• Life sentence for man after killing wife and her aunt
• “Senseless” dinner argument turns into shooting that injures son as well

A court in Pennsylvania sentenced a 64-year-old man to life in prison after he killed his wife and her aunt and shot his son during a dispute over who would prepare dinner.

Santiago Payano-Sanchez pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and additional related charges, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.

Judge Jeffrey Conrad handed the man two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 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 October 5, 2025.

He also shot his 33-year-old son in the stomach after the son tried to wrestle the gun away from him, officials said.

Two children, aged 2 and 7, were in the home at the time but were unharmed.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Collo told the court that the shootings followed a “senseless” argument over who would make dinner that night, and Payano-Sanchez could not explain why the dispute turned violent.

According to a letter read in court by Collo, the victim’s daughter Dominga said her mother’s death “has left a void that can never be filled,” adding, “Our family will carry this trauma for the rest of our lives.”