Man sentenced to over 65 years for murders of mother, aunt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Johnson County, Kansas, judge sentenced a man to over 65 years in prison for the 2025 murders of his mother and aunt.

Luke Howard pleaded guilty in May to two counts of intentional second-degree murder. He was sentenced Monday to serve 618 months for the first count and 165 months for the second count, totaling 783 months (65 years and three months).

On Feb. 11, 2025, Howard entered a Liberty Walgreens with blood on his clothes and told two pharmacists he needed to turn himself in.

Liberty police were called to the store, and Howard explained he had shot his aunt, 71-year-old Joyce Austin, for evicting him. He also admitted to shooting his mother, 63-year-old Valerie Howard.

Lenexa officers were called early on Feb. 12 to the Lenexa home in the 15400 block of West 90th Street, where the women were found dead.

Police said they had responded to the home just days before the double murder. While Howard claimed his mother grabbed his neck and pushed him, she told police he had a history of violence, which prompted her and Austin to frequently lock themselves in their rooms.

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