PHOENIX — An inmate on death row in Arizona has formally requested the state’s highest judicial authority to expedite his execution, diverging from the traditional legal protocol. Aaron Brian Gunches is advocating for his execution to take place sooner than the previously anticipated timeline set by state officials. His impending execution would signify a return to capital punishment in Arizona after a two-year suspension, during which the state reassessed its execution practices.
In a personal court submission this week, Gunches expressed a desire for his execution to be scheduled for mid-February due to his conviction for the 2002 murder of Ted Price. Although Gunches is not a legal professional, he is acting on his own behalf and described his death sentence as “long overdue.” He claims that state authorities have been procrastinating in petitioning the court for a timeline regarding the necessary legal preparations leading up to the execution.
The office of Attorney General Kris Mayes, which is advocating for Gunches’ execution, emphasized the importance of a detailed briefing schedule. This is necessary to ensure that corrections officials can fulfill the required protocols for the execution, including essential testing for pentobarbital, the drug to be utilized in his lethal injection.
Two years prior, Gunches appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court for the issuance of his execution warrant, arguing that carrying out his sentence would provide justice and closure for the victim’s family. Gunches was originally slated for execution in April 2023; however, Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration indicated that the state was ill-prepared to implement the death penalty due to a lack of staff with the requisite expertise for carrying out executions.
Hobbs, a Democrat, had committed not to execute any inmates until confidence was restored in the system’s adherence to legal standards. The review she initiated effectively concluded in November when she dismissed the retired federal magistrate judge who had been appointed to lead the evaluation.
Gunches entered a guilty plea to charges related to the shooting of Price, who was the former spouse of his girlfriend, near the suburbs of Mesa, Arizona. The state is currently housing 111 individuals on death row and previously executed three prisoners in 2022, marking a return to the practice after an almost eight-year hiatus. This lull was due to public backlash following a problematic execution in 2014 and challenges in acquiring the necessary drugs for lethal injections.
Additionally, Arizona has faced scrutiny for prolonged delays in administering intravenous (IV) lines for lethal injections during executions.
