Arizona prosecutors seek death penalty after two-year pause in executions

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona prosecutors are seeking to execute a prisoner in what would mark the state’s first use of the death penalty after a two-year hiatus. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to issue an execution order for Aaron Brian Gunches, who pleaded guilty to murder in 2007.

The court had issued a death order for Gunches almost two years ago, but the sentence was not carried out because the state’s Democratic attorney general agreed not to carry out executions. during a review of the state’s death penalty protocol.

The review ended in November when Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs dismissed the retired federal judge had been appointed to examine the enforcement procedures.

In Friday’s filing, prosecutors said the state is prepared to carry out the execution and that Gunches waived a state post-conviction review of his case and did not initiate a federal constitutional review.

Gunches, who is not a lawyer but represents himself, had asked the court last week to skip legal formalities and schedule its execution ahead of schedule by the authoritiessaying his death sentence was “long overdue.” The state Supreme Court later rejected his request.

The Associated Press left a phone message Friday with Emily Skinner, a death penalty attorney who is serving as counsel to Gunches.

Gunches pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the 2002 shooting death of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband, near the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.

Arizona, which has 111 death row inmates, the last carried out three executions in 2022 after a nearly eight-year hiatus caused by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and difficulties in obtaining execution drugs.

Since then, the state has been criticized for taking too long to insert an intravenous line by lethal injection of a convicted prisoner in 2022.

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.