PHOENIX (AP) — A man convicted of killing four members of a Phoenix family more than 30 years ago as an act of revenge is scheduled to be executed Friday. The execution will mark Arizona’s second of the year.
Richard Kenneth Djerf, 55, is set to die by pentobarbital injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. He pleaded guilty to the murders of Albert Luna Sr. and Patricia Luna; their daughter Rochelle Luna, 18; and son Damien Luna, 5. The killings occurred at their home on September 14, 1993.
Having spent over 29 years in prison, Djerf chose not to seek clemency. If carried out, his execution will be the fourth in the United States this week and the 39th of the year.
According to prosecutors, Djerf blamed another family member, Albert Luna Jr.—who was not present during the killings—for an earlier theft of electronics from his apartment. Driven by obsession and revenge, Djerf went to the Luna home months later under the pretense of delivering flowers.
Authorities report that Djerf sexually assaulted Rochelle Luna and slashed her throat. He also beat Albert Luna Sr. with an aluminum baseball bat, then stabbed and shot him. Patricia and Damien Luna were tied to kitchen chairs before being fatally shot.
During Friday’s execution, a team of four professionals, including medical doctors and a phlebotomist, will prepare syringes containing saline and pentobarbital, insert an IV, and inject the chemicals into Djerf.
Arizona has faced criticism in the past for the lengthy time it sometimes takes to insert IVs during lethal injection executions. Experts say the process, from insertion to pronouncement of death, should take seven to ten minutes.
The state has paused executions twice since 2014 due to concerns over its use of the death penalty. A nearly eight-year hiatus resulted from difficulties obtaining necessary drugs and backlash following a 2014 execution that was widely considered botched. During that execution, Joseph Wood was injected with 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours, causing him to snort repeatedly and gasp hundreds of times before death.
Executions resumed in 2022, with three prisoners put to death that year. However, they were paused again in 2023 when Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the capital punishment protocol. Additionally, Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes agreed not to pursue any executions during the review period.
The review concluded in November 2024 when Hobbs dismissed a retired federal magistrate she had appointed to examine execution procedures. The state corrections department subsequently announced changes to the lethal injection team.
Arizona’s most recent execution took place in mid-March, when Aaron Brian Gunches was put to death for the 2002 killing of Ted Price. Currently, there are 108 prisoners on the state’s death row.
https://ktar.com/ap-new/arizona-set-to-execute-a-man-who-killed-4-members-of-a-phoenix-family-in-1993/5762496/