IN Radio: Accused Facing April Trial In Death of Radio Personality

Matt Luecking

Trial for Donald S. Featherstone, accused in the Oct. 24 slaying of a Terre Haute radio personality, has been set for April 24, according to tribstar.com.

Featherstone appeared in a video hearing Wednesday before Vigo County Superior Court Division 6 Judge Michael Lewis, who appointed public defense attorneys Rowdy Williams and Michael Brewer to represent Featherstone, 47, who waived extradition from Illinois.

Featherstone is charged with murder, burglary and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury after Matt Luecking, a WFNB 92.7 FM DJ and a bank employee, was found dead Oct. 24 in his apartment. Featherstone is being held in the Vigo County Jail with no bond.

Other murder defendants are John Edward Collins and Kathleen E. Featherstone.

A fourth defendant, Benjamin Selig, 28, of Rockville, arrested on a charge of assisting a criminal after meeting up with Collins in Rockville and allegedly attempting to use Luecking's bank card, has a trial date of May 8.

Defendant Featherstone

Police affidavits filed in support of the case indicate the three murder defendants were involved in a break-in that led to Luecking's death, but it was Collins who actually struck Luecking in the head with a heavy object as Luecking slept.

Eric Michaels, program director for WFNB-FM, attended Wednesday's hearing for Donald Featherstone.

Michaels called Donald Featherstone "the last piece of the puzzle" who will "face the music, if you will, for our friend Matt Luecking who was so tragically taken from us."

Luecking was a "person who loved life, loved this community and did not deserve the cards that were dealt to him and the tragic way that he was taken from us," Michaels said.

Luecking, most recently of WFNB-FM 92.7, also worked at Terre Haute Savings Bank and owned his own music business, Showtime Music. He had previously worked at other radio stations in Terre Haute and in Indianapolis, as well as in Casey, Illinois.