By Roberto Bustamante
A Kansas man pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree intentional homicide for the 2025 murders of his mother and aunt after he was served with an eviction order from the home they shared.
Luke Anthony Howard35, was initially charged with first-degree murder, according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Wednesday, May 13, as part of a plea deal, according to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
Howard was accused of shooting his mother to death, Valerie A. Howard63 years old, and his aunt, Joyce E Austin71 years old.
The two women were former sisters-in-law and shared a home at 15400 West Nineteenth Facet Road in Lenexa, Kansas, where Howard also lived, KMBC reported.
The police indicated that officers had gone to the house on two occasions for incidents of domestic violence in the days before the double homicide, according to the aforementioned media.
The murders came to light on Feb. 12, 2025, when Howard showed up at a Walgreens pharmacy in Liberty with bloody clothes and told employees he wanted to turn himself in, according to an affidavit.
Subsequently, He confessed to the police that he had murdered his aunt and mother because they had evicted him.
According to KMBC, Austin had served her with a 30-day eviction notice on February 11. The day before, Austin called the police saying he was afraid of Howard.
Valerie also alleged that her son had been violent towards her a few years earlierleading her and Austin to lock themselves in their rooms “as much as possible,” according to the affidavit, cited by KMBC.
Valerie was found on the living room floor with gunshot wounds to the stomach. Austin was found dead on the couch.
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