Inset: Adrian Joseph Lujan (San Benito County Sheriff's Office). Background: Apartment in the 100 block of The Alameda in San Juan Bautista, Calif. (Google Maps).
A 33-year-old California man is accused of strangling his 2-year-old son to death during an effort to "kill his entire family" that ultimately failed when the man's girlfriend fought him off and saved their other child.
Investigators determined that 33-year-old Adrian Joseph Lujan choked his son to death. Lujan is facing charges of murder and attempted murder. He could also face child endangerment charges.
According to the San Benito County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a "baby not breathing" call in the 100 block of The Alameda in San Juan Bautista, roughly 45 miles south of San Jose. Medics entered the home and found the baby unconscious and not breathing. They rushed the boy to a children's hospital where doctors later pronounced him dead.
The girlfriend, 34, later told deputies that she was sleeping when Lujan allegedly woke her up and began strangling her. She was able to "fight him off" and he fled the apartment in a Ford Fusion, cops said. She looked for her 2-year-old son but did not find him in his bed.
She then saw the boy on the couch. He was blue and appeared unconscious. Her 4-year-old was in the apartment, unharmed. She called 911.
Deputies began a manhunt for Lujan. Using traffic cameras, deputies tracked him to Merced County. They "pursued him, and arrested him after a physical encounter," cops wrote.
In an interview with detectives, he allegedly confessed to the murder of his son. Authorities have yet to establish a motive.
"We're still picking apart what his motive would have been to do this," San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor told local ABC/NBC affiliate KSBW. "We do believe that he planned to kill his entire family before being interrupted based on his statement."
Lujan remains in the San Benito Jail. His next court date is not listed.