Richard Kenneth Djerf, 55, was executed on Friday, October 17, 2023, more than three decades after he brutally murdered four members of the Luna family in Phoenix, Arizona. Djerf received a lethal injection for his crimes, which included the torture and killing of Albert Luna Sr., his wife Patricia, and their two children, Rochelle, 18, and Damien, five, in a revenge plot that unfolded in 1993.

Djerf, then 23, forced his way into the Luna home at gunpoint. He held Patricia and Damien hostage, subjecting them to horrific threats. When Rochelle returned home, he bound and gagged her before raping her and subsequently slitting her throat. Court documents reveal that Djerf then attacked Albert Sr. with a baseball bat, handcuffing him before shooting him as he attempted to protect his son.

Patricia and Damien were also shot in the head at close range after being tied to kitchen chairs. In a chilling act, Djerf attempted to destroy evidence by dousing the bodies with petrol and igniting the stove, leaving a pizza box and a rag on the burner in a failed attempt to burn down the house. He fled the scene in the Luna family car, later claiming to his girlfriend that he had been robbed and stabbed.

The bodies were discovered the following day by the surviving son, Albert Jr. Djerf later confessed to the murders in graphic detail, describing them as "really awesome" and expressing regret that his girlfriend was not present during the attack. His motive stemmed from a dispute with Albert Jr. over stolen electronic items, which escalated into a deadly revenge plot.

Djerf was pronounced dead at 10:40 am local time. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry confirmed that the execution proceeded without incident. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell stated, "There are some crimes so unspeakable, so devoid of humanity, that justice demands the ultimate punishment. This is that case."

Mitchell added, "What this man did in 1993, torturing and murdering nearly an entire family, was pure evil. Today was a day of final justice—not only for the memory of the four innocent lives he took, but also for the only surviving son and the extended Luna family, who have carried the weight of that loss every single day. May this bring them some measure of finality."

Djerf's execution marks the conclusion of a long and painful chapter for the Luna family, who have endured the aftermath of this tragedy for over three decades.