, and NO ONE can remember seeing the vehicle? Maybe there was no vehicle.


Authorities Release 911 Call Made After Turnpike Murder
Police Continue To Look For Gunman Who Killed Doctor



POSTED: 6:29 pm EDT May 16, 2005


CLEVELAND -- Investigators Monday released a 911 call made just after a Pennsylvania doctor was shot and killed along the Ohio Turnpike in Broadview Heights.

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Turnpike 911 Call
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The person who robbed and killed Dr. Gulam Moonda Friday evening is still on the loose.

Moonda, his wife and mother-in-law had just pulled off to the side of the road to change drivers when the gunman pulled up and demanded money.

Officers say the gunman shot Moonda after the victim had handed over his wallet.

Police say the person that sped away in what they believe to be a dark-colored minivan.

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SLIDESHOW: Doctor Shot In Head On Turnpike



NewsChannel5's John Kosich reported that there is technology available that could have helped find the person responsible sooner.

A turnpike is the only type of highway where every driver is forced to come in contact with a person at a tollbooth.

Many states have cameras at these places that have helped police catch killers.

But there are no such cameras at Ohio's toll plazas.



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The turnpike's executive director told NewsChannel5 that the Turnpike Commission has extensive security measures in place to protect toll workers, but the cameras are something they have not considered and are not considering for the future.

Although many other states also don't use cameras, the states that do have them in place have found them to be helpful.

In Pennsylvania, there was a case where a man murdered his wife, wrapped the body in a tarp, put it in his pickup truck and drove off to bury her.

But he took the Pennsylvania Turnpike, so he and his truck were caught on tape.

Another tool that has proven helpful to law enforcement tracking suspects is the E-Z Pass, a system that electronically deducts tolls from a prepaid account.

Ohio doesn't utilize this system, either.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol believes there's someone out there that can help them catch Moonda's killer.

People who may have seen something while traveling on the Ohio Turnpike last Friday are urged to contact the highway patrol at (440) 234-2096.



Previous Stories:

Copyright 2005 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
lisalou--

Thank you for the updates on this murder. I was at a wedding reception last Saturday night with a lot of people who worked with this doctor. In fact, he was supposed to be at the reception. I heard many good things about how generous this man was to patients who had trouble affording medical care and also to people who worked at the hospital with him and were in a financial bind. Apparently he would routinely help people financiallly. Not a real common thing.
 
They mentioned this story on Greta tonight...

I AIN'T BUYIN' IT! An armed, homicidal wallet thief JUST HAPPENS to be at the scene when this couple pulls over to switch drivers, huh? Reminds me of Robert and Maria Marshall...

My advice: LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT MRS. DOCTOR
 
Update--
The doctor's wife, who was seen sobbing and crying on TV, has a record of her own. She was a nurse anesthetist who was let go because she had an addiction to fentanyl. Next it came out that a "person of interest" in the case, a man exactly half her age, was being checked out. It seems they met in rehab and have been "friends" or having an affair, depending upon who is telling it. Today we heard that she had talked about divorce and how much money she would get. The POI is in jail on probation violation because a search of his apt turned up drugs and paraphernalia. No one has been named as a suspect yet, but there is a lot of suspicion. The plot thickens...
 
Opie said:
Update--
The doctor's wife, who was seen sobbing and crying on TV, has a record of her own. She was a nurse anesthetist who was let go because she had an addiction to fentanyl. Next it came out that a "person of interest" in the case, a man exactly half her age, was being checked out. It seems they met in rehab and have been "friends" or having an affair, depending upon who is telling it. Today we heard that she had talked about divorce and how much money she would get. The POI is in jail on probation violation because a search of his apt turned up drugs and paraphernalia. No one has been named as a suspect yet, but there is a lot of suspicion. The plot thickens...
I knew that story was bogus!

Thanks for the update...we don't hear much about this in the Columbus area, so keep 'em comin'!
 
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05144/509416.stm



Tuesday, May 24, 2005

By Nate Guidry and Brian David, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Authorities investigating the killing of a Mercer County doctor along the Ohio Turnpike are focusing on the relationship between the victim's wife and a Beaver County man with a history of gun and drug arrests.

Confidential informants told police that Donna Moonda had an ongoing relationship with Damian R. Bradford, 23, whom she met at a drug rehabilitation program, and said she was planning to divorce her husband and collect a $3 million to $4 million settlement, according to an affidavit.

Dr. Gulam Moonda was fatally shot in the head May 13 on the turnpike about 16 miles south of Cleveland, after turning money over to a robber. Donna Moonda and her mother were traveling with the doctor and witnessed the slaying, but were unhurt.

Police have not identified a suspect or suspects in the case. On Friday, they executed two search warrants at Bradford's apartment in Monaca and arrested him after finding a controlled substance and suspected drug paraphernalia.

According to the affidavit, police initially searched the apartment looking for evidence in the slaying of Moonda, 65, of Sharpsville.

"All I can say is, we are working leads from people we have interviewed," Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Rick Zwayer said yesterday. "The investigation is ongoing."

The killer may have been in a dark-colored van that followed Moonda's gold Jaguar along the turnpike. Donna Moonda, who was driving the Jaguar, stopped along the roadway. She said she had intended to relinquish the driving duties there. The nearest exit, in Strongsville, was about three miles away.

Also present during the slaying was Donna Moonda's mother, Dorothy Smouse, 74.

One confidential informant told a Pittsburgh police detective that Donna Moonda, 46, had had a relationship with a man named Damian who attended the same drug rehab program as her, and that she had rented an apartment on Milne Drive in Monaca for Bradford.

Another informant told police that Donna Moonda acknowledged buying clothing, shoes and other expensive gifts for Bradford, and said she was meeting him in the Aliquippa area rather than attending rehab sessions.

Bradford, charged with a probation violation and possession of drug paraphernalia, was in the Beaver County Jail yesterday in lieu of $50,000 bond.
 
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4520211/detail.html

23-Year-Old Is Person Of Interest In Turnpike Shooting

UPDATED: 7:36 am EDT May 25, 2005

NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio -- An affidavit filed in Pennsylvania court by a confidential informant says that the wife of a doctor who was shot and killed on the Ohio Turnpike was paying her lover's rent. She was allegedly going to try to seek millions as part of a divorce from her husband, NewsChannel5 reported.

...........................snip.................................

Sharon Bradford told the media on Monday that her son was having an affair with the doctor's 46-year-old wife.

Mother Says Son Loves Victim's Wife

She said that the two met in a drug rehabilitation center. Donna Moonda was convicted last year on drug charges.
 
Fritzy's Mom said:
They mentioned this story on Greta tonight...

I AIN'T BUYIN' IT! An armed, homicidal wallet thief JUST HAPPENS to be at the scene when this couple pulls over to switch drivers, huh? Reminds me of Robert and Maria Marshall...

My advice: LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT MRS. DOCTOR


Check out your big brain!!!! Very good call!!!! :woohoo:
 
When I saw the info of this case, it sounded hokey to me. After the doctor gave his wallet he was shot. Why not get the wallets of the other two people in the car? :doh:

This reminds me of a high profile case here in Orange County Calif. I believe the husband and wife were anesthesiologists or something like that. Anyway, the husband was having an affair and he had his gf hire a hit-man to kill his wife.

There's a long, lonely, stretch of highway that leads from South Orange County coast, inland, it's called Ortega Hwy. One night the husband and wife go to dinner inland, using this highway. On the way home, for some unknown reason, the husband pulls over to the side,......... voila.........., BOTH husband and wife were shot dead! :confused:

It seems the husband's gf forgot to tell him that she was also having an affair with the hired hit-man. :loser: The ehh.......hit-man, it would appear, was the jealous type.

Oh,........ now they're both in jail. :razz: Didn't get away with it.

People will just never learn. Everyone thinks they're a 'mastermind.' ;)

JMHO
fran

PS.........FWIW, if you've heard of 'Ortega Highway' before, that's the stretch of road Alejandro Avila traveled after he abducted Samantha Runnion. He dumped her body out in the middle of nowhere, off Ortega Hwy/Killin Rd...........He's now headed to SQ to join Scott Peterson.......fran
 
The lastest news on this case is that the Dr's wife was paying her lover's rent (the guy who's in jail now). www.newsnet5.com is the local link for news updates for this story.

The dr. looked like such a happy guy to me....but who knows what goes on behind closed doors, huh?

I don't know why people think they can get away with stuff like this -- it'll almost always come back to bite you in the butt.

My husband's theory on it is that the boyfriend's mother knows what happened. We saw her on the news and she said, "He (her son) loved her (the wife) and she loved him...she is a very nice girl." And I'm looking at this mother, thinking, "girl??? Are you delusional? This woman is your age! (She's 46, bf is 23)." Anyway, my husband thinks the bf's mother is in on it, that perhaps wifey told her that she'd get a cut of the $4-5 million insurance money if she could find someone to off the good dr.
 
Here's the latest (from www.newsnet5.com):

Donna Moonda's Bank Book Found In Lover's Apartment

Police Search Apartment Of Turnpike Shooting Person Of Interest



POSTED: 5:40 pm EDT May 25, 2005


CLEVELAND -- Police have found intriguing items in the car and the apartment of the man they describe as a person of interest in the shooting of a Pennsylvania doctor on the Ohio Turnpike.

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SLIDESHOW: Doctor Shot In Head On Turnpike



Damian Bradford, 23, is being held on drug and probation violation charges, and is a person of interest in the slaying of Dr. Gulam Moonda.

Moonda was shot in the head on May 13 when he pulled over on the Ohio Turnpike to change drivers. His wife and mother-in-law were also in the car.

After he was first arrested earlier this week, Bradford's mother revealed that her son was allegedly having an affair with Moonda's wife, Donna.

Then, the results of the search warrant revealed a possible link between the two: a Skybank payment book in the name of Donna J. Smouse and Thomas Kase.

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Mother Says Son Loves Victim's Wife
Turnpike 911 Call
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Smouse is Donna Moonda's maiden name, but the identity of Thomas Kase is still a mystery.

Other items found in the search of Bradford's car and apartment include a pink bath towel with a suspected bio-stain, vials of a steroid called dipo-testosterone, hypodermic needles, a can of baking soda, a digital scale, baggies and a spoon.

NewsChannel5 also learned that Donna Moonda has retained prominent Cleveland defense attorney Niki Schwartz.

He was hired after Moonda was interviewed by police for a second time. According to Schwartz, Moonda felt she was being questioned as more than a witness
 
fran said:
When I saw the info of this case, it sounded hokey to me. After the doctor gave his wallet he was shot. Why not get the wallets of the other two people in the car? :doh:
Exactly!


This reminds me of a high profile case here in Orange County Calif. I believe the husband and wife were anesthesiologists or something like that. Anyway, the husband was having an affair and he had his gf hire a hit-man to kill his wife.

There's a long, lonely, stretch of highway that leads from South Orange County coast, inland, it's called Ortega Hwy. One night the husband and wife go to dinner inland, using this highway. On the way home, for some unknown reason, the husband pulls over to the side,......... voila.........., BOTH husband and wife were shot dead! :confused:

It seems the husband's gf forgot to tell him that she was also having an affair with the hired hit-man. :loser: The ehh.......hit-man, it would appear, was the jealous type.
OMG! That's not what I was expecting...

I can just see that scene...the hit man shoots the wife and the guy is thinking "Wee hee! She's gone!" Then he looks over and sees the barrel of a gun pointed at his head...

That's almost a funny story...
 
lisalou said:
The dr. looked like such a happy guy to me....but who knows what goes on behind closed doors, huh?
And it sounds like he was pretty nice, too...wonder how he ever ended up with such a nitwit...

My husband's theory on it is that the boyfriend's mother knows what happened. We saw her on the news and she said, "He (her son) loved her (the wife) and she loved him...she is a very nice girl." And I'm looking at this mother, thinking, "girl??? Are you delusional? This woman is your age! (She's 46, bf is 23)." Anyway, my husband thinks the bf's mother is in on it, that perhaps wifey told her that she'd get a cut of the $4-5 million insurance money if she could find someone to off the good dr.
Yep!
 
The newscast today regarding this case said the police are being very tight-lipped, but there was something in the prenuptial agreement that is rather pertinent to the murder. No further explanation yet. Will update as info becomes available here. It is still big news in my area.
 
I saw a video of the wife and thought...golddigger!
 
This reminds me of the Charles Stuart case in Boston about 15 or 20 years back. He claimed his wife was killed by a "black man" when they got lost in Mission Hill returning from Lamzae classes. Stuart had a stomach wound. Turns out he killed her and his brother was an accomplice (hiding gun and jewelry and money supposedly stolen from the victims). If I remember correctly the brother ratted him out several years later and Stuart committed suicide by jumping from a bridge.

I believe he was a furier (I don't know if I spelled that right). He was also having an extramarital affair.
 
Opie said:
The newscast today regarding this case said the police are being very tight-lipped, but there was something in the prenuptial agreement that is rather pertinent to the murder. No further explanation yet. Will update as info becomes available here. It is still big news in my area.
I wonder if what was in the pre-nup was something to do with the fact that a) most of the dr's $$ would be given away to family and friends; and b) the wife wouldn't get the $$ she thought she would.
 
lisalou said:
I wonder if what was in the pre-nup was something to do with the fact that a) most of the dr's $$ would be given away to family and friends; and b) the wife wouldn't get the $$ she thought she would.
Let's hope so!
 

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