Background: The crime scene where three members of a family were killed on Aug. 8, 2021, in Phoenix (KSAZ/YouTube). Insets from left: Brandon Lujan, Irene Lujan, Lewis Lujan, and Matthew Lujan (KSAZ/YouTube/GoFundMe).
An Arizona man who admitted to shooting his brother and parents after an argument over him and his wife getting kicked out of his parents’ home will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Brandon Michael Lujan, 37, was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole in the deaths of his parents, Lewis Lujan, 63, and Irene Lujan, 56, and his brother, Matthew Lujan, 30, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced in a news release on Wednesday.
He was found guilty in June of three counts of first-degree murder and a domestic violence offense.
“To murder your family in such a deliberate, callous manner and express no remorse shows a remarkable lack of humanity,” Mitchell said. “I am thankful to the prosecutors in this case who ensured this dangerous individual is never released.”
Authorities said the killings happened late on Aug. 8, 2021, at a home in central Phoenix. Brandon Lujan shot his brother after an argument, then shot his parents in the home when they came out of a room and lunged at him, officials said. He fired so many shots he had to stop the barrage to reload his gun, prosecutors said.
With his wife acting as the getaway driver, Lujan fled and went to a hospital early the following morning to treat an ankle he twisted in the fracas, The Arizona Republic reported, citing court documents.
There, he told staff about the killings from the night before, prosecutors said.
Hospital staff notified police, who responded to the home and found the bodies — which had been dead for hours, the department said in a news release.
Lujan was detained at the hospital before being booked into jail on murder charges.
The Republic reported he twisted his ankle in the fight with his brother before pulling a gun and firing at him when he tried to stand after falling.
Prosecutors said that one of Lujan’s daughters heard him say, “I’m going to kill them [all],” on the day of the murders before the gunshots and screams could be heard in the home.
Officials said Brandon Lujan’s wife, Raylien Loest, was ultimately tried, convicted, and sentenced to three years in prison for acting as a getaway driver.
The victims were remembered as a loving couple married for 34 years. Lewis Lujan was a cancer survivor, local NBC affiliate KPNX reported.
“Uncle Lewis, he was always very giving,” Kyle Irwin, a nephew, told the station. “He was a plumber. I know he was out of work recently, [but] he’s a cancer survivor.”
Irwin told the station about his cousin: “Matthew was very down to earth, he was always nice to everybody and never discriminated against anyone.”
A GoFundMe page honored the victims.
“Today we remember Irene, Lewis, and Matthew for the good people that they were,” the page said. “They brought a lot of love, laughter, and great times to their family. We are deeply saddened that they are no longer a part of our lives, but will live forever in our memories.”
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