Arizona Executes Leroy Dean McGill for 2002 Murder and Arson
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Arizona executed Leroy Dean McGill on Wednesday for the 2002 murder of Charles Perez and attempted murder of Nova Banta. McGill was convicted in 2004 after a jury deliberated for less than an hour. His execution is the third in Arizona this year and the twelfth in the United States.
Facts First
- Leroy Dean McGill was executed by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence.
- He was convicted of murder and attempted murder for a 2002 attack where he threw gasoline and a lit match at two people in a Phoenix apartment.
- The victim, Charles Perez, died from his injuries; Nova Banta survived with severe burns over most of her body.
- McGill waived his right to seek clemency and his lawyers' last-minute legal appeals were unsuccessful.
- Arizona has now carried out three executions in 2025 and has 108 prisoners remaining on death row.
What Happened
Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. PT on Wednesday following a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. He was convicted in October 2004 for the murder of Charles Perez and the attempted murder of Nova Banta. The crime occurred on July 13, 2002, when McGill, who was using methamphetamine and had not slept for several days, threw gasoline and a lit match at Perez and Banta while they sat on a sofa in a north Phoenix apartment. Perez and Banta had accused McGill of stealing a gun from the apartment prior to the attack. Perez died at a hospital; Banta survived but suffered third-degree burns over three-quarters of her body. A resident of the apartment used a blanket to extinguish the flames on Banta.
McGill's execution proceeded after he waived his right to seek clemency. A lower-court judge rejected a last-ditch bid by his lawyers to get him resentenced this spring, and the Arizona Supreme Court declined a request to postpone the execution. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCORR) protocol for executions calls for administering two syringes of the sedative pentobarbital. Media witnesses reported hearing McGill say, “I’m going home soon,” and observed a slight twitching on the right side of his head approximately four minutes before the time of death. His last words were: “I just want to thank everyone for being so accommodating and nice.”
Why this Matters to You
This execution is part of a resumption of capital punishment in Arizona, which carried out three executions in 2022 following an eight-year hiatus. The state's use of the death penalty may continue to be a topic of public and legal debate, especially given past criticisms of botched procedures. For you, this underscores that the criminal justice system continues to carry out its most severe sentences, which could influence broader discussions about crime, punishment, and judicial processes in your state.
What's Next
With McGill's death, Arizona has 108 prisoners remaining on death row. Two other states, Tennessee and Florida, are scheduled to carry out executions on Thursday. The pace of executions in the United States this year, now at twelve, suggests capital punishment continues to be applied in several jurisdictions.