Testimony: With victim gasping for air, suspect slit her throat with box cutter

Jonathan Nunez is charged with killing Kimberly Cardona on July 4 in Salisbury Township. The case is headed to court.

September 21, 2012|By Manuel Gamiz Jr., Of The Morning Call

Jonathan Nunez beat his date unconscious on the Fourth of July, left her for dead along a rural Salisbury Township road and went to the hospital to get his wounds treated.

Hours later, he returned to find her still alive and gasping for breath, and that's when he finished the job.

Nunez pulled out a box cutter with a 1-inch blade, slit Kimberly Cardona's throat and dragged her body into the woods. Her body was discovered a day later by a man walking his dogs.

Salisbury Township police Sgt. Donald Sabo described the events in court testimony Friday, the first time prosecutors outlined what they believe to be the last hours of Cardona's life in their homicide case against Nunez.

The two had been arguing in Nunez's parked car in the 2700 block of Lanze Lane when things turned physical, Sabo testified. No one has said what the argument was about.

Nunez tried to cover his tracks by pouring bleach on Cardona's body, the sergeant testified, and then fled to the Dominican Republic, returning only because his mother told him to come home.

Almost a month after the killing, Nunez was in a Salisbury police interview room and confessed to killing the 20-year-old Whitehall Township woman he had recently started dating, authorities said.

Sabo was the only witness to testify about the killing, and District Judge Michael Faulkner ruled evidence exists to send the case against Nunez, 20, of Allentown, to Lehigh County Court.

Salisbury police discovered Cardona's body around 8:30 p.m. July 5 after the man with the dogs reported a woman lying in the woods, about 15 feet from Lanze Road, Sabo testified.

The woman had injuries to her head, face, neck, hands, legs and torso. Sabo testified the most obvious injuries were the cut to the throat and facial trauma. Sabo said it appeared the body had been in the area for some time, and he smelled bleach at the scene.

Police found a pair of broken glasses and other evidence, including a box cutter underneath Cardona's body, Sabo testified. Cardona was identified after police learned of a missing persons report from Whitehall police, he testified.

Several relatives, friends and acquaintances of Cardona were interviewed and police developed Nunez as a suspect, Sabo testified.

According to court records, a friend of Cardona told police that Cardona was "chilling with this guy" who the friend never heard of. The friend told police the man was going to take Cardona to a restaurant, but Cardona did not know which one. That was the last the friend heard from Cardona.

Police learned of Nunez's whereabouts from his family, Sabo testified. After the killing, Nunez fled to New Jersey and then New York where he boarded a flight to the Dominican Republic, Sabo said.

His mother talked him into coming home and he was at the Salisbury police station on Aug. 2, Sabo testified. Sabo and county Detective Timothy Salgado interviewed Nunez, who was with his attorney, for 51/2 hours that day, he said.

Nunez first denied being with Cardona, but later admitted they were together July 4 in the area of south Allentown, which borders Salisbury.

Nunez told police the two got into an argument in his car, then got out of the car and things got physical.

At some point in the fight, Nunez's finger was cut, and then he assaulted Cardona, Sabo testified.

"She fell to the ground, and he continued to assault her," Sabo said.

After beating Cardona unconscious, Nunez went to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where records showed he received stitches to his finger, Sabo said.

"He went back to the scene, where the victim was still gasping for air on the side of the roadway," he said. "He slit her throat and pushed her back 15 to 20 feet off the road into the woods."

Cardona's family did not wish to speak after Friday's preliminary hearing. When Nunez was arrested, Lizette Hernandez, Cardona's mother, said, "I'm OK that they made the arrest, but I'm not happy."

She also said she'd never heard of Nunez.

Glennis Clark, Nunez's new attorney, would only say that his client and the victim were on a date the night of the killing and did not know if they had an ongoing relationship. The two were friends on Facebook and both had gone to Dieruff High School.

Clark took over the case days after Nunez confessed to the crime with his former attorney. Clark did say much about the case, only saying it will be a "tough road ahead."

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