Top 10 Most Dangerous Prisoners On Arizona Death Row

10 - Shawna Forde

On May 30, 2009, a violent home invasion in Arivaca, Arizona, orchestrated by Shawna Forde, resulted in the deaths of 29-year-old Raul Flores Jr. and his 9-year-old daughter, Brisenia Ylianna Flores.

Forde, a leader of the vigilante group Minutemen American Defense, along with accomplices Jason Eugene Bush and Albert Gaxiola, targeted the Flores family under the pretense of law enforcement officials searching for fugitives.

Their true motive was to rob the family, believing they possessed drugs and money to fund their anti-immigration activities.

During the invasion, Raul and Brisenia were fatally shot, while Gina Gonzalez, Raul's wife and Brisenia's mother, survived despite being shot three times.

Gonzalez managed to call 911 and, when the assailants returned, she defended herself by shooting Bush in the leg, forcing the attackers to flee.

Forde was apprehended shortly after the incident. Evidence found in her possession included jewelry stolen from the Flores home.

She was charged with multiple offenses, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and various burglary and assault charges.

In February 2011, Forde was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death, along with an additional 65 years for other charges.

Her accomplice, Bush, also received the death penalty, while Gaxiola was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Forde's case drew national attention due to its brutal nature and the involvement of a child victim.

As of now, she remains on Arizona's death row, awaiting execution.

9 - Wendi Andriano

Born Wendi Elizabeth Ochoa on August 6, 1970, she married Joe Andriano in January 1994.

Joe was a 33-year-old man battling terminal cancer when the crime occurred.

On October 8, 2000, after attending a barbecue with their children, Wendi called a coworker to watch the kids while she took Joe to the doctor.

Instead, she fatally poisoned him with a lethal dose of painkillers, leading to his death.

In 2004, Wendi Andriano was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

The prosecution argued that she killed Joe to end his suffering and to collect life insurance money.

The jury found six aggravating circumstances, including that the crime was committed for pecuniary gain and that the victim was particularly vulnerable due to his illness.

Wendi Andriano is currently incarcerated at the Lumley Unit in the Arizona State Prison Complex – Perryville. Her inmate number is #191593.

Wendi Andriano's conviction and death sentence were upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court in 2007.

She has since pursued various legal avenues in an attempt to overturn her conviction, including federal habeas corpus petitions. As of now, her death sentence stands.

8 - Martin Soto-Fong

​In 1992, a tragic triple homicide at the El Grande Market in Tucson, Arizona, led to the conviction of 17-year-old Martin Soto-Fong.

Despite the overturning of his co-defendants' convictions due to prosecutorial misconduct, Soto-Fong remains incarcerated, raising questions about the fairness of his trial and the integrity of the evidence against him.​

On June 24, 1992, police discovered the bodies of Fred Gee, the market manager; Ray Arriola, an employee; and Zewan Huang, Gee's uncle.

Each had been fatally shot with .38 and .25 caliber handguns. Approximately $175 was missing from the store and Investigators found a nearby abandoned car with Christopher McCrimmon's fingerprint on the window.

A witness, Queen E. Ray, testified that McCrimmon, Andre Minnitt, and a third individual known as "Martinez" left with the car shortly before the murders.

She identified "Martinez" as Soto-Fong. Additionally, Soto-Fong's fingerprints were found on grocery bags and a food stamp at the crime scene.

Soto-Fong was tried separately from McCrimmon and Minnitt. The prosecution's case heavily relied on the testimony of Keith Woods, a jailhouse informant who claimed the trio confessed to him.

Soto-Fong's defense argued mistaken identity, suggesting another individual nicknamed "Chachi" was involved.

Nevertheless, he was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

Years later, significant issues emerged regarding the prosecution's conduct. Prosecutor Kenneth Peasley was disbarred in 2004 for presenting false testimony in the retrials of McCrimmon and Minnitt.

Detective Joseph Godoy also provided false testimony. As a result, McCrimmon was acquitted, and Minnitt's conviction was vacated.

Despite the same informant's testimony being central to Soto-Fong's conviction, his appeals were denied, and his conviction upheld.

7 - Clarence Dixon

On January 7, 1978, Deana Bowdoin was found dead in her Tempe apartment.

She had been sexually assaulted, strangled with a belt, and stabbed multiple times.

The case remained unsolved for over two decades. In 2001, DNA evidence linked Clarence Dixon, who was already serving a life sentence for a 1986 sexual assault, to Bowdoin's murder.

At the time of the crime, Dixon lived across the street from Bowdoin, though no direct connection between them was established.

Dixon was convicted of Bowdoin's murder in 2008 and sentenced to death.

His defense argued that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was legally blind, contending that he lacked a rational understanding of his execution. Despite these claims, courts determined he was competent to be executed.​

6 - Aaron Gunches

​In 2002, Aaron Brian Gunches committed a heinous crime that would lead to his execution over two decades later.

On November 14, 2002, Gunches kidnapped and murdered Ted Price, the ex-husband of his girlfriend, Katherine Lecher.

Price had visited Lecher's home in Mesa, Arizona, where an altercation occurred. Gunches, upon discovering the situation, decided to take matters into his own hands.

He and an acquaintance transported Price to a remote desert area off the Beeline Highway, where Gunches shot him four times, resulting in Price's death. ​

In January 2003, during a routine traffic stop, Gunches shot and injured Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Robert Flannery.

Following a manhunt, Gunches was apprehended the next day, hiding in a haystack in Wenden, Arizona.

Gunches pleaded guilty to the murder of Ted Price in 2004 and was sentenced to death in 2008.

Over the years, he became known for his unusual requests to expedite his own execution, criticizing the state's delays in carrying out his sentence.

In November 2022, he formally asked the Arizona Supreme Court to issue his execution warrant, stating that justice should be served.

Despite the complexities and delays, including a review of Arizona's death penalty protocols initiated by Governor Katie Hobbs, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a new execution warrant in February 2025.

Gunches confirmed he would not seek a reprieve and wished for the execution to proceed.

5 - Trent Benson

​Trent Christopher Benson, born on October 7, 1971, in South Korea, is a convicted murderer and serial rapist whose crimes in Arizona between 2004 and 2007 shocked the community and led to his placement on death row.

Adopted by an American couple from Minnesota at the age of three, Benson's early life appeared unremarkable.

However, his later actions revealed a pattern of violent offenses against women in the Phoenix and Mesa areas.

In 2008, Mesa police received a tip about a man in a white car attempting to solicit women. Surveillance led them to Benson, who was observed discarding a cigarette butt.

DNA from the cigarette matched samples from the crime scenes, leading to his arrest.

Benson confessed to the murders of Beck and Campbell and the assault on Melissa but denied involvement with Yolanda, despite DNA evidence to the contrary.

In 2011, Benson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of kidnapping, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted sexual assault.

The jury found aggravating factors, including prior convictions and the especially heinous nature of the crimes, warranting the death penalty.

He was sentenced to death for the murders and received an additional 135.5 years for the other offenses. ​

Benson remains on death row at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. Authorities suspect he may be responsible for additional unsolved crimes, given the pattern and severity of his known offenses.

4 - Robert Lee Walden

Walden was born in Chicago, Illinois, and later moved to Arizona. Before his most notorious crimes, he had a history of violent offenses, including at least seven arrests for assault.

He worked as a pest control technician, which provided him access to various residences in Tucson.​

In the spring and summer of 1991, Walden embarked on a series of brutal attacks against women in Tucson.

Walden was arrested shortly after the murder of Lida Burhaus. In July 1992, he was convicted on multiple counts, including first-degree murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and burglary.

He was sentenced to death for the murder and received additional sentences totaling over 100 years for the other offenses.

Walden has filed numerous appeals over the years, challenging various aspects of his trial and sentencing. However, courts have consistently upheld his convictions and sentences.

As of January 10, 2022, the United States Supreme Court denied his final petition for a writ of certiorari, effectively exhausting his legal avenues for appeal.

Walden remains on death row at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. His case continues to be a stark reminder of the impact of violent crime and the complexities of the criminal justice system.

3 - Richard Djerf

On September 14, 1993, Djerf sought vengeance against his former friend, Albert Luna Jr., whom he suspected of burglarizing his apartment earlier that year. Unable to locate Luna Jr., Djerf targeted his family instead.

He entered the Luna household in Phoenix, where he bound Patricia Luna and her 5-year-old son, Damien. When 17-year-old Rochelle Luna arrived home, Djerf murdered her.

He then shot Patricia and Damien before attempting to set the house on fire to destroy evidence.

After pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, he was sentenced to death on May 22, 1996.

As of April 2025, Djerf remains incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence.

His final petition for a writ of certiorari was denied by the United States Supreme Court on May 4, 2020, exhausting his legal appeals and making him eligible for execution.

2 - Preston Strong

Preston Alton Strong is one of Arizona’s most notorious death row inmates, convicted of two separate murder cases that shocked the community of Yuma.

His crimes, marked by cold calculation and extreme violence, earned him a place among the most dangerous criminals in the state.

The most harrowing of Strong’s crimes occurred in June 2005, when he murdered six members of the same family in what became known as the La Mesa Street Murders.

The victims included Luis and Liliana Rios, their three young children, and Liliana’s 17-year-old niece.

The motive behind the massacre was financial as strong had accumulated significant gambling debts and was desperate for money.

Evidence later revealed that he had a close friendship with the Rios family and used that trust to gain access to their home.

Investigators believe he killed them after attempting to extort or rob them, fearing they would report him or resist.

But that wasn’t Strong’s only murder as he was already serving a life sentence for the 2007 killing of Dr. Satinder Gill, a well-known Yuma physician.

Strong shot Dr. Gill during a robbery, taking his wallet and car before fleeing the scene.

The murder occurred just two years after the La Mesa Street killings but was solved first due to clearer evidence and witness testimony.

Preston Strong was eventually linked to both crimes through forensic evidence, witness statements, and his own shifting alibis.

In 2017, he was convicted on six counts of first-degree murder for the La Mesa Street killings and sentenced to death.

His case drew national media attention not only for the brutality of the crimes but also for the double life Strong appeared to lead.

To many in Yuma, he was charismatic and outgoing, even maintaining a romantic relationship while behind bars. However, beneath that exterior lay a man capable of unspeakable violence.

As of 2025, Strong remains on Arizona’s death row, housed at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence.

The families of his victims continue to advocate for justice and remember the lives that were so senselessly taken.

1 - Mark Goudeau

Mark Goudeau, infamously known as the "Baseline Killer," terrorized Phoenix, Arizona, between August 2005 and June 2006.

His crime spree included nine murders, multiple assaults, kidnappings, and armed robberies, instilling fear throughout the community.​

Goudeau's attacks were marked by their brutality and randomness and he often approached victims under the guise of needing assistance or posing as a homeless individual.

Once he gained their trust, he would assault, rob, or murder them. His victims ranged from young girls to adults, and his methods included shooting victims in the head and sexually assaulting them.

The moniker "Baseline Killer" originated from the location of his initial crimes near Baseline Road in South Phoenix.

The Phoenix Police Department dedicated extensive resources to apprehend the Baseline Killer, including distributing sketches and offering rewards.

A breakthrough occurred when DNA evidence linked Goudeau to the sexual assault of two sisters in September 2005 and this connection led to his arrest in September 2006.

In 2007, Goudeau was convicted of 19 felonies related to the assault on the two sisters and sentenced to 438 years in prison.

Subsequently, in 2011, he faced trial for the Baseline Killer crimes, resulting in convictions on 67 felony counts, including nine counts of first-degree murder.

The court sentenced him to death for each murder and imposed an additional 1,196 years for the other offenses.

As of 2025, Mark Goudeau remains on death row at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence.

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