Arizona prisoner faces execution for fire murder

Arizona prisoner Leroy Dean McGill is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, for a brutal 2002 murder. The 63-year-old's scheduled execution is the first of three planned across the United States this week. McGill was convicted of murder for the July 13, 2002, death of Charles Perez. Authorities stated McGill doused Perez and his girlfriend, Nova Banta, with gasoline and ignited it following a dispute over a stolen gun. Perez succumbed to his severe burns, while Banta survived third-degree burns.

McGill's legal team presented evidence of childhood abuse and mental impairment but failed to prevent the death sentence. A recent attempt to delay the execution and a request for clemency were denied. This execution follows Arizona's resumption of capital punishment in 2025 after an eight-year hiatus. The state executed Richard Djerf and Aaron Gunches in 2025. The method involves two syringes of the sedative pentobarbital. Arizona currently has 109 inmates on death row.