On Wednesday, an inmate on death row in Arizona was executed after being convicted of setting a couple on fire in a brutal attack. In his last moments, Leroy Dean McGill expressed gratitude, thanking “everyone” for their kindness.
McGill, who was sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of Charles Perez and the severe burning of his girlfriend, Nova Banta, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. local time. He received a lethal injection at the Arizona State Penitentiary.
At 63 years old, McGill had a final meal that included onion rings, chocolate cake, and a green salad before facing execution. Witnesses, including an Associated Press reporter, noted that he smiled and commented, “I’m going home soon” just before the procedure started.
After receiving pentobarbital, McGill began to snore heavily, and he was declared dead roughly 21 minutes later. His final words were a thank you for the kindness shown to him, as reported by John Barcello, the deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections.
In July 2002, McGill threw gasoline on Perez and Banta while they sat on their apartment couch. After accusations of theft related to a gun, he set the couple ablaze. Banta survived but suffered extensive third-degree burns, while Perez ultimately succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
By October 2004, jurors deliberated for less than an hour before convicting McGill of murder, attempted murder, arson, and endangering others as the fire spread through the apartment complex.
Defense attorneys pleaded for leniency due to McGill’s troubled childhood and mental health struggles. They made a final attempt to exonerate him this spring, but their efforts were denied by a lower court.
McGill’s execution marks the first of three planned executions in the same week, with additional executions set for Tennessee and Florida on Thursday.
