Don Lutz Don Lutz, 56, of Amarillo died Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount Blvd. Private burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Mr. Lutz was born in Amarillo on July 14, 1947, to Perry Jake and Blanche Hess Lutz. He owned the Kwik Kar Lube and Tune on Coulter. He was loved by all who knew him and considered to be a kind and compassionate man. He was a loving father and grandfather. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Madelyn Lutz.
Survivors include a daughter, Miranda Payne and husband, Shanon, of Amarillo; two grandsons, Farris Payne and Garrett Payne; three brothers, W.R. Lutz of Reno, Nev., Jake Lutz of Victoria and Jimmy Knapp of Metamora, Ind.; and best friend, Phyllis Hubbard of Amarillo. Amarillo Globe-News, Nov. 5, 2003
This article appeared in the newspaper the day after Don's murder.
A call from concerned neighbors led police to discover the body of Donald K. Lutz on Sunday afternoon in a quiet, residential neighborhood in north Amarillo.Lutz, 56, was found found shot to death in his home in the 300 block of West Studebaker Avenue.
Neighbors called the Amarillo Police Department about 4 p.m. Sunday and asked officers to check on the house, police officials said.
"Neighbors had seen the front door broken open and the other door kicked in," said Amarillo Police Lt. Gary Trupe.
Officers arrived to check on Lutz's welfare and found his body with multiple wounds.
Precinct 1 Potter County Justice of the Peace Jim Tipton pronounced Lutz dead and ordered an autopsy be performed in Lubbock.
Trupe said he couldn't reveal where in the home Lutz was found or the nature of the fatal wounds but there was no immediate evidence that the modest white clapboard home had been ransacked.
"I'll stick with right now it's multiple shots to the body," he said.
When questioned, neighbors told investigators that they heard neither breaking glass nor gunshots, he said.
"We do know the last time he was seen was at his business some time after 5 p.m. on Halloween night," he said.
Police anticipate questioning Lutz's employees, he said.
Amy Ferranti, a cousin to Lutz and a Globe-News employee, said Lutz owned Kwik Kar Lube and Automotive near 45th Avenue and Coulter Street.
Ferranti described Lutz as a kind and gentle man who didn't bother anyone.
Lutz formerly worked for Mesa Petroleum and returned to Amarillo several years ago, according to his cousin.
"He had been driving up here almost every weekend. He came back to Amarillo to take care of his dad," she said.
Ferranti said she recognized Lutz's house when she saw the crime scene on television newscasts.
"That was my aunt's and uncle's house. I've spent a lot of time there," she said.
Late Sunday, as police gathered evidence, the shattered glass glittered on the steps to the front door.
The time of death was some time Friday night into Saturday, but a more exact time would be revealed in the autopsy, Trupe said.
Trupe said APD had no suspects but asked that anyone with information contact the Special Crimes office at 387-9468.