Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on May 4 that Michael Lanunziata has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Joseph Lephiew, a fellow resident at a Phoenix group home.
The case concerns an incident from January 2024, when police responded to multiple emergency calls reporting gunfire at a residence near 42nd Drive and McDowell Road. The home served as transitional living for five adult men, including both Lanunziata and Lephiew, who had lived together there for about a year before the shooting.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Lanunziata exiting through a second-story window. He spoke with first responders from the roof and said there was only one gun in the house—his own. Police entered and discovered Lephiew lying unarmed on the stairs with gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers also found Lanunziata’s handgun and shell casings nearby.
Other residents reported hearing an argument followed by several gunshots. Investigators determined that the shooting occurred on the staircase. Although Lanunziata claimed self-defense, authorities said his statements were inconsistent and evidence did not support his version of events.
Lanunziata was convicted of one count of second-degree murder, classified as a dangerous felony. “This was not self-defense—it was a deadly and unjustified act of violence inside a place where people should have felt safe,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “The defendant chose to bring a gun into that home, escalate a conflict, and take a life. Today’s sentence holds him accountable, but nothing can undo the harm caused to the victim and everyone affected by this crime.”
