A SEPTA driver’s report helped officers track down the suspect about a mile from the shooting scene, authorities said.
ROCKLEDGE, Pa. — A witness on a SEPTA bus and a short police search now sit at the center of a Montgomery County murder case after authorities said a Philadelphia man shot and killed his wife in her SUV on a Rockledge street Saturday night.
Jose Luna, 59, is accused of killing 48-year-old Alisett Schubert after the couple left a party and argued on the drive home, according to prosecutors. The case matters now because investigators say they moved quickly from a public road shooting to an arrest, supported by a bus driver’s observations, Luna’s statements and a gun that authorities say belonged to Schubert. Luna faces first-degree murder and related charges and is being held without bail before a scheduled preliminary hearing.
Officials said the shooting happened near Huntington Pike and Filmore Street at about 10:05 p.m. Feb. 21. A SEPTA driver traveling southbound on Huntington Pike told detectives he came upon a vehicle stopped in the roadway, heard what sounded like two or three pops and saw a man leave the front passenger seat. The man then walked to the driver’s side, opened the door and a woman fell from the vehicle, according to the district attorney’s office. The driver pulled over and used the bus emergency system to report the shooting and describe the suspect. When Rockledge officers reached the scene, they found Schubert outside a silver Nissan Murano with multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to Abington Hospital, where she died.
The prosecution’s account of what happened before the bus driver arrived comes from Luna’s alleged statements and court records cited in local news reports. Investigators said Luna admitted he and Schubert had been arguing after leaving a party. He told police he was upset because he believed she had embarrassed or disrespected him in front of other people. During the ride, officials said, Schubert was driving and Luna sat in the passenger seat. The two kept arguing until Schubert stopped the SUV and told him to get out and walk home. Authorities said Schubert kept a revolver in her purse, positioned between them in the front of the vehicle. Luna allegedly tried to grab the purse, fought with Schubert for control of it and then took the revolver. Prosecutors say Schubert was shot once, tried to get out and was then shot four more times. Some details of the struggle remain unclear in the public record, including how long the fight lasted and whether any other witnesses saw the moments before the gunfire.
Police say the witness report quickly narrowed the search. Philadelphia officers found Luna about a mile away, according to prosecutors. As police approached, authorities said, he raised the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger, but the weapon was empty. He was then arrested without incident. Investigators later said the revolver had been registered to Schubert, a detail that gives the case a grim twist because prosecutors say the weapon used against her was her own. Authorities also said Luna called Schubert’s mother after the shooting and told her her daughter was dead. Local reports based on the probable cause affidavit said Luna did not explain how she died. Reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer, cited by other outlets, also said Schubert had described earlier abuse and that a friend had once seen Luna strike her, though those prior allegations have not yet been tested in court.
The legal case is still in its early phase. Luna was arraigned Feb. 22 before Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime. He was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility because first-degree murder does not allow bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 5 before Magisterial District Judge John D. Kessler. That hearing is likely to offer the first fuller public presentation of the evidence, including how prosecutors plan to connect the witness account, the physical evidence from the SUV and any statements Luna gave investigators after his arrest.
The scene itself explains why the case drew quick public attention. This was not a private indoor crime discovered hours later. It happened on a borough road in view of a passing transit driver, with the victim outside the vehicle and the suspect walking away. That compressed timeline left investigators with an unusually direct early account, but major questions still remain for court. Public statements so far have not laid out the full autopsy findings, whether surveillance video exists nearby or whether any phone data will be introduced. Those issues may shape how prosecutors argue intent and how defense lawyers respond as the case moves forward.
The defendant remains jailed, and the next formal step in the case is the March 5 preliminary hearing in Montgomery County.
Author note: Last updated March 22, 2026.