Arizona schedules first execution of 2026
Arizona man who set a man on fire during a 2002 attack is scheduled to be executed in May.
tucson.comHere’s the latest I can share based on recent reporting up to May 2026.
Direct answer
- Leroy McGill was scheduled for execution in Arizona in May 2026; reports indicate the execution occurred on May 20, 2026 by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence.
Context and key details
- McGill was convicted in 2004 of first-degree murder for the July 13, 2002 Phoenix attack in which he fatally burned Charles Perez and attempted to kill Nova Banta; prosecutors alleged multiple additional victims were endangered in the incident. This is consistently described across multiple outlets, including ABC affiliate reporting and local outlets.
- Arizona resumed executions in 2025 after a pause, and McGill’s case proceeded through the courts with an execution warrant granted by the state Supreme Court, followed by the Superior Court determinations regarding any remaining petitions or waivers. His lawyer noted waivers of commutation or clemency hearings in statements following the decision.
- Coverage from Phoenix New Times and AZ Central confirms the May 20, 2026 date and notes it as one of the first executions in 2026 in Arizona, following the state’s restart of capital punishment.
Additional context (for awareness)
- Several outlets tracked the story as it progressed through appellate steps, the defense’s public statements, and reactions from victims’ families and prosecutors. The narrative emphasized that McGill exhausted available state and federal appeals and chose not to pursue further challenges.
Would you like a compact timeline of the key events in this case or a brief summary suitable for quick briefing notes? I can also pull short excerpts from multiple sources to illustrate how the reporting framed the case.