Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. PDT on Wednesday after receiving a lethal dose of pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence, according to the Associated Press. The execution was the first of three scheduled across the United States this week, and the first lethal injection carried out in Arizona this year.
McGill was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Charles Perez, who died after McGill threw gasoline on him and lit a match during an attack inside a north Phoenix apartment on July 13, 2002. Perez’s girlfriend was also present during the assault but survived.
MSI previously reported that Arizona scheduled McGill’s execution in March. That article detailed the timeline set by state officials for carrying out the sentence.
During the execution, after the lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing, McGill began breathing heavily and made a snoring sound, witnesses reported. He was pronounced dead about 21 minutes after the IV insertion process began. McGill did not appear to be resisting at any point during the procedure.
The state was criticized in 2022 for having difficulty inserting IV lines during executions. On Wednesday, medical staff required only one attempt on each of McGill’s arms to successfully insert IVs, according to reports from witnesses.
The execution was the first of three scheduled this week across the country. Other executions are planned in Florida and Tennessee as states continue to carry out capital punishment.