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Arizona executed convicted murderer Aaron Gunches by lethal injection Wednesday, marking the first execution in the state since 2022.
Gunches, 53, had sought his execution since his guilty plea for the 2002 murder of Ted Price outside of Phoenix and received a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence, Arizona starting at 10:14 a.m. local time.
He was declared dead at 10:33 a.m., according to media witnesses.
“Under a system that is more transparent, more accountable and more faithful to our constitution and the rule of law, today Arizona resumed the death penalty,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a press conference following the execution. “Justice for Ted Price and his family was finally served.”
Gunches declined to provide any last words when asked, according to witnesses.
Gunches was set to be executed in 2023 but a series of botched executions in 2022 led Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to suspend capital punishment for a review that ended late last year. The state struggled to insert IVs for three lethal injection executions: those of Clarence Dixon, Frank Atwood and Murray Hooper.
Gunches’ execution was a test of the updated protocol, under which state officials have said there will now be additional members on the execution team, including a phlebotomist. During previous executions, the IV team was sometimes staffed with corrections officers.
Media witnesses, including Jimmy Jenkins of the Arizona Republic − part of the USA TODAY Network − told the press conference that the execution was carried out with only minor problems inserting the IV lines into Gunches’ arms.
Price family finds end, but not closure
The daughter of the victim, Brittney Price, released a statement ahead of the execution saying that its completion lifted a weight off of her shoulders.
“The pain of reliving the circumstances surrounding my father’s death for over two decades has taken a significant toll on my family and me,” Price wrote. “Today marks the end of that painful chapter and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Karen Price, the victim’s sister, previously told USA TODAY that Gunches’ execution would end her dealing with the aftermath of her brother’s murder, but “it’s not closure.”
“There’s no such thing,” Price said.
During the press conference Price said that the end of the legal process was a relief. “I genuinely hope that after today we can finally begin to put this chapter behind us,” Price said.
She previously told USA TODAY that the process of keeping track of Gunches was “emotionally taxing,” and has long been ready for his execution.
“We want to be done with him, to not have to think about him anymore, to not have to get any calls from victims advocates,” Price said “We just want to be done.”
What is Aaron Gunches convicted of?
Gunches pleaded guilty to killing Ted Price, who was the former longtime partner of Gunches’ girlfriend.
On Nov. 14, 2002, Price and his ex began arguing and it got increasingly heated, ending when she hit Price with a telephone, according to court records.
Gunches arrived at the apartment later that evening, directed the woman’s roommates to put Price and his belongings in her car to take him to the bus station. But Gunches didn’t end up having money for a bus ticket, so he and one of the roommates then drove Price out of Mesa, according to court records.
When they reached a desolate desert area, Gunches and Price got out of the car, and Gunches shot Price four times, one of the roommates told investigators. Gunches and the roommate returned to Mesa, only stopping once to dispose of Price’s belongings in a dumpster, according to court records. Price’s body was discovered days later.
On Jan. 15, 2003, Gunches was arrested in La Paz County after shooting an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer during a traffic stop, according to the Parker Pioneer. The officer survived.
Gunches fled the scene, leading to a multi-agency search that lasted about 15 hours, according to the outlet.
Investigators matched the bullets used in the La Paz County shooting with those used in Price’s death, court records show.
During his sentencing, Gunches told jurors: “Do what you’re going to do,” according to the Arizona Mirror. The presiding judge commented that Gunches was “committing suicide by jury.”
In 2018, Gunches wrote the first of five letters to then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich asking to be executed, according to one of his handwritten motions.
In December, Gunches asked to be executed on Valentine’s Day and accused the state of pointless “foot-dragging,” according to his court filing. The Arizona Supreme Court refused.
Gunches waived his right for a clemency hearing, one of his last chances for a reprieve.
USA TODAY reached out to Gunches through the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry but did not receive a response.
Who was Ted Price?
Price was a quiet and kind person who loved cats and muscle cars, his family told USA TODAY.
“He treated everybody with kindness, he was fun, he was funny,” said Price’s sister, Shelia Banaszek. “When he had a chance to reinvent himself, he chose the medical field because he wanted to help people.”
The 40-year-old left his longtime partner and went back to school to become a radiology technician. He would quiz family members on facts about the human body.
“He was enjoying it, and he was reconnecting with friends back in Utah. We were thrilled for him,” Karen Price, previously told USA TODAY.
Price had found a school in Arizona that would help him complete his schooling faster, but it meant temporarily moving in with his ex.
Ted had been the stay-at-home father to her two children for 10 years prior to the separation. Karen Price told USA TODAY that Ted saw her kids as a part of his life.
“It makes sense that he would be willing to protect those kids, even though the relationship wasn’t the best,” Price told USA TODAY. “What we know for sure is that Ted did not do anything to deserve being murdered.”
Two more executions scheduled this week
Gunches was the eighth inmate executed this year and the second inmate executed this week, following the execution of Jessie Hoffman in Louisiana.
Two more executions are scheduled this week in Oklahoma and Florida. At least 11 more executions are scheduled for the rest of the year but that number is expected to go up as states issue more death warrants
Contributing: Jimmy Jenkins – The Arizona Republic
This story has been updated with new information
