Key Points: 

• Department of Corrections executed death row inmate Richard Djerf 

• Medical team ran into some difficulties inserting Djerf’s IV line 

• Witnesses said process otherwise went smoothly 

The state executed Richard Djerf, a man convicted of murdering four members of the Luna family, by lethal injection on Friday morning, marking the second death row inmate to see their sentence carried out in the past year.

According to a deputy director at the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry and five members of the media, the medical staff experienced some difficulties inserting the IV lines into Djerf’s arm. 

Otherwise, witnesses described the execution as “clinical,” noting a relatively swift death following the first administration of lethal drugs. 

Attention continues to hover over the state’s execution process, given a history marked with false starts, “botched” executions and a more recent, though incomplete, independent review that raised some reservations about the lethal injection process.  

But Djerf’s execution today, and the execution of another death row inmate earlier this year, passed without any major complications and in accordance with department procedure. 

Djerf was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of the Luna family — Albert, 47, Patricia, 42, Rochelle, 18, and Damien, 5. He has sat on death row ever since, exhausting his appeals in 2019. 

“The death penalty is the law of Arizona and yet each time the state asserts this ultimate measure of justice, we must recognize the seriousness and the solemnness of taking a life,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said. “Today should be about the members of the Luna family who Richard Djerf brutally murdered that September day in 1993. Those four innocent victims deserve justice, and their loved ones deserve closure to the Luna Family and other crime victims like them.” 

Mayes named Djerf as the next inmate to be executed by lethal injection in May of this year. The Arizona Supreme Court issued a warrant of execution on August 19 and set the execution for October 17.

According to witnesses, Djerf was brought into the execution room at 10:01 a.m. Five officers strapped his hands, legs and torso to the table and laid a white sheet up to his chest. The restraint process was visible through overhead cameras, which were shown on screens. 

The curtains opened, and a four member medical team entered the room to begin the IV insertion process. 

Witnesses said the medical team started the process at about 10:13 a.m. One witness said it took a handful of punctures to start the IV. Another witness said they could see blood as the medical team continued to try to insert the IV.  But witnesses said they did not see any obvious wincing or signs of pain.

The right IV was successfully inserted after five minutes, while the left arm took nine, with IV insertion complete at 10:21 a.m. Djerf’s warrant was read at 10:23 a.m., and the medical team started administering the drugs at 10:24 a.m. and ended at 10:28 a.m. 

Witnesses reported some grunting and heavy breathing. And though Djerf kept his eyes closed for the entirety of the execution, witnesses said Djerf seemed to be sedated quickly. Within six minutes, they reported no movement or no visible breathing. 

A member of the execution team checked Djerf’s pulse around 10:32 a.m. and pronounced him dead at 10:40 a.m.. 

When asked if he had any last words, Djerf said, “I do not.” 

According to ADCRR deputy director John Barcello, the victims’ representatives did not attend the execution. Witnesses said Director Ryan Thornell was absent as well. 

Both Mayes and Mitchell were in attendance. 

In a statement, Mitchell called Djerf a “prime example of why the death penalty exists.” 

“Today was a day of final justice—not only for the memory of the four innocent lives he took, but also for the only surviving son and the extended Luna family, who have carried the weight of that loss every single day,” Mitchell said. “May this bring them some measure of finality.” 

Prior to Djerf, Mayes and Mitchell witnessed and oversaw the execution of Aaron Gunches, a man convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Ted Price in 2002, earlier this year.  

The department maintains it is “confident in both the quality and quantity of its pentobarbital supply,” citing a quantitative chemical analysis showing “sufficient concentration of pentobarbital” and a sterility test verifying the drug’s expiration date. 

According to Barcello, the county medical examiner took custody of Djerf’s body and will be issuing a certificate of death.

“I personally observed the process of the events today,” Barcello said. “By all counts, the process went according to plan, without any incident.”