A man in Arizona has been executed for kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend's ex-husband, marking the second execution in the United States this week. This event has once again sparked discussions and concerns regarding the implementation of the death penalty.
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03-20, 2025According to John Barcello, Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, 53-year-old Aaron Brian Gunches was executed by lethal injection of pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. He was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Barcello stated that the entire process proceeded as planned without any complications.
Gunches shot and killed Ted Price in the desert outside Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, in 2002. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2007. According to Barcello, the inmate had no last words, only taking a few deep breaths and making a snoring-like sound. Journalist Michael Kiefer stated that Gunches was pronounced dead 17 minutes after the injection, and he considered this execution to be the smoothest he had ever witnessed.
Gunches' execution was originally scheduled for April 2023 but was canceled after Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the state's death penalty procedures. Late last year, Hobbs dismissed the retired judge she appointed to lead the review, and the state Department of Corrections announced a change in the team responsible for administering lethal injections. News media representatives reported that the lethal injection was administered through an intravenous line inserted into Gunches' arm. In the previous two executions, the intravenous line was inserted into the inmate's femoral artery.
It is reported that Gunches' last meal included a double Western bacon cheeseburger, two sandwiches, french fries, onion rings, and baklava for dessert. Gunches is the second person executed in the United States this week. Louisiana executed a man on Tuesday, and Florida and Oklahoma are scheduled to carry out two more executions on Thursday. Arizona is the first state with a Democratic governor to carry out an execution since Virginia did so under then-Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2017.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Maye stated at a press conference following Wednesday's execution: "Ted Price's family has waited over two decades for justice. They deserve closure." According to authorities, in late 2002, Price's ex-wife struck Price in the face with a telephone during an argument at her apartment, leaving him conscious but dazed. Price's sister, Karen Price, said her brother had threatened to report his ex-wife to child welfare authorities for using drugs in front of their children.
Gunches subsequently arrived at the apartment. He asked two women who were with his girlfriend to put Price in a car and take him to the bus station. However, when they realized they did not have enough money for a ticket, they instead drove into the desert, where Gunches shot and killed Price, authorities said. In January 2003, Gunches was arrested near the California state line after being stopped by an Arizona Department of Public Safety motorcycle officer. Gunches shot the officer, who was saved by his bulletproof vest. Shell casings found from that shooting matched ammunition found near Price's body, and Gunches was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in October 2003.
