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Arion Wagner (via Jackson County Jail) is accused of murdering 78-year-old Nora Luna (via GoFundMe) in her home in Jackson, Michigan, on Jan. 29, 2024. He allegedly mistook her home because she had red curtains.
A 19-year-old Michigan man angry that someone shot up his mother’s house allegedly decided to return the favor. Someone told him the shooter had red curtains on their house so he reportedly found a house with red curtains and opened fire.
The problem: It was the wrong house, and a sleeping 78-year-old woman was shot in the head and killed, authorities said at a preliminary examination, according to the Jackson Citizen-Patriot/Mlive.com. Arion James Wagner is now facing charges of open murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle while causing death and other firearms-related charges. Wagner also was charged with domestic violence and assault with intent to do great bodily harm by strangulation after he allegedly choked his pregnant girlfriend, according to records.
Jackson police officers responded to a shooting around 11 p.m. on Jan. 29 on the 400 block of Quarry Street. Officers found a 78-year-old woman later identified as Nora Luna, a press release said. Paramedics rushed her to a hospital, but she died the next day.
Cops said in the press release that they arrested Wagner about an hour after the shooting.
At Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, Wagner’s girlfriend reportedly testified he had her drive to a home to get some prescription drugs and then to his mom’s house. He became ticked off when he saw someone had shot the house. Prosecutors played phone conversations Wagner allegedly had in jail that indicated someone told him the house of the person who shot his mom’s house had red curtains.
The girlfriend reportedly testified Wagner told her to drive and gave her directions to the home with the red curtains and he opened fire, killing Luna. Prosecutors said neither Luna nor anyone in the house had anything to do with Wagner or the shooting at his mom’s house, the Citizen-Patriot reported.
Wagner also allegedly beat up his girlfriend earlier in the day. At one point the girlfriend alleged he forced her to strip naked and made her lay on a bed while he put a pillow over the back of her head as he pointed a gun at her. He also allegedly put a gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her. She later had a miscarriage, she reportedly said.
Wagner’s attorney Kareem Johnson noted during the hearing that pictures taken that day did not show any bruising on his girlfriend’s body. Johnson did not return a call from Law&Crime seeking comment. The hearing will continue next week to determine whether the case has enough probable cause to move from district court to circuit court.
According to her obituary, Luna was born in Mexico and moved to Michigan at a young age. A GoFundMe page said she was still caring for her special needs daughter who now has had her life upended.
“This has been a very sad and trying time for the entire family,” the page said.
