A convicted murderer, Richard Djerf, who took the lives of four members of a family, including a five-year-old child, has penned a letter seeking forgiveness. Djerf is slated for execution next month for the killings of the Luna family in their residence over three decades ago. In a surprising move, he has expressed remorse for the suffering he caused, as confirmed by authorities who disclosed a snippet of his letter. In the letter, Djerf wrote, “If I can’t find a reason to spare my own life, what reason would anyone else have? I hope that my death can bring some solace.”
Despite Djerf’s plea, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, responsible for pursuing the execution warrant, has refrained from commenting on the remorseful statement. The 55-year-old Djerf is still slated to face lethal injection on October 17, years after the tragic deaths of Albert Luna Sr, his wife Patricia, their 18-year-old daughter Rochelle, and young Damien Luna.
According to prosecutors, Djerf harbored a grudge against Albert Luna Jr, a member of the Luna family, for an alleged theft incident, leading to a vengeful obsession. Months later, under the guise of delivering flowers, Djerf entered the Luna family home in Phoenix, Arizona.
If the execution proceeds as planned, it will mark Arizona’s second application of the death penalty this year. Florida leads in executions with 12 this year, the most recent being the capital punishment of David Joseph Pittman, who was put to death by lethal injection after spending three decades on death row for his crime.
Authorities detailed Djerf’s brutal actions, stating that he sexually assaulted Rochelle in 1993, inflicted grievous injuries on family members, and ultimately ended their lives in a horrific manner. However, in his recent statement, Djerf emphasized that Albert Jr was an innocent victim who tragically discovered the aftermath of Djerf’s violent acts on his family.
Arizona, currently housing 108 death row inmates, last implemented the death penalty in mid-March with the execution of Aaron Brian Gunches for the 2002 murder of Ted Price. The state had a hiatus of nearly eight years in executions due to controversies surrounding a botched 2014 execution and challenges in procuring execution drugs. In the 2014 incident involving Joseph Wood, the execution process was marred by multiple drug doses administered over an extended period, leading to prolonged suffering before death.