The battle over executions is once again brewing in Arizona. This comes after a two-year-long hiatus while an independent review was taking place.

In November, Governor Katie Hobbs fired the retired Judge appointed to oversee the review, and the State Attorney General said the intention was to seek a warrant of execution for Aaron Gunches. Gunches is on death row for the 2002 murder of Ted Price.

Prices’ sisters spoke exclusively to ABC15, as they wait to see if this will be their final chapter involving their brother’s killer.

Murder of Ted Price

Ted Price was a 40-year-old father of two, who had been previously married. His life would be cut short after leaving his family in Utah and coming to the Valley at the end of 2002. He had plans to attend school and temporarily stay with his former partner.

“So that’s my last picture of Ted,” said his sister Karen Price.

The picture shows her brother waving goodbye, something Karen feels is now ironic. But those photos and memories are all they have left of Ted, who was the oldest of four.

“He left on a bus on the 17th of November,” said Karen.

But the Price family never heard from him. Ted’s sisters eventually called anyone they could trying to find their brother.

“I would spend the days calling hospitals and police detectives and stuff like that, trying to get somebody to listen,” said Ted’s other sister Shelia Banaszek.

But Banaszek said never in her wildest dreams could she imagine what happened.

Court documents and thousands of pages from police interviews paint a contentious relationship. Price’s sisters told ABC15 their brother didn’t approve of his partner’s actions or parenting decisions.

She ultimately wanted Ted to leave, and during a heated argument hit Ted in the face with a phone. But it was Aaron Gunches who shot and killed Ted off Highway 87 near Gilbert Road.

“We found out on the 30th of December that he had passed,” said Banaszek. “And then at that time, we didn’t even know how he had passed.”

It would be months until Gunches was indicted for Ted’s murder. During that time, he was arrested for shooting a DPS trooper near the California border.

That trooper survived, and Gunches pleaded guilty in both cases.

Ted’s family was there through each court hurdle including the sentencing phase, which happened twice. Ultimately, Gunches was sentenced to death in 2013.

“The possibility of an execution, I didn’t think it would happen for decades,” said Karen.

Legal battles continue

But in early 2023, Gunches was set to be executed. It was a date that would come and go. Governor Hobbs said the state wasn’t ready and ordered a review of Arizona’s death penalty protocols.

“It’s like a slap in the face,” said Banaszek. “Basically, a slap in the face. It’s a big letdown.”

Karen and Ted’s own daughter even filed lawsuits, but they were left waiting until November 2024. That’s when Governor Hobbs fired the Judge working on the review. Attorney General Kris Mayes called the Price family.

“She said, we’re going to issue his warrant,” said Karen. “And I thanked her.”

Karen said she is hoping now Gunches’ sentence will be carried out.

“All 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 Karen.

She knows each family member has their own opinions and feelings, but Karen wants to be in Arizona that day

“I mean, it needs to be over,” said Banaszek. “I don’t know that that’ll make a difference. As I said, the nightmares, the nightmare that won’t ever go away.”

Ted’s sisters sat down with ABC15, hoping to bring some of the focus back to their brother.

“He should be brought back to the forefront, and somebody ought to think about that victim,” said Karen

“I want everybody to remember a very genuinely good person was taken away that day,” said Banaszek.

Calls for transparency

The Price family represents the personal side of this complex topic.

In 2024 the Arizona Department of Corrections documented their own review, listing changes they made to their protocol. The director told the governor they were prepared to resume executions.

The Judge who was carrying out the independent review was David Duncan. Despite Gov. Hobbs firing him, Duncan’s working rough draft was released. It cited various concerns including about the execution team, chain of commands, and storage of lethal drugs.

“The whole point of the independent review is that you take the Department of Corrections out of it, you need independence in this type of review,” said ACLU of Arizona Legal Director Jared Keenan. “The Governor and the AG themselves said they need an independent review. And now suddenly they are telling us no, no, no, never mind, just trust us. And that’s not good enough.”

The ACLU was one of the organizations that held a press conference in December calling for more transparency.

All of this is happening as the State Supreme Court considers a motion by AG Mayes to set a briefing schedule, which could ultimately lead to a request for a warrant of execution.

Gunches, who is representing himself, has already asked the court to speed up that process and issue the warrant. The death row inmate, in a hand-written note, even noting a possible execution date of February 14.

ABC15’s Ashley Holden spoke with the ACLU and people tracking executions all over the country. She will have more on the battle brewing here in Arizona in the coming days.

Stay with ABC15 for the latest on the case.