Leroy Dean McGill
Leroy McGill was executed by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence on May 20, 2026, the first execution in Arizona that year, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Witnesses said he looked toward them, smiled and nodded before the procedure, and in his final words he thanked staff for being accommodating and nice. Witnesses said he did not appear to resist, and the department said he was pronounced dead about 21 minutes after the IV was inserted. His attorneys said he had suffered severe childhood abuse and had mental impairments, and in a late filing argued that jurors were misinformed about parole eligibility; they asked the Arizona Supreme Court to postpone the execution and to order resentencing, and both requests were rejected.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His attorneys argued he suffered severe childhood abuse and had mental impairments, and that jurors were misinformed about parole eligibility; courts rejected those appeals.
Reported by: Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (including deputy director John Barcello) (the agency that held him); media witnesses; Associated Press (reporters).
Sources (9)
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