 Convicted Killer Executed
Arizona put Leroy Dean McGill to death by lethal injection on Wednesday morning at Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence.
McGill, 63, was convicted in 2004 of first-degree murder, attempted murder, arson, and endangerment for the 2002 killing of Charles Perez. Authorities say McGill, on drugs and upset about a possible stolen gun, threw gasoline and a lit match at Perez and Perez’s girlfriend as they sat on a sofa in a north Phoenix apartment.
The state Department of Corrections confirmed the execution was carried out with no complications. McGill’s final meal consisted of onion rings, cottage pie, bread and butter, green salad, and chocolate cake, and his final statement was, “I just want to thank everyone for being so accommodating and nice.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell released a statement calling McGill’s crime “among the cruelest acts imaginable. My thoughts are with the family of Charles Perez and the survivor, who has lived with the physical and emotional scars of that night for nearly 24 years. May this bring them some measure of peace.”
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed McGill’s conviction and sentence in October 2021, clearing the final federal hurdle. The Arizona Supreme Court issued the warrant in March 2026 after the state’s appeals cleared.
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