A judge ordered a Pennsylvania man to serve two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and her great-aunt after a domestic dispute over cooking turned fatal.
Last October, Santiago Payano-Sanchez and his wife, Ana Gutiérrez-Cedanogot into a “senseless” verbal fight over who would cook dinner, according to the assistant district attorney Jessica Collar. The altercation turned violent when Payano-Sanchez, 64, pulled out a gun and shot Gutierrez-Cedano, 59, who was in a wheelchair at the time.
After the initial attack, Payano-Sanchez’s grown son tried to wrestle his father’s gun away, but was shot in the stomach sometime during the fight. Payano-Sanchez went upstairs and killed his wife’s 74-year-old aunt. Dominga Cedano-Cedano.
While Payano-Sanchez’s 33-year-old son, who was not named publicly in the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office news release, survived the shooting, his wife and aunt died at the scene before emergency responders could arrive and provide life-saving measures. Two children, who were reportedly 2 and 7 years old at the time, were also in the home during the attack, but were physically unharmed.
Police in Pennsylvania have charged a 55-year-old man with murdering his parents with a massive knife and then killing his sister shortly after their bodies were found. Kevin Castiglia is in police custody without bail after being charged with numerous felony counts, including felony murder, possession of a criminal instrument, terroristic threats with (…)
“Payano-Sanchez’s son was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while Payano-Sanchez himself was treated for superficial self-inflicted injuries,” he explained. press release about the incident was read, noting that there are still bullet fragments in the son’s body. “West Hempfield Township Police initially requested that a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) be dispatched to the residence for a report of a barricaded gunman, although Payano-Sanchez surrendered to police at the scene before leaving.”
Charges against Payano-Sanchez were later filed by West Hempfield Township Police Det. Sgt. Robert Bradfield.
On Friday, Jan. 30, Payano-Sanchez pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of endangering the welfare of children and one count of possession of an instrument of crime.
Before her sentencing, Cedano-Cedano’s daughter wrote a letter to the court in which she explained that her mother’s death “left a void that can never be filled.” He described the deaths as a “trauma” the family would have to carry “for the rest of our lives”.
A 27-year-old California man has been convicted of the double murder of his parents, who prosecutors said he fatally shot early one morning in their San Francisco home, with his younger sister there. Irvin Hernandez-Flores was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of child abuse over three years (…)
Payano-Sanchez, who spoke through an interpreter in court, was unable and unwilling to explain why he had committed the horrific crime. Although he apologized to his family, he admitted: “I have to face what the law tells me.”
His double life sentence will be followed by 20 to 40 years in state prison. Payano-Sanchez was also ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution. In addition, he is legally not allowed to have contact with the families of the victims for as long as he lives.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance.