Opinion ID: 2341817
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Lucas Case

Text: While asleep during the middle of the night, Monsignor Thomas Martin Wells, a revered member of the Montgomery County community, was beaten and killed in the rectory at his parish. On June 17, 2000, the Montgomery County police arrested Robert P. Lucas and charged him with the murder of Monsignor Wells. The statement of charges stated that the police had observed Lucas wearing shoes having a shoe print consistent with the ones found on the crime scene and that after Lucas was arrested, he admitted breaking into the church rectory and responsibility for Well's murder. The police held a press conference on June 18, 2000 to announce the arrest of Lucas and the charges against him. Gansler spoke at the press conference: The Montgomery County Police ... were able to determine definitively that indeed it was Mr. Lucas who had committed the crime. They were able to do so by following him. They conducted surveillance for over 24 hours. And then when they actually found him, he was wearing a very unique shoe, a very unique boot, and the print of that boot matched the print that was found at the scene of the crime, and then further questioning revealed, in fact, he was the person that had done it. He offered several remarks about the evidence against Lucas, which he described as a confession from the perpetrator as well as scientific and forensic evidence to corroborate that confession.... Gansler then expressed his opinion that we have found the person who committed the crime at this point and that the case against Lucas will be a strong case. Additionally, Gansler commented at the press conference that it was a violent murder and that Lucas has a criminal record which includes residential burglaries and that will be obviously something that will come out later on as well. In fact, Lucas's criminal record came out again later, when Deputy State's Attorney Katherine Winfree discussed it at Lucas's bond hearing on the Monday after the press conference.