Executions to resume in Arizona following two-year hiatus

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November 29, 2024
3 min read

Executions to resume in Arizona following two-year hiatus

Executions will restart in the US state of Arizona following a two-year hiatus, ABC15 has reported. The state’s attorney announced that she will seek a death warrant in the next few weeks for Aaron Brian Gunches, a convicted murderer.

The last execution in the state was in November 2022 when 76-year-old Murray Hooper received the lethal injection for the murders of two people in Phoenix. Now, two years following a review and improvement of the Arizona death penalty procedures, the state has revealed that it will resume with capital punishment.

“Over the past five to six years, there have been reports of botched executions, and human rights groups have called upon the government to review all the steps,” Phoenix defence attorney and legal expert Josh Kolsrud said.

The state’s Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry had made “critical improvements to help ensure executions carried out by the State meet legal and constitutional standards,” according to the governor’s office. Kris Mayes, the attorney general of Arizona said that executions would resume early next year.

Mayes announced her plans to ask the Arizona Supreme Court for an execution warrant for Gunches who received the death penalty for a murder in 2002. Legal experts expect more execution warrants to be issued.

“Right now, there is a list of 25 different defendants that have exhausted their appellate remedies and are on death row waiting execution,” said Kolsrud.

“I am confident that executions can now proceed in compliance with state and federal law,” Mayes said in a statement. She added that she remains committed to seeking justice for victims of violent crimes and their loved ones. She spoke with the family of Ted Price, murdered by Gunches, to express her deepest condolences “for the unimaginable pain they have endured since his murder.”

“With a lot of these families, they want closure. And part of the closure is having the justice that the perpetrator who killed their loved one is going to have… that there’s going to be some type of retribution for his actions,” said Kolsrud.

The death penalty remains a controversial issue in America, as it is elsewhere. Recently, many states have moved towards its abolition, while others have gone in the other direction. What’s more with Trump’s return to the White House, there will likely be an increase in the federal government carrying out executions.

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