{"id":773202,"date":"2026-05-04T19:09:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/773202\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T19:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:09:29","slug":"man-sentenced-to-20-years-for-phoenix-group-home-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/773202\/","title":{"rendered":"Man sentenced to 20 years for Phoenix group home shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The county attorney’s office said a man shot another resident at the \u201ctransitional living\u201d space near 42nd Drive and McDowell Road.<\/p>\n

PHOENIX \u2014 Michael Lanunziata was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the deadly shooting at a Phoenix group home in 2024, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The county attorney’s office said Lanunziata shot another resident at the \u201ctransitional living\u201d space near 42nd Drive and McDowell Road in January 2024.<\/p>\n

Five men, including Lanunziata and the victim Joseph Lephiew, were living at the facility at the time.<\/p>\n

Lanunziata shot Lephiew after an argument, killing him, and then left the home through a second-story window, officials said. Officers spoke to Lanunziata while he was on the roof of the home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lanunziata attempted to say the shooting was in self-defense, but this statement was proven wrong in court.<\/p>\n

“Inconsistent statements from Lanunziata, who manufactured a reality to fit his claim, proved the shooting was not in self-defense,” the county attorney’s office said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lanunziata was convicted on one count of second-degree murder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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