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.
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State lawmakers are facing a few deadlines as they come back to the Capitol this week. June 30 is the end of the fiscal year, so they need to have a new budget in place by then. Before that, though, on June 24, is the deadline for Arizona voters to submit arguments for and against ballot measures. -
KJZZ explores the barriers and risks incarcerated women face as they prepare to leave prison and start their lives over again. -
Women are a small but growing segment of the state’s prison population, and their needs are distinct. Yet, many of the programs designed to prepare them for release were primarily tailored for men.There are efforts in Arizona aimed at giving incarcerated women a real second chance. -
Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday following a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence, corrections officials said. -
The federal judge who ordered the takeover of Arizona’s prison healthcare system earlier this year because of years of unconstitutionally inadequate care is looking to quickly appoint a receiver to oversee the care of more than 25,000 state inmates.
