Aaron Gunches: Arizona executes man who murdered girlfriend's ex

FLORENCE, Ariz. - Officials in Arizona say Aaron Gunches, a man who was found guilty in connection with the 2002 murder of Ted Price, has been put to death.

"Today, Arizona resumed the death penalty, and justice for Ted Price and his family was finally served," said Attorney General Kris Mayes.

What we know:

In a news conference, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry Deputy Director John Barcello said Gunches was executed at the Florence State Prison.

"Mr. Gunches was brought into the execution chamber at 10:01 a.m., and ADCRR read the Warrant of Execution at 10:12 a.m. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gunches gave his last statement," said Barcello. "The IV process began at 10:04 a.m., and was completed at 10:07 a.m. The drug protocol began at 10:13 a.m., and was completed at 10:19 a.m."

Barcelo said Gunches' last meal included a bacon cheeseburger, fries, a spicy gyro, a BBQ gyro, and onion rings. We were told that Gunches did not have any final words, and he did not ask for a spiritual advisor.

Gunches' execution was carried out by inserting IVs into his arms, according to news media representatives who witnessed the execution. In the state's two previous executions, the IV had been inserted into the prisoner's femoral artery.

Gunches was declared dead at 10:33 a.m., but media witnesses said he appeared to have died about 10 minutes after he was given the first injection. Witnesses also said Gunches looked up, and never glanced at the observers.

"I have to say this was probably the smoothest execution I’ve seen," said Michael Kiefer.

Barcello said Governor Katie Hobbs has been notified that Gunches' execution has been carried out.

According to the Associated Press, Arizona is the first state with a Democratic governor to execute someone since 2017, when Virginia did so under then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe. 

Officials, victim's family speak out on Gunches' execution

During the news conference, Barcello said he witnessed the entire execution process, and said it went "according to plan."

"I can say that the process went according to ADCRR policy procedure," said Barcello, who did not take questions from members of the media during the news conference.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also spoke during the news conference. She called March 19 an "incredibly solemn day."

"An execution is the most serious action that the state takes, and I assure you that it is not taken lightly," said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. "As Arizona voters have affirmed, and the courts have reinforced, the death penalty is the law of the land in Arizona. The family of Ted Price has been waiting for justice for more than two decades. They deserve closure."

Members of Price's family also spoke out about the execution.

What They Said:

Karen Price described her brother as a kind and loving person who enjoyed watching the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks and riding his motorcycle. She said her family was devastated by Ted's death.

"I'd like to imagine we would be both enjoying our retirement and perhaps planning a trip together, rather than me coming here to witness the execution of a man that took his life," Karen said Wednesday. 

She added that "closure" doesn't capture the reality of the family's situation. "Although we've taken the final step in the legal process, the pain of losing Ted remains profound and cannot be conveyed in mere words. It is a relief that we no longer have to deal with lawyers, sift through documents, check prison records, or communicate with victims' advocates or reporters," she said.

Ted Price's daughter, Brittney Price, said in a statement distributed to the news media that 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."

"Today marks the end of that painful chapter and I couldn't be more grateful," she said.

Gunches was executed for killing Ted Price decades ago

As mentioned earlier, Gunches was executed for his role in the murder of Ted Price.

The backstory:

Officials with ADCRR said Price was found shot to death on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, near Mesa.

According to a June 2010 court document that is related to the case, Price had planned to stay at his ex's apartment while waiting for a school grant, but the two began fighting, and Price was told to leave after about 10 days. Price was initially taken to a bus station, but was later taken to a remote part of the desert and shot. His body was discovered several days after the incident.

While the Associated Press wrote that Price was the ex-husband of Gunches' girlfriend at the time, Price's sister said on March 19 that the two dated for 10 years, but never married.

Officials with ADCRR said Gunches was pulled over by a DPS trooper near the California state line in January 2003. The trooper was shot twice by Gunches, but suffered minor injuries.

Ultimately, Gunches was arrested following a manhunt that included over 50 officers.

Gunches' execution faced delays

Gunches' execution has been at the center of legal maneuvers in recent years.

Timeline:

In November 2022, Gunches filed a request for his own death warrant with the state's Supreme Court, but he later withdrew that request, stating that he did not know that Mayes, who won election for Arizona Attorney General in the 2022 election, had stated her intentions of "pausing" executions in Arizona.

After she took office, Mayes tried to withdraw a request for Gunches' death warrant that was filed by her predecessor, Mark Brnovich. The court, however, refused the request. While a death warrant was ultimately granted, Governor Katie Hobbs said her administration would not carry out an execution, and a review of the state’s death penalty protocol was conducted.

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

Law professor weighs in on execution

Following Gunches' execution, we spoke with Corinna Lain, a professor of law who filed a brief in January to ask the court in Arizona to not carry out Gunches' execution. Ultimately, the court did not stop Gunches' execution.

The other side:

According to Lain, Gunches exhibited textbook symptoms of acute pulmonary edema, a condition where fluid rapidly fills the lungs. She said despite what would appear to have been a peaceful death, the process is very painful, and contradicts the long-held narrative that lethal injection is a humane and painless method of execution.

Lain also pointed to Arizona's handling of the execution process, which has been criticized for procedural irregularities and a lack of transparency in drug sourcing and testing.

"One of the most shocking things about lethal injection is that most people think that it's doctors, you know, who are actually doing this," said Lain. "Generally, that's not true. The people who are actually pushing their syringes in another room are non-medical prison guards."

Lain also pointed to another issue related to lethal injections.

"I think one of the really interesting things about Arizona is that in 2023, the Department of Corrections Director, Thorn Thornwell, expressed serious 
concerns about the qualifications and competency of the compounding pharmacist that was providing Arizona the drugs. Here we are, two years later, and the state told the court not that it found a new compounder, but rather that it changed its mind, that the very same compounding pharmacy that it had serious concerns about in 2023 was now just fine."

Lain went on to say that Arizona's three recent executions cost taxpayers $1.5 million. While she has not endorsed one specific method as a more humane option, Lain did say that other states have turned to alternative methods, in light of recent research on lethal injection.

What's next:

There is no word on when Arizona is planning its next execution. Currently, there are over 100 death row inmates in the state.

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