Aaron Gunches: Arizona killer's execution halted after Gov Katie Hobbs steps in
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: The Arizona governor's growing concern about the rights of death row inmates has led to an abrupt pause in the scheduled execution of a killer next week, even though it has not officially been canceled. Democratic Gov Katie Hobbs won a key battle recently when the Arizona Supreme Court concluded a state law did not require her to move forward with the scheduled April 6 execution of Aaron Gunches, even though his execution date has not been called off.
It has been reported that Hobbs has vowed not to execute prisoners until there’s confidence that the state is not violating constitutional rights when enforcing the death penalty.
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Who is Aaron Gunches?
Aaron Gunches, who killed his girlfriend's ex-husband in 2002, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection. He had pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the shooting death near Mesa, Arizona. Price’s sister, Karen Price, had tried unsuccessfully to get the court to order Hobbs to carry out the execution. She then asked for a stay of execution.
Karen Price’s attorney expressed concern
Karen Price’s attorney expressed concern about making that seemingly contradictory move. She was worried over the fact that the state was going to let the court order authorizing Gunches’ execution expire before factual issues in Karen Price’s litigation could be resolved.
The governor's office issued a statement
On Monday, March 27, the governor’s office said that it is not expecting the execution to be carried out in the following week. Monday that it isn’t expecting the execution to be carried out next week. “As we explained in our prior statements and legal filings, the state does not expect to be in a position to carry out an execution by April 6,” the governor's office said in a statement, according to Independent.
A retired federal magistrate judge was previously appointed by Hobbs to examine Arizona's procurement of lethal injection drugs and other death penalty protocols. “The governor has made very clear the state is not prepared to go forward with the scheduled execution,” said Dale Baich, a former federal public defender who teaches death penalty law at Arizona State University. “I would expect that it would not take place (next week).”
Lawyers for Hobbs have stated that Arizona does not have skilled staff to carry out an execution and was unable to find an IV team to carry out the lethal injection and doesn’t- currently have a contract for a pharmacist to compound the pentobarbital needed for execution. They also added that a top corrections leadership position that’s critical to planning executions remains unfilled.
Gunches represented himself in court
Gunches, who is not a lawyer by profession, represented himself in the court, where he asked the Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant so that justice could be served properly and the victim’s families could get closure. Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the court for a warrant to execute Gunches in his last month in office. However, Gunches withdrew his request in early January, and newly elected Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes later asked for the warrant to be withdrawn, which was rejected by the state Supreme Court.
Gunches later changed his tone again saying that now he wants to be executed and asked to be transferred to Texas, where, he wrote, “inmates can still get their sentences carried out.” But the transfer was denied by the Arizona high court.
