Southwest
Arizona death row inmate wants to be executed earlier than the state is planning
An Arizona death row inmate has asked the state Supreme Court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution earlier than officials were planning.
Aaron Brian Gunches, 53, had previously pushed for the state to carry out his execution for his conviction in the 2002 murder of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband, for which he had pleaded guilty. He is set to be put to death by lethal injection.
Grunches’ execution would be Arizona’s first use of the death penalty since a two-year pause to review execution procedures.
In a handwritten court filing this week, Gunches, who is not a lawyer but is representing himself, urged the state’s high court to schedule his execution for mid-February.
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Aaron Brian Gunches was convicted of murder in the 2002 killing of Ted Price in Maricopa County, Arizona. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP)
He said his death sentence is “long overdue” and that the state was prolonging the process in asking the court for a legal briefing schedule leading up to the execution.
Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office, which is pursuing Gunches’ execution, said a briefing schedule must be set to ensure corrections officials meet execution requirements, including testing for the pentobarbital that will be used for his lethal injection.
Two years ago, Gunches called on the state Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant on the basis that justice could be served and the victim’s family could receive closure.
Alabama’s lethal injection chamber is shown Oct. 7, 2002, at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. (AP)
Gunches’ execution had been scheduled for April 2023 before Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office said the state was not prepared to carry out the death penalty because it did not have staff with the expertise to carry out executions.
Hobbs had vowed not to carry out any death sentences until there was confidence the state could do it without violating any laws. Hobbs had ordered a review that effectively ended in November when she dismissed the retired federal magistrate judge she had appointed to lead the review.
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FILE: The gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Arizona has 111 inmates on death row, but last carried out death sentences in 2022, when three inmates were put to death, after a nearly eight-year pause sparked by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs.
The state has since faced criticism for taking too long to insert an IV for lethal injection into a death row inmate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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