Facts of the Crime:

On July 13, 2002, Leroy Dean McGill walked into an apartment in north Phoenix carrying a cup full of gasoline. McGill doused Charles Perez and Nova Banta with the gasoline and lit them on fire. Perez subsequently died from his burns. Banta was so severely burned that treating physicians had to put her in a medically-induced coma in order to save her life.

McGill, a twice convicted felon (armed robberies), committed these crimes because the victims had accused him of stealing a shotgun. McGill had been staying with the owner of the gun. As a result of the accusation, the gun owner threw McGill out of his home, causing McGill to become homeless.

After starting the fire, McGill asked an acquaintance if he could smell burning flesh. He also bragged that he had mixed the gasoline with Styrofoam to form a gel so that it would stick to the victims and burn hotter.

McGill was sentenced to death on November 10, 2004.