In a legal maneuver that could recommence Arizona's use of the death penalty, Attorney General Kris Mayes has officially motioned for a briefing schedule with the state Supreme Court; this legal filing pertains directly to the execution request of death row inmate Aaron Brian Gunches, convicted for the 2002 killing of Ted Price, as reported by the Arizona Attorney General office.
The Arizona Attorney General, having come to a conclusion after significant consideration, is primed to fulfill her role, despite the gravity of such an act; she stated, “This is not a decision that I have made lightly, but the death penalty is the law in our state, and it is my job to uphold it," and she underpins the predicament the family of the slain Ted Price has endured over the two-decade span, a stretch during which, Attorney General Mayes added, “The family of Ted Price has waited for over 22 years for justice in this case, and I am committed to ensuring that justice is served."
These proceedings fall within the legal frameworks under A.R.S. § 13–759(A) and the Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 31.23(b) – all clearly detailed by the attached documents supplied in the state's proposal for the Warrant of Execution posted by the Arizona Attorney General office.
It must be noted that the next steps invite an observation of how justice interfaces with longstanding law, the Arizona death penalty remains a subject of contentious debate, yet it appears that this filing could mark an incremental stride towards the state reengaging with what is, after all, a sanctioned but deeply troubling component of its judicial system. What is transparent is that the state, represented by AG Mayes, is inaugurating a formal process that could lead to Gunches's execution, securing what the AG terms as "justice" that has been elusive for over two decades, as per Arizona Attorney General.
