A bus driver witnessed a Philadelphia man shoot his wife in the middle of a Pennsylvania roadway and walk away from the scene, leaving her behind to die, law enforcement officials said.
Jose Luna, 59, is now charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Alisett Schubert, 48, on Saturday, February 21, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release issued Monday, February 23.
Information on Luna’s legal representation was not immediately listed in court records viewed by Us Weekly. He is awaiting a preliminary arraignment and a preliminary hearing.
Schubert was found lying on the ground, repeatedly shot, outside of her vehicle that had been stopped in the road in Rockledge the evening of Saturday, February 21, according to the district attorney’s office. Rockledge is a borough located outside of Philadelphia.
She was taken to a local hospital, where she was declared dead, officials said.
A SEPTA bus driver, who had called Rockledge Borough Police to the scene of the shooting that night, told investigators that he had initially encountered Schubert’s SUV stopped in the road and “heard two or three ‘pops,’” according to the district attorney’s office.
Then, the driver said that he saw a man, who was ultimately identified as Luna, get out of the vehicle’s front passenger seat, the office said.
The man allegedly walked over to the passenger’s side door and opened it, causing Schubert to fall out of her SUV, according to the district attorney’s office.
Luna, who was accused of walking away from the scene, was located by Philadelphia Police about one mile away from his wife’s car, the district attorney’s office said.
“As [officers] approached, he put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, but the firearm was out of ammunition,” officials said.
Police then arrested Luna, according to the district attorney’s office.
An affidavit of probable cause reviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer reveals what allegedly led to the fatal shooting.
Luna and Schubert had gotten into an argument while they were driving after they had left a party that evening, the affidavit of probable cause says, the newspaper reported.
Schubert told Luna to leave the car and “walk home” before they began to struggle with Schubert’s purse, which contained a .38 caliber revolver, according to the filing reviewed by the newspaper.
Luna allegedly took control of the gun and shot Schubert once, the affidavit says, according to the newspaper.
She tried to escape the car, but Luna shot her an additional four times, according to the filing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Schubert then “slouched” out of the car when Luna opened the driver’s side door, the affidavit says, according to the Daily Voice.
While speaking with investigators, Luna said that Schubert had “disrespected him in front of others” earlier that afternoon, when they had been at a banquet hall, according to the affidavit, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In addition to first-degree murder, Luna is also charged with third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of a crime, the district attorney’s office said.
He is being held without bail due to the first-degree murder charge, according to officials.
Luna is due in court for a preliminary hearing set for March 5, the district attorney’s office said.
