Pennsylvania man gets life in prison for killing 2 after "senseless" argument over dinner

A man from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to two life sentences on Friday for killing his wife and his wife's aunt and shooting his son during a fight over who would make dinner. 

Santiago Payano-Sanchez pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal homicide, one count each of attempted criminal homicide and related charges in connection with the fatal shootings, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said. Judge Jeffrey Conrad sentenced the 64-year-old man to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 20 to 40 years, in state prison.

The district attorney's office said Payano-Sanchez fatally shot his estranged wife, 59-year-old Ana Gutierrez-Cedano, and her aunt, 74-year-old Dominga Cedano-Cedano, at a home on Oak Hollow Drive in West Hempfield Township on Oct. 5, 2025. He also shot his 33-year-old son, who survived, in the stomach. The adult son was shot after he tried to wrestle the gun away from his father, officials said. 

Two children, ages 2 and 7, were also inside the home during the shooting, but were not injured, the district attorney's office said.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Collo told the court that the shootings happened after a "senseless" argument over who would make dinner that night. In court, Payano-Sanchez could not explain why the argument turned violent. 

Officials said, according to a letter to the court that Collo read, Cedano-Cedano's daughter said her mother's death "has left a void that can never be filled."

"Our family will carry this trauma for the rest of our lives," the letter went on to say.