The EXECUTION of the Most Evil Criminal on Death Row | Richard Djerf
On October 17th, 2025, after nearly three decades on death row, justice finally caught up with Richard Kenneth Djerf. The mass murderer was executed by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex, thus closing one of the most disturbing cases of the 1990s: the brutal murder of an entire family. In this video, I’ll tell you what happened that day, what his last meal was, and what his final words were before he died.
In January 1993, 23-year-old Richard Djerf met Albert Luna Jr. while both were working as night custodians at a Safeway supermarket in Phoenix, Arizona. Over time, they developed a friendship, though it was based on criminal activity. Together, they committed robberies and petty crimes. Djerf had told Albert that he had recently acquired some new electronic items.
However, their relationship ended abruptly when Luna Jr. decided to rob Djerf’s apartment. Among the stolen items were several electronic devices, including a television, a VCR, a stereo system, a cassette player, and an AK-47 assault rifle. Djerf reported the theft to the Phoenix police, naming Albert Luna Jr. as the main suspect. However, after months with no progress in the investigation and feeling ignored by the authorities, his frustration turned into deep rage.
Determined to take justice into his own hands, Djerf began planning his revenge. What began as a simple theft of material possessions would ultimately trigger one of the most brutal and merciless crimes in Arizona’s history. On September 14th, 1993, approximately 9 months after the robbery, Djerf carried out his plan for revenge. Around 10:00 a.m., he arrived at the Luna family’s home in West Phoenix, carrying artificial flowers in a vase as a pretext to enter the house. When Patricia Luna, 42 years old and mother of Albert Luna Jr., opened the door thinking she was receiving a floral delivery, Djerf violently forced his way in, brandishing a 9mm Beretta pistol.
At that moment, only Patricia and her youngest son Damian, aged five, were at home. Djerf tied Patricia up with duct tape, initially allowing the child to move freely. Shortly thereafter, he took Damian hostage and forced Patricia to free herself so she could load various electronic items and valuables from the house into the family car. He then took them to the kitchen where he tied them to chairs with rope and black electrical tape, covering their mouths with gags. For hours, Djerf tormented Patricia with cruel questions, demanding to know where her son and where her husband, Albert Luna Senior, was. The psychological suffering he caused her was devastating. Patricia remained immobilized, not knowing when her end would come, while watching in horror as her young son was helpless.
Around 3:00 p.m., when 18-year-old Rochelle Luna returned home from school, Djerf turned his attention to her. He took her to his bedroom where he gagged her with toilet paper and duct tape, tied her wrists to the bed, cut her clothes with a knife, and assaulted her. Rochelle suffered extremely serious injuries during the assault. After raping her, Djerf repeatedly stabbed her in the chest and slit her throat, killing her. He also inflicted multiple stab wounds to her back while she was still alive and a superficial stab wound, probably post-mortem, to her right temple. In addition, Rochelle’s earring had been torn through her earlobe.
At some point, while she was still alive and gagged, Rochelle vomited behind the gag and aspirated the vomit, contributing to her agony. After the incident, Djerf returned to the kitchen and informed Patricia that he had raped and murdered her daughter. The unimaginable pain Patricia must have experienced upon hearing this news while bound and helpless next to her 5-year-old son is difficult to comprehend.
Around 4:00 p.m., when Albert Luna Senior, 47, the father of the family, returned home from work, Djerf surprised him and, pointing a gun at him, forced him into his bedroom. There, he handcuffed him to the bed, ordered him to crawl on all fours, and then lie face down. Showing no mercy, Djerf repeatedly struck him with an aluminum baseball bat, causing three deep lacerations that spattered blood throughout the room. The wounds were so severe that they alone could have been fatal. Convinced that Albert Senior was already dead, Djerf removed his handcuffs, tied his hands and wrists with duct tape, and left him lying there, believing he would not survive. He then returned to the kitchen and told Patricia that he had killed her husband.
Djerf then turned his cruelty on little Damian, who was only 5 years old. He tried to twist his head forcefully from behind as he had seen in movies. He later confessed that he tried again and again but nothing happened. When he failed, he decided to electrocute him. He cut the cord of a lamp, stripped the ends to expose the wires, and placed them on the boy’s calf, securing them with duct tape. However, even that attempt failed.
Despite his serious injuries, Albert Luna Senior, the father of the family, managed to free himself from the tape holding his wrists. Staggering from blood loss, he made his way to the kitchen and, in a final act of bravery, lunged at Djerf with a small knife, managing to seriously wound him.
“I had the father restrained. He, uh, broke loose and came charging me and stabbed me. And then I put up my gun and just started shooting.” “So that made you even more angry? Huh?” “Well, I don’t know what happened. You know, I was just like, I, you know, I got taken over to a new level or something like that.”
Wounded and out of control, Djerf pulled a Beretta pistol from his belt and shot at Albert Senior. The father fell to the floor, collapsing at the feet of his wife and son, surrounded by a pool of blood. Djerf then turned to Patricia and asked her a heartbreaking question: “Do you want to see your son die, or would you rather have your son see you die?” Without giving her a chance to answer, he raised his gun and shot them both with point-blank shots to the head. Patricia and little Damian died instantly.
Before leaving, Djerf doused the bodies and the entire house with gasoline in an attempt to destroy evidence of the crime. He lit two burners on the kitchen stove and placed an empty pizza box and a rag on top, hoping they would catch fire. However, the pizza box and rag never ignited, and the planned fire never materialized.
Djerf fled in the Luna family car with the stolen property inside, driving back to his apartment where he met up with his girlfriend, Emily Boswell, around 6:00 p.m. He lied to her, telling her that he had been stabbed by two men who tried to rob him. He later went to the hospital where he was admitted for treatment of the knife wound Albert Senior had inflicted on him during his brave attempt to defend his family.
“I was thinking about it after it happened, it was like watching a film or a movie or something like that. That’s the only way I can really describe it.” “How so?” “How was it like it felt? It was just like, uh, I was watching myself do it.”
Albert Luna Jr. hadn’t returned home on the night of September 13th and didn’t come back until 11:45 p.m. the following day, September 14th, the day the murders took place. Worried after many unanswered calls, he decided to go to the house himself. When he entered, he was met with an indescribable scene. The bodies of his parents and brother lay lifeless in the kitchen. Horrified, he ran outside and sought help from a neighbor who immediately called the police.
“Oh my god. He said his mom’s face is all kicked up and he can hear gas, smell gas, and his little brother on the table.”
The scene was so brutal that even the first officers on the scene, as well as the medical examiner in charge of the autopsies, were deeply shaken by what they witnessed. Ernie Britz, who took part in the investigation, said it was the most disturbing experience of his entire career. He mentioned that even the medical examiner who performed most of the autopsies during which he was present ended up crying. He stated that if anyone ever deserved the death penalty for their actions, it was Richard Djerf, whom he described as a true monster.
The next day, on September 15th, when his girlfriend Emily Boswell visited him at the hospital, Djerf confessed that he had murdered four members of the Luna family and told her in detail how he had done it. He even remarked with chilling calmness that the blood gushing from one of his victims had been impressive and told her she should have been there.
In the days that followed, Djerf continued bragging about the killings to several acquaintances, which eventually led one of them to alert the police. On September 18th, 1993, Phoenix authorities searched his motel room, his car, and his apartment. There they found evidence directly linking him to the crime: the murder weapon, a knife, rope, duct tape, and several items stolen from the Luna home. That same day, Richard Djerf was arrested.
Richard Kenneth Djerf was born on November 6th, 1969, and was often described as a loner. His childhood was filled with conflict, from stealing from his own father and others as a child to physically assaulting classmates and engaging in various criminal acts. Although there was talk of a troubled family environment, the courts found no evidence that it directly influenced his behavior during the murders. Djerf was also known for his obsession with violent films, particularly so-called snuff movies, and often imitated the appearance and behavior of the killers he saw on screen.
On October 29th, 1993, while being held without bail, Richard Djerf attempted suicide by slashing his wrists with an improvised blade he had made using metal pieces from a Halloween greeting card he’d received. This attempt led authorities to order a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he was mentally competent to represent himself in court.
A grand jury formally indicted him on four counts of first-degree murder, as well as charges of robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault, aggravated assault, attempted arson, theft, and unlawful use of a prohibited weapon. Attorneys Michael Vaughn and Alan Simpson were appointed to represent him, and they served as his defense counsel for over a year throughout various court hearings.
In February 1995, Djerf sent a letter to the judge expressing his frustration with his attorneys’ performance, alleging poor communication and a lack of interest in his case. He requested that both lawyers be removed and asked for permission to represent himself under Rule 11 law. During a subsequent hearing, the judge questioned him extensively to ensure he fully understood the consequences of waiving his right to legal counsel and the risks of representing himself in a case that could lead to the death penalty.
Although his attorneys considered Djerf mentally competent, they warned him that acting on his own would be a grave mistake. Despite their recommendations, the judge determined that Djerf had knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his right to an attorney and allowed him to represent himself.
On August 16th, 1995, Djerf reached a plea agreement with the state, pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Albert Senior, Damian, Patricia, and Rochelle Luna, with no limits placed on sentencing for the murder charges. In exchange, the state agreed to drop the remaining non-capital charges. During the plea change hearing, the judge conducted a thorough examination and accepted Djerf’s guilty pleas.
Djerf believed that by pleading guilty, he might be less likely to receive the death penalty. Even though Judge Michael Ryan warned him that capital punishment was still possible, that assumption would prove to be fatally wrong. The state presented its aggravating circumstances over the course of 5 days in October 1995.
On May 22nd, 1996, after an extensive aggravation and mitigation hearing that included expert testimony and evidence concerning Djerf’s mental health, the court issued its special verdict.
“What if he says the death penalty?” “I’ve already, I expect the death penalty that way. If I do get it, I won’t be, uh, devastated.”
The court sentenced Djerf to death for each of the four counts of first-degree murder. When the judge pronounced the multiple death sentences, Djerf mockingly remarked, “They can only kill me once.” The judge who sentenced him in 1996 stated that Djerf had enjoyed the time he spent killing the Luna family as revenge against his friend for robbing his apartment.
With 110 inmates on death row in Arizona, and following the execution of Aaron Gunches on March 19th, 2025, speculation arose that Richard Djerf would be next in line to be executed. On May 22nd, 2025, exactly 29 years after he was first sentenced to death, the Office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes formally requested that a date be set for his execution.
It was initially expected that Djerf would receive his death warrant on August 19th, 2025 for a proposed execution date of October 9th, 2025. However, on August 19th, the Arizona Supreme Court granted the warrant scheduling Djerf’s execution by lethal injection for October 17, 2025.
On September 18th, 2025, exactly 32 years and 4 days after his arrest, Djerf wrote a three-page handwritten letter to the media in which he apologized for the murders and stated that he would not seek clemency from the state regarding his upcoming execution.
In his note, Djerf reaffirmed that he would not seek relief from the state’s clemency board. He wrote, “If I can’t find a reason to spare my own life, why should anyone else? I hope my death brings some peace. On September 14th, 1993, I forced my way into the Luna family home and brutally murdered four innocent people in a cruel, heinous, and depraved manner,” he wrote.
Reflecting on his victims’ names, he added, “How could I look at those names, think about who they were and who they could have become, and ask that my life be spared?” Djerf expressed remorse toward Albert Luna Jr., his former roommate, whom he called an innocent victim. “No part of what I did to his family or why, was his fault,” Djerf wrote. “I became consumed by a vengeful obsession over a trivial matter I held against him.”
Albert Luna Jr., the only surviving member of the family, has lived for 32 years with the trauma of discovering the bodies of his parents and siblings. The Associated Press was unable to locate contact information for Luna Jr. through phone listings, court records, or inquiries with legal representatives involved in the case, but he remains alive.
Finally, the day of Richard Kenneth Djerf’s execution arrived. On October 17th, 2025, Richard woke up at 4:00 a.m. He took a shower, received a visit from a spiritual adviser, and spent his final hours in silence. His last meal had been offered the night before: a double hamburger with lettuce and tomato, fried onion rings with ketchup, and a slice of cherry pie with whipped cream.
Before the procedure, he was given tranquilizers to ease his fear of execution. At 10:00 a.m., he was escorted to the execution chamber. At 10:34 a.m., officials began attempting to insert the intravenous line. After several minutes, the drug began to flow. The entire process lasted about 6 minutes, and at 10:40 a.m., his death was officially pronounced.
Throughout the procedure, he remained silent, eyes closed. When given the chance to speak his final words, he said nothing. The execution proceeded without incident, aside from the initial delay in finding a suitable vein. The viewing room remained dark with only a dim light illuminating the scene. There were no protests or public disturbances outside.
And that’s all for today’s video. What do you think? Was it a just execution or not? Let me know in the comments below.
