PHOENIX – Following a two-year hiatus, executions in Arizona are set to restart, as confirmed by the state’s chief prosecutor. The Arizona Attorney General, Kris Mayes, announced on Wednesday that she intends to petition for an execution warrant for Aaron Brian Gunches, who sits on death row for the murder of his girlfriend’s former husband.
Mayes explained that her team has been laying the groundwork to resume the death penalty throughout this year, collaborating with state correctional agencies to examine and enhance execution procedures.
Previously, Governor Katie Hobbs had assured that no executions would take place until there was substantial confidence in the legality of the process. The Attorney General’s office had refrained from seeking a court order for executions while a review was ongoing.
This review, initiated by Hobbs, effectively concluded this month when she removed the retired federal magistrate appointed to lead the investigation. The governor’s spokesperson, Christian Slater, indicated that Hobbs is dedicated to maintaining legal standards while ensuring that justice is achieved in a transparent and humane manner.
Slater further mentioned that corrections officials had conducted an extensive evaluation of policies and procedures, leading to essential improvements to ensure that the state’s execution practices align with legal and constitutional frameworks.
In May, the Attorney General estimated that executions might recommence by early 2025 after the review is fully wrapped up. Aligning with this timeline, Mayes plans to request the Arizona Supreme Court to issue an execution warrant for Gunches in the coming weeks. Gunches was sentenced to death for the killing of Ted Price.
Initially, Gunches was slated for execution in April 2023. However, Hobbs’ office expressed that the state was not equipped to implement the death penalty due to a shortage of trained personnel who could execute the process. At the time, they also faced challenges in securing an IV team for lethal injection and lacked a pharmacy contract to produce the necessary pentobarbital for execution.
Gunches had entered a guilty plea for the murder of Price, who was the ex-husband of his girlfriend, in a shooting that took place near the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. Arizona last conducted three executions in 2022 after a nearly eight-year hiatus, which was prompted by significant criticism regarding an execution carried out in 2014 that was considered botched, along with ongoing issues in obtaining the drugs required for lethal injections.
