Arizona AG seeks death warrant for inmate in 2002 gasoline attack

The Brief

  • The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is seeking a death warrant for Leory McGill, with a proposed execution date in March 2026.
  • McGill was convicted of murder and attempted murder for a 2002 attack in which he doused Charles Perez and Nova Banta with gasoline and set them on fire in a north Phoenix apartment.
  • Court records show McGill used a “napalm-like” mixture of gasoline and Styrofoam to ensure the fuel would stick to the victims, resulting in the death of Perez and the hospitalization of Banta.

PHOENIX The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has begun the process to obtain a death warrant for Leory McGill, the death row inmate convicted in a deadly 2002 gasoline attack.

Prosecutors are seeking a March 2026 execution for McGill, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Charles Perez and the attempted murder of Nova Banta.

The backstory:

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