PHOENIX — Convicted murderer Richard Kenneth Djerf has a date set and will be executed after the Arizona Supreme Court granted a motion for a warrant of execution.
The state filed the motion on July 25, and on Tuesday, Arizona's high court granted the motion.
Djerf was charged in 1993 for the murders of Albert Luna, Sr., his wife, Patricia, and their children, 18-year-old Rochelle and 5-year-old Damien.
He was also charged with kidnapping, assault, sexual assault, burglary, theft, and attempted arson.
Djerf agreed to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in 1995. As part of that agreement, no limits were placed on sentencing, and in return, the other charges were dropped.
At sentencing, the court found his conviction qualified him for the death penalty under Arizona law because the crimes were committed in a heinous, cruel, or depraved manner; for financial gain; during the commission of other murders; and against a child under the age of 15.
By 2020, Djerf exhausted all state and federal appeals to challenge his sentences.
According to the Department of Corrections, he will be executed by lethal injection on Friday, October 17.
