Man's second self-defense claim fails after first success in killing

A man from Arizona who killed his roommate at a group residence will serve 20 years in prison.

At the age of 38, Michael Lanunziata was convicted by a jury for second-degree murder and was given a 20-year prison term on Monday.

According to a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell detailed that Lanunziata shot Joseph Lephiew fatally, his housemate in a transitional home with five others.

This incident occurred on January 25, 2024, when police were alerted about a shooting in a Phoenix residence.

Upon arrival, Lanunziata exited through a window and climbed onto the roof.

From the rooftop, Lanunziata communicated with first responders while officers, entering the building, discovered Lephiew on the staircase, lifeless from multiple gunshot wounds.

They also recovered Lanunziata’s firearm and several bullet casings at the scene. Residents reported an argument between the two men before hearing the shots.

Initially, Lanunziata told investigators that he shot Lephiew, who was unarmed, in self-defense, claiming Lephiew "came at him.”

However, his accounts became inconsistent, and Mitchell stated Lanunziata "crafted a story to back his claim." She pointed out that the evidence clearly indicated that Lephiew’s death was not self-defense.

Mitchell emphasised that Lephiew's killing "was a violent and baseless act in a location where safety should be guaranteed."

As reported by the Phoenix-based radio station KTAR, this was not the first occasion Lanunziata used self-defense as a rationale after a fatal shooting.

In documents reviewed by KTAR, it was found that he asserted self-defense after fatally shooting another co-resident, Lamar Reid Jr., in Henderson, Nevada, in 2016. The charges against Lanunziata were later dismissed by the prosecutors.