Richard Kenneth Djerf, 55, was executed Friday by lethal injection for the 1993 murders of four members of a Phoenix family in a revenge plot over stolen property. His death marked Arizona’s second execution of the year and the 39th nationwide in 2025.
Djerf was convicted of killing Albert Luna Sr., Patricia Luna, their 18-year-old daughter Rochelle, and 5-year-old son Damien inside their Phoenix home. Prosecutors said Djerf sought revenge against another family member he believed had stolen electronics and a gun from his apartment months earlier.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said the victims “deserve justice, and their loved ones deserve closure.”
Djerf, who spent more than 29 years in prison, chose not to seek clemency and declined to make a final statement.
The execution took about 15 minutes, beginning with the first lethal injection and ending with the declaration of death. Officials reported that the process “went according to plan and without any incident,” though Djerf’s veins were “not optimal,” which required multiple IV attempts.
Arizona has faced heavy scrutiny over its lethal injection procedures, including a botched execution in 2014 that led to two temporary pauses in the state’s death penalty program.
Following Djerf’s execution, 107 inmates remain on Arizona’s death row.
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