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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 17, 2007 Salas sentenced to life Won't be eligible for parole for 25 years; ordered to pay $48,700 in restitution By anita burke Mail Tribune Moments before he was sentenced to life in prison Friday, Luis Alberto Salas-Juarez, convicted of murder and attempted murder this week, maintained he didn't kill Mark Edwin Lunsford, 23, of Butte Falls. Bending low over a microphone in front of him in Jackson County Circuit Court and staring intently at Lunsford's family and friends, Salas, 23, said, "I would like to look at everybody in the eyes and say I didn't get my justice here, but I will get my justice in the eyes of God. "I didn't kill your son." A jury unanimously convicted Salas of Lunsford's murder Tuesday following a weeklong trial. Jurors also found Salas guilty of the attempted murder of 23-year-old Lawrence Matthew Crowley of Medford, for slashing at him in the same early morning clash in a downtown alley Aug. 13 that left Lunsford dead. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Ray White sentenced Salas Friday to the maximum penalty Oregon law provides for murder — life in prison with at least 25 years served before being eligible for parole. He also imposed a concurrent 7 1/2-year sentence on the attempted murder charge and ordered Salas to pay more than $48,700 in restitution for Lunsford's medical and funeral costs. Advertisement "I caution people, especially young men, to think before they carry weapons," White said. He said many people appearing in his courtroom claim to carry weapons for protection, but end up pulling weapons during avoidable confrontations with tragic results for themselves and others. David Hoppe, the Jackson County deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, read a letter from Lunsford's mom, Kelli Lunsford, at Friday's sentencing. "I cannot begin to explain how difficult it's been to lose my firstborn and at such a young age," she wrote. "I keep thinking he will walk in the door, but he won't." She wrote of the "emptiness in our world," that she, Lunsford's brother, sisters and toddler son must deal with every day, but feel especially strongly on holidays such as Mark's birthday and Christmas. She acknowledged that the Salas-Juarez family will experience a loss, too, but that it won't be the same. They still will be able to call, write and eventually be reunited if Salas is paroled. She closed her letter with a call for the maximum sentence for Salas. "It will bring us peace and closure and most of all, it will bring justice," she wrote. Salas' defense attorney Joseph Maier, of Grants Pass, asked for just a 25-year sentence, as called for under Measure 11 for murder, and that the sentence for attempted murder be served concurrently. The other member of his defense team, Rebecca Rosenstein, wiped tears from her eyes, but didn't speak during the sentencing. Maier said that the guilty verdict was a surprise to him. "I don't know how they came up with that after the facts they heard," he said. Maier said that in his career, juries have returned verdicts that he didn't agree with, but he could understand where they came from. "This is the first in my career — and I hope the last — that I will wonder why they came up with the verdict they did," he said. "This still isn't a case where we know what happened." Judge White pointed out that evidence showed Timothy Tracy Russell, 26, of Medford, clearly had instigated a confrontation between Salas and a group of friends that included Lunsford, even if he didn't commit a crime. "I think Russell started the yelling and fighting language," White said. "Why he didn't mind his own business is beyond me." Salas' family has said he will appeal. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help