A San Diego man has been sentenced to life in federal prison without parole for killing his boyfriend in Texas after stabbing him 93 times.
Alexander Yoichi Duberek, 25, traveled to Plainview, Texas, where he stabbed Chad David Luera, 30, on the side of a rural farm road in Hale County on Oct. 31, 2020.
“We couldn’t have asked for a different (sentencing) outcome,” said Luera’s sister, Kristen Marquez in a TikTok video. “Justice is served. It is a sigh of relief.”
“It doesn’t bring Chad back, but it does give us justice that we were seeking for him,” said his sister.
“There’s no chance of him getting out,” said Marquez. “There’s no early release for good behavior.”
U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix in Texas sentenced Duberek for his guilty plea of committing interstate domestic violence resulting in death. He served almost two years in prison since his arrest, but since there is no parole, Duberek gets no jail credits.
Duberek began dating Luera in Sept., 2019 in a long distance relationship since he lived in San Diego with his parents and he traveled to Texas at least three times to see him, according to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
Also commenting after the sentencing was the victim’s aunt, who asked “Why would he extinguish a light that shone so brightly for so many?” in reference to Luera. “Why didn’t he stay in California, move on with his life?”
“After viciously attacking him, the defendant left this wonderful human life, who he reportedly loved and wanted to marry, on the side of the road, like yesterday’s trash, like his life didn’t matter, to bleed to death,” said the aunt.
Duberek did not disclose a specific motive for killing Luera. “The defendant looked his boyfriend’s family in the eyes and described the date night he had planned for the two of them,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton in a statement for the Northern District of Texas.
“But instead of providing a romantic evening, he carried out a sadistic, premeditated plan to take the life of a 30-year-old man and callously dispose of his body,” said Simonton, adding “we are proud to bring this killer to justice.”
Duberek told authorities he arrived at the Lubbock airport and purchased a Toyota Camry for $3,000. He drove to a Walmart, where he purchased a knife, a hatchet, a gas can, a collapsible shovel, a change of clothing, and boots.
Afterwards, he sold the vehicle, but when investigators found the Camry, they discovered blood in the back seat that matched the victim’s blood. Duberek remained at large for five months and returned to San Diego.
Duberek turned himself into the San Diego sheriff’s department on March 18, 2021. While being booked, he was asked about a tattoo of his boyfriend’s first name on his ring finger. He answered that it was the name of the person he had killed, the U.S. Attorney said in the press release.
During a mental health interview after he surrendered, Duberek said this: “…when I was on the run, I had, uh, I took some time to work on my thoughts, you know, try to get my mental straight which is why I turned myself in,” according to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
In her TikTok video, the victim’s sister thanked the Hale County sheriff’s office, the Texas Rangers, the FBI, the Texas Highway Patrol, and the prosecutors for their help.
