PHOENIX — The Arizona State Supreme Court has set a briefing schedule for a potential warrant of execution for Aaron Gunches. Gunches is on death row for the murder of Ted Price back in 2002.
This week, ABC15 spoke exclusively with the victim's sisters, who want to see the sentence carried out.
"All I could say to the people who have very strong opinions about the death penalty and are against it, is walk in my shoes and then tell me how you feel," said Ted's sister Karen Price.
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The briefing schedule includes the motion for a warrant on Friday.
The State Attorney General's office told ABC15 that AG Mayes intends to file that according to the schedule.
The Arizona Supreme Court said they denied Gunches request to expedite the process and issue a warrant on Wednesday.
The Court said they anticipate a conference on February 11 to consider granting the warrant.
This all comes as organizations here in Arizona and those tracking executions throughout the country express concern.
ABC15 spoke with Jared Keenan, the Legal Director for the ACLU of Arizona, who said "It was a bit shocking and a little disappointing that they are changing course."
The change, Governor Katie Hobbs in November 2024 fired the judge she appointed to oversee an independent review of the state's protocol. His rough draft of that review was still released.
"There were a number of shocking details in that report that I think need to be answered," said Keenan
Those concerns included the storage and chain of command of lethal drugs and transparency.
"There are employees the night before an execution Wikipedia-ing how these drugs work and what these drugs are," said Keenan citing another concern from the draft report.
Around the same time the Director of the Arizona Dept. of Corrections Reentry and Rehabilitation, Ryan Thornell, wrote the Governor with his own review.
Thornell said the state is ready to resume executions and listed changes made. Those changes included a new training protocol for the IV team, which has doubled in size.
"Before the state takes life in its citizen's name, we need to know that it's not going to be inducing torturous deaths," said Corinna Lain.
Lain is a law professor at the University of Richmond and has been tracking executions across the country for years. The research as she studies lethal is for an upcoming book she's writing.
This week she tried to file a brief with the Arizona Supreme Court.
"I am acting as a friend of the court in the interests of justice, in the interests of the people," said Lain. "Because I didn't see that either of the parties were necessarily situated to raise the deeply disturbing facts and questions..."
Her brief says the state has a history of execution failures and cites concerns with the unfinished independent review. It also raises concerns and the state's lethal drug protocol.
