Arizona man convicted of killing victim by setting him on fire scheduled for execution

PHOENIX — Twenty-four years after murdering a man in an “especially cruel” way, a convict will face execution in May, according to the Arizona Supreme Court.

In 2004, a jury found Leroy Dean McGill guilty of murdering Charles Perez, trying to murder Nova Banta, endangering three others and two counts of arson, officials said.

According to the Associated Press, McGill set Perez on fire after throwing a cup of gasoline and a lit match at Perez and Banta as they sat on a sofa in a north Phoenix apartment. Although Banta survived, she suffered third-degree burns over most of her body.

Three other people escaped without injuries after the spreading fire forced them to flee the apartment and a nearby unit.

Before the 2002 attack, Perez and Banta accused McGill of stealing a gun from their apartment, according to the Associated Press.

Jury said man facing execution as committing crimes in ‘heinous’ manner

During the sentencing, the jury found he knowingly created a grave risk of death to the survivors, and that he committed the crime in both an “especially cruel” and an “especially heinous or depraved” manner, according to the Arizona Supreme Court.

While McGill presented mitigating evidence, prosecutors countered with evidence that he tried to have a witness killed while awaiting trial.

By 2022, there were no more state and federal appeals McGill could use to challenge his sentences.

The state requested a motion for a warrant of execution, which the Supreme Court fulfilled.

A Thursday press release from the court said said Vice Chief Justice John R. Lopez IV and Justice James P. Beene are recused. Neither took part in the matter’s determination.

McGill’s execution will be Arizona’s first of 2026 and is scheduled to be carried out on May 20, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

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