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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 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 7, 2007 Defense lawyer argues police got wrong man Salas-Juarez murder trial is under way in Circuit Court By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Racial tension sparked a fatal stabbing in downtown Medford last summer, jurors heard Tuesday. Luis Alberto Salas-Juarez, 23, attacked 23-year-old Mark Edwin Lunsford because he perceived Lunsford was a racist, prosecutor David Hoppe told Jackson County Circuit Court jurors in his opening statement. Salas, of Medford, stands trial this week for Lunsford's Aug. 13 murder and the attempted murder of 23-year-old Lawrence Matthew Crowley. But police arrested the wrong suspect, Salas' attorney Rebecca Rosenstein argued Tuesday. Rosenstein said Medford resident Timothy Tracy Russell asked Salas to confront Lunsford and seven other people at about 2:45 a.m. in retaliation for a racial slur. It's unclear, she said, exactly what the group said to Russell, a white man with a shaved head. The drunken Russell pulled out a knife during the fight and then ran from the Theater Alley scene, she said. When police located Russell, 26, for questioning several days later, they found a knife at his home that witnesses said he was wearing the night of the murder, Rosenstein told jurors. Passersby said they never saw Salas with a knife, she added. Detectives did not find the knife they suspect killed Lunsford, a Butte Falls resident. Advertisement In the absence of a murder weapon, Hoppe showed the court a folding knife identical to the one that a Medford shopkeeper said he sold Salas before the murder. The knife's handle and sheath bore a Mexican flag. Lunsford's friends said they saw Salas bump up against Lunsford, who then said he'd been stabbed, Hoppe told the court. Crowley is expected to testify that Salas slashed at him with a knife, Hoppe said. But Crowley ran away and was not injured. Three eyewitnesses will identify Salas as the killer, Hoppe said. A recorded 9-1-1 call played Tuesday in court revealed male voices yelling "f---ing Mexican" and "beaner." Trying to outrun Lunsford's brother, Tommy, Salas was arrested about five minutes after the stabbing near 10th and Fir streets. Yet Salas intended to get help from police officers, Rosenstein said, adding that most of the blood on Salas was his own. Forensic analysis did not identify Lunsford's blood on Salas' clothing. Lunsford died about two hours after being stabbed, following surgery at Providence Medford Medical Center to repair a massive wound to his heart. Lunsford was a former Butte Falls High School football standout. Salas worked at a Medford convenience store. Both men have misdemeanor criminal records — Lunsford for assault, Salas for harassment. Salas remains in the Jackson County Jail without bail. His trial is expected to run through Monday before Circuit Court Judge Ray White. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, 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 Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com 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