Death row inmate's final meal revealed after brutally murdering four members of same family
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry
Warning: This story contains details of rape and an execution, some of which readers may find distressing.
A death row inmate has been executed, more than 30 years after killing four members of the same family.
Richard Kenneth Djerf was put to death by the state of Arizona on Friday (October 17), passing away at the age of 55 via lethal injection.
His execution came as Djerf spent more than three decades sitting on death row for the horrific crimes he committed against one family.
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In September 1993, he killed a family of four, Albert Luna Sr, his wife, Patricia, and their two children, Rochelle, 18, and Damien, five, in a twisted revenge plot which also saw him rape the teenage girl.
Djerf, then 23, believed Albert, his former colleague, had burglarised his apartment and taken several electronic items.
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) had confirmed Djerf's final meal was a double cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, onion rings with ketchup and a piece of cherry pie with whipped cream.
He also guzzled down a 20-ounce Pepsi with ice and declined to share any final words before state executions administered the fatal dose.
Deputy director John Barcello confirmed Djerf had put up 'no resistance' during the execution, though his veins were 'not optimal'.
It therefore took staff 'a few attempts' for the IV to be inserted properly, which went ahead at 10.05am. Djerf was pronounced dead at 10.40am.
His execution comes after his horrific crime, in which he forced his way into the Luna family home in Phoenix more than 30 years ago, during which he inflicted a reign of terror and torture on the young family.
He initially held Patricia and her young son at gunpoint to steal household goods before gagging and binding their arms and legs.
Then, when Rochelle returned home, he also gagged and bound her before raping her and slitting her throat.
After telling the mom, 42, he had killed the teenager, Djerf then reportedly asked Patricia: "Do you want to watch your kid die, or do you want your kid to watch you die?", in reference to five-year-old Damien.
When Albert appeared, Djerf handcuffed him to a bed and attacked him with a baseball bat.
The 47-year-old father miraculously regained consciousness and attempted to save his wife and child's life by lunging at Djerf with a pocket knife.
It is then reported that Djerf was injured by the knife, but stabbed Albert in the arm before shooting him six times with his pistol.
He then turned the gun on Patricia and her son, shooting them both in the head at close range.
In a bid to cover his tracks, he attempted to douse the home and bodies in gasoline and fled in the Luna family car.
Djerf pled guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in 1995 as part of a plea agreement to drop all other charges, though he was sentenced to death.
Last month, the convicted killer, who had exhausted all appeals by 2021, indicated he would not seek any further relief from the state's clemency board.
"If I can't find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have? I hope my death brings some measure of peace," he wrote.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.