The governor dismissed an ex-judge studying the death penalty in the state and failed to heed a leading voice on the matter. It’s no surpriseOn Wednesday, 19 March, Arizona executed Aaron Gunches by lethal injection. As ABC News reports, he was put to death for “kidnapping and killing 40-year-old Ted Price by shooting him four times in the Arizona desert”.Gunches’s case was unusual in many ways, not least that he stopped his legal appeals and volunteered to be executed, then changed his mind before changing it again. His execution was scheduled to be carried out almost two years ago. It was put on hold when the Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs, commissioned an independent review of the state’s death penalty procedures after a series of botched executions. Continue reading...
In Arizona, the execution of Aaron Gunches proceeded despite concerns raised by experts, including a dismissed retired judge commissioned to review the state's death penalty procedures. Governor Katie Hobbs prioritized the execution, overriding expert opinions and leading to criticism that political considerations outweighed knowledge and facts.
