An Arizona death row inmate has petitioned the state Supreme Court to expedite his execution, bypassing legal formalities and requesting an earlier date than originally scheduled. Aaron Brian Gunches, aged 53, had previously advocated for the state to proceed with his execution for his involvement in the 2002 killing of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s former husband, to which he had pleaded guilty. The method chosen for his execution is lethal injection.
Gunches’ execution would mark Arizona’s first utilization of the death penalty following a two-year hiatus intended to review execution protocols. In a handwritten submission to the court this week, Gunches, who is self-represented and not a legal professional, urged the state’s highest judicial body to set his execution for mid-February.
The inmate claimed that his death sentence was “long overdue” and accused the state of needlessly prolonging the process by requesting a legal briefing schedule in preparation for the execution. The State Attorney General’s office, led by Democrat Kris Mayes, which is responsible for pursuing Gunches’ execution, contended that a briefing timetable was necessary to ensure that correctional officials could fulfill the execution prerequisites, including the testing of pentobarbital, the designated substance for the lethal injection.
Two years ago, Gunches had petitioned the state Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant, arguing that justice needed to be served and to provide closure to the victim’s family. Initially scheduled for April 2023, Gunches’ execution was halted by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration, citing a lack of preparedness within the state to conduct the death penalty due to a deficit of qualified personnel to oversee executions.
Governor Hobbs had pledged not to carry out any death sentences until the state could ensure compliance with existing laws. She had commissioned a review which concluded in November when she dismissed the retired federal magistrate judge she had appointed to oversee the process.
Arizona currently detains 111 inmates on death row, but the state’s last executions occurred in 2022, when three individuals were put to death after an almost eight-year hiatus prompted by a botched 2014 execution and challenges in procuring lethal injection substances. Criticism has been aimed at the state for delays in administering IV injections for lethal injections to death row convicts.
The aforementioned information was contributed by The Associated Press.
Original article source: Arizona death row inmate wants to be executed earlier than the state is planning
