Arizona attorney general files motion for execution warrant for Murray Hooper

Arizona continued its pursuit of the death penalty on Friday with an announcement from Attorney General Mark Brnovich that the state had filed a motion for a warrant of execution for Murray Hooper.

The Arizona Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments for Murray's execution earlier this week, saying it would conference and rule on the motion Oct. 12. If granted, the execution would likely be set for 35 days later.

Hooper, 76, would mark the state's third execution since resuming the practice earlier in 2022. Arizona halted implementation of the death penalty after the botched execution of Joseph Wood in 2014. Clarence Dixon, 66, was executed May 11, and Frank Atwood, also 66, was executed June 8.

Murray Hooper was convicted in 1982 for his role in the 1980 murders of Patrick Redmond and his mother-in-law, Helen Phelps, as they prepared for a New Year's Eve party in Phoenix.

Hooper's accomplices, William Bracy and former Phoenix police Officer Edward McCall, were also convicted and sentenced to death, but have since died.

There are 111 people on Arizona's death row, 22 of whom have exhausted their appeals, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Have a news tip on Arizona prisons? Reach the reporter at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or at 812-243-5582. Follow him on Twitter @JimmyJenkins.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona AG Brnovich files motion for Murray Hooper's execution warrant