Arizona is scheduled to execute by lethal injection a man in his 60s on Wednesday morning in Florence.
Leroy McGill was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in 2004.
According to court documents, McGill in 2002 threw a cup of gasoline and a lit match at Charles Perez and Nova Banta, telling them that they shouldn't talk about people behind their backs after they accused him of stealing a gun, setting them both on fire. Perez died the next day, while Banta survived and later identified McGill as the assailant
McGill’s lawyers presented evidence about abuse he suffered as a child, mental impairment and psychological immaturity, but he still received a death sentence.
McGill is the first person in Arizona to face execution this year. The state last put a man to death in October.
-
The head of community and culture at the Durango juvenile detention center says more kids in the facility want to graduate high school because they can almost immediately start Arizona State University classes. -
When a woman is released from prison, the roadmap back is complicated. But to really start over, she needs a job. For women with a criminal record, that can be difficult. -
An Arizona woman who used fake court documents to secure her father’s early release from prison last year has been arrested in Texas for forging documents in a child custody dispute. -
You might be surprised to learn that there was a time in American history when the death penalty was illegal — everywhere. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all of the death penalty laws around the country violated the Constitution. They were, essentially, too arbitrary. -
In December 2025, Yavapai County launched its partnership with the technology company Kyndryl to improve recidivism rates and case management.
