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By Alia Shoaib
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An Arizona man who killed four members of a family expressed remorse and said that he will not seek clemency ahead of his execution in October.
"If I can't find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have?" Richard Djerf said in a handwritten note released on Thursday. "I hope my death brings some measure of peace."
Why It Matters
Djerf, 55, is due to be executed by lethal injection on October 17, which will become the second execution carried out in Arizona this year.
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His attorney has urged that his life be spared, pointing to his history of brain damage, expressions of remorse, and the fact that he no longer poses a threat to others.
Advocacy groups have also raised concerns, noting Arizona's troubled history with executions, including a series of botched lethal injections that led to an eight-year pause before the state resumed the practice in 2022.
What To Know
Djerf pleaded guilty to murdering Albert Luna Sr, his wife Patricia, and their children Rochelle, 18, and Damien, 5, in 1993.
Investigators said Djerf tied up Patricia and Damien before fatally shooting them, sexually assaulted Rochelle before slitting her throat, and beat Albert Sr. with a baseball bat before stabbing and shooting him.
In his recent statement, Djerf expressed remorse for the "cruel, heinous and depraved" murders, and said he could not think of any reason that his life should be spared.
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Djerf committed the murders in an act of revenge against the Luna couple's other son, Albert Luna Jr., who was Djerf's roommate and who he blamed for stealing electronics from him.
Djerf said in his statement that he had become "consumed with vengeance" against Luna Jr. for the "small thing" he blamed him for.
He expressed remorse for his crime and said that Luna Sr. was an innocent victim. "No part of what I did to his family, or why, was ever his fault," he said.
Djerf's lawyer said in a separate statement that he had been suffering from undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder and brain damage at the time of the killings.
In his statement, Djerf said that this diagnosis did not excuse his actions.
"Evidence developed by experts, though psychological testing confirms that I have some brain dysfunction that likely contributed to the horrible crimes that I committed," he wrote.
"The results of this testing may help explain why I did what I did, but they can never excuse the harm I caused."
What People Are Saying
Convicted killer Richard Djerf said in a statement released Thursday: "While I am not the same person that I was on that terrible day, I can't claim that I am a good person. I am more thoughtful and I understand how much damage I have done."
Djerf's attorney Therese Day said in a statement: "The death penalty is not reserved for someone like Richard, who has demonstrated he is not a risk of violence to others and can function well in prison, and executing him will not serve justice."
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