Donna Moonda: Mastermind or naive suburban housewife?

Donna Moonda says her husband knew of her affair and was to give her a $1 million divorce settlement.

By LAURE CIOFFI

VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU

AKRON — It was three years ago Monday that Donna Moonda completed her drug rehabilitation and gave her telephone number to a man in her last group session at Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Aliquippa, Pa.

Now she and that man, Damian Bradford, a 25-year-old small-time drug dealer from Beaver County, Pa., are pitted against each other in a federal court over the death of Moonda’s millionaire urologist husband from Hermitage, Pa.

Prosecutors say there is no doubt that Bradford shot Dr. Gulam Moonda in the side of the head May 13, 2005, on the Ohio Turnpike berm, killing him. Authorities initially thought it was a random highway robbery.

Now, prosecutors intend to prove over the next few weeks that Donna Moonda was the mastermind behind the plot.

The defense disagrees

But Moonda’s defense team tells a different story.

Sure, the 48-year-old unemployed nurse anesthetist had an affair with Bradford, who defense attorneys described as a street savvy criminal. She bought him clothes, jewelry, a vehicle and paid his bills.

But she was a naive suburban housewife who succumbed to Bradford’s attention, her attorney Roger Synenberg told jurors Monday in his opening statement.

“You’ve got Donna who is looking for a job. Damian who doesn’t want to work. You’ve got Donna who is isolated, and Damian who has tons of friends. You’ve got Donna who suffers from low self esteem and Damian who is cocky,” Synenberg said, continuing to rattle off contrasts between the two in his half-hour opening.

Love and money

Synenberg told jurors that Bradford acted alone when he shot Dr. Moonda. Bradford has been offered a 17 1/2 year prison sentence in exchange for his guilty plea and testimony against Moonda at her trial.

“Donna fell in love with Damian. Damian fell in love with Donna’s money,” Synenberg said.

Synenberg talked about the double life Bradford was leading, spending some time with Donna Moonda, some time with his fiancee Charleen McFrazier and part of the time dealing drugs.

In December 2004, McFrazier had enough, Synenberg said.

“Charleen McFrazier calls Gulam Moonda and tells Gulam Moonda, ‘Your wife is having an affair with my fiancé,’” Synenberg said. McFrazier later spent time in federal prison for perjury after initially serving as Bradford’s alibi during the time of the shooting.

Alleged plans of divorce

According to Synenberg, the doctor confronted his wife and they then talked about getting a divorce. Moonda’s attorney claims her husband was going to give Donna Moonda a $1 million divorce settlement despite a previous prenuptial agreement that stated she would receive only $250,000 in a divorce.

“Gulam was very private and he told no one. Donna told Damian and some of his friends,” Synenberg said.

Synenberg told jurors that Bradford acted after the gifts and the money from Donna Moonda started to dry up.

But prosecutors say the two acted together.

Nancy Kelley, assistant U.S. attorney, said the government has cellular telephone records showing that Moonda and Bradford met the day of the shooting around noon in the New Castle area, where he claims she gave him a copy of their driving directions to Toledo. Bradford was later at a Dollar General store near the Moonda’s Hermitage home as Gulam, Donna, and her mother, Dorothy Smouse, were leaving for the trip.

A ‘rehab romance’

Kelley called Donna Moonda and Bradford’s relationship a “rehab romance.”

After a long investigation, authorities were convinced that Bradford shot Dr. Moonda. “But if Damian Bradford killed Dr. Moonda, why didn’t Donna Moonda identify him?” Kelley asked.

The wife instead told police a man of undetermined race standing 5 foot 3 inches tall and driving a black minivan killed her husband. Bradford is black, stands nearly 6 feet tall and was driving a silver sport utility vehicle she had bought for him.

“He expected to be set for life. They had looked at cars and houses in anticipation of their life together,” Kelley said.

Kelley told jurors that Moonda chose Bradford.

“She chose him. He’s a criminal. He’s a drug dealer. If we had to choose a witness, we wouldn’t have chose Damian, but if we were looking to find someone to kill our husband, we might,” Kelley said. “He sat in jail for a really long time and didn’t talk. And now her attorney can call him a criminal and a liar.”

cioffi@vindy.com