Man shoots woman in wheelchair during argument about cooking dinner
A judge ordered a Pennsylvania man to serve two life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and her elderly aunt after a domestic dispute over cooking turned fatal.
Last October, Santiago Payano-Sanchez and his wife, Ana Gutierrez-Cedanobecame involved in a “senseless” verbal fight over who would cook dinner, according to the assistant district attorney Jessica Collo. The altercation turned violent when Payano-Sanchez, 64, grabbed a gun and shot Gutierrez-Cedano, 59, who was in a wheelchair at the time.
After the initial attack, Payano-Sanchez’s adult son tried to take his father’s gun, but was shot in the stomach sometime during the scuffle. Payano-Sanchez then 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 publicly named in the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office press release — survived the shooting, his wife and her aunt both died at the scene before emergency responders could arrive and administer life-saving measures. Two children, reportedly aged 2 and 7 at the time of the incident, were also in the home during the attack but were physically unharmed.
“Payano-Sanchez’s son was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, while Payano-Sanchez himself was treated for superficial, self-inflicted wounds,” the spokesperson said. press release read about the incident, noting that bullet fragments still remain in the son’s body. “West Hempfield Township Police initially requested a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) be dispatched to the residence for a report of a barricaded shooter, although Payano-Sanchez surrendered to police at the scene before leaving.”
The charges against Payano-Sanchez were later filed by West Hempfield Township Police Det. Sergeant Robert Bradfield.
On Friday, January 30, Payano-Sanchez pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of endangering the welfare of children and one count of felony possession.
Before his sentencing, Cedano-Cedano’s daughter wrote a letter to the court explaining that her mother’s death “left a void that can never be filled.” She described the deaths as a “trauma” that the family would have to carry “for the rest of our lives.”
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Payano-Sanchez, who spoke through an interpreter in court, was unable or unwilling to explain why he had committed this terrible crime. Although he asked his family for forgiveness, he admitted: “I have to face what the law imposes on me.”
His double life sentence will be followed by 20 to 40 years in prison. Payano-Sanchez was also ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution. Moreover, he is legally prohibited from having contact with the victims’ families for the rest of his life.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the emergency room National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance.
