ARIZONA, USA — On Wednesday, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office asked the Arizona Supreme Court to issue a warrant of execution for an inmate on death row in the state.
Aaron Gunches, 51, pleaded guilty in 2004 to first-degree murder and kidnapping in the 2002 killing of his girlfriend’s former husband.
The body of the victim, Ted Price, was found in a desert area off Beeline Highway in December 2002. He had been shot multiple times, the AG's Office said.
The AG's office said in early 2003, Gunches also shot DPS Trooper Robert Flannery twice during a traffic stop. That shooting happened near the Arizona-California border. Flannery survived the shooting because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Bullet casings from the scene of Flannery's shooting were matched to casings found at the crime scene where Price's body was found.
Following his trial, Gunches was sentenced to death in 2008, but in 2010 the Arizona Supreme Court found an error in the sentencing proceeding, and the case was remanded for new sentencing. Then, in 2013, Gunches was again sentenced to death for killing Price.
Wednesday's request from the attorney general's office follows a request from Gunches filed earlier this year asking the Supreme Court to issue a death warrant, according to AZCentral. In the request, Gunches said he wanted both justice to be lawfully served and to give closure to the victim’s family, AZCentral reported. The state was given until Dec. 7, 2022, to respond to the request.
Gunches has exhausted all of the appeals in his case.
If the request is approved by the Supreme Court, Gunches’ execution date would be set for 35 days after the approval.
“We must never cease to pursue justice for victims, their families, and our communities,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Gunches is one of 110 inmates currently on death row in Arizona.
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