Overview
- Arizona executed Leroy Dean McGill on Wednesday, May 20, by lethal injection at the State Prison Complex in Florence, and officials said he was pronounced dead shortly after the procedure began.
- McGill was convicted in 2004 of first‑degree murder, attempted murder, arson and endangerment for dousing Charles Perez and Nova Banta with gasoline and igniting them in a north Phoenix apartment; Perez died and Banta survived with third‑degree burns over roughly 75% of her body.
- McGill exhausted state appeals, a lower court and the Arizona Supreme Court declined his recent bids for resentencing, and he waived his right to seek clemency, clearing the legal path for execution.
- Arizona administered two syringes of compounded pentobarbital under its current protocol, a choice that has drawn scrutiny after past drug shortages and a widely criticized 2014 execution that led to a multi‑year pause and administrative reviews.
- The execution continues Arizona’s recent resumption of death sentences after a state review and signals ongoing debate over the death penalty method and oversight as the state holds more than 100 people on death row.