Kaunas- A judge was shot dead in Lithuania Monday in a professional-style "hit" that bears the hallmarks of a contract killing, Lithuanian national radio reported. Regional court Judge Jonas Furmanavicius, 47, was gunned down at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) on Sladkevicius Street in the centre of Lithuania's second-largest city, Kaunas.

Police said Furmanavicius was shot three times in the body and once in the head after he climbed out of his Mercedes car. Police appealed to the public for help in tracing a white Volkswagen van seen fleeing the scene of the crime.

Police Deputy Commissioner Visvaldas Rackauskas told Lithuanian radio that Furmanavicius' list of forthcoming cases would be examined in the search for a motive.

"(Furmanavicius was) working as a judge in criminal cases involving serious crimes and therefore we do not exclude the possibility that he was murdered in connection with activities relating to criminal proceedings," said Rackauskas.

Other areas of enquiry centre on unsubstantiated allegations by Kaunas resident Drasius Kedys that Furmanavicius had sexually assaulted his daughter, local media said.

Kaunas is known for being the base of the Daktaras Gang, a notorious criminal clan with a reputation for violence.

The head of the Daktarais gang, Henrikas Daktaras, was arrested in Bulgaria in September after going on the run in February.

Judge Furmanavicius had presided over the trial on drug smuggling charges of Daktaras' son, Enrikas.

A dad who shot dead a judge and a senior politician because they molested his three-year old daughter has become a national hero after going on the run in Lithuania.

Horrified Drasius Keyds, 37, gunned down the perverted pair on Monday after police turned a deaf ear to his pleas for justice for his tortured tot.

Now in hiding, Keyds has become a hero on YouTube and Facebook with hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world pledging support.

"You are a hero to all of us," reads one Facebook message. "What you did is nothing but justice."

Mugs and t-shirts with his image on them have begun appearing alongside the logo "Drasius: Lone-avenger".

Keyds' nightmare began a year ago when daughter Deimantela told him about a meeting set up by his then fiancee with judge Jonas Furmanavicziusa and the Speaker of Lithuania's parliament , Andrius Us.

The pair allegedly raped and abused the youngster who reported her ordeal to her father.

But a year long campaign for a police investigation failed when detectives told Keyds there was not enough evidence to proceed with a case.

Now the fugitive dad is being offered a safe haven in neighbouring countries like Poland.

Parliamentary deputy speaker Stefan Niesiołowski said: "This is a clear case of incompetent law enforcement on the original crime."

Killer of judge, woman in Kaunas remains at large
Written by Nathan Greenhalgh Lithuania, TOP NEWS Oct 5, 2009

KAUNAS, Lithuania — A manhunt is underway for Drąsius Kedys, whom police believe could be responsible for the murder of a judge and woman Monday in Kaunas.

Police checkpoints have been set up at every road leading out of the city, while helicopters are shining spotlights searching for the alleged murderer and his possible accomplices. No arrests have been made so far.

Kedys, 37 years old of Kaunas, is implicated by police in the murder of District Court Judge Jonas Furmanavičius and Violeta Naruševičienė, the sister of his former live-in girlfriend, which both took place Monday morning. Possible motives could be the belief that his four-year-old daughter was sexually abused by Furmanavičius and other men, or frustration with a bitter three-year-long custody battle with Kedys’ ex-girlfriend Laima Stankūnaitė, the mother of Kedys’ daughter.