{"id":634,"date":"2026-05-21T05:04:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2026-05-21T05:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:04:30","slug":"why-death-row-inmates-spend-decades-awaiting-execution-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=634","title":{"rendered":"Why death row inmates spend decades awaiting execution in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Arizona executed 63-year-old Leroy Dean McGill for the 2002 murder of Charles Perez after he spent more than 20 years on death row.<\/p>\n

Read more ICE claims DACA recipient detained in Tucson assaulted agent<\/a><\/p>\n

McGill did not resist during the execution process, said John Marcello, Arizona Department of Corrections deputy director.<\/p>\n

With McGill\u2019s execution, 109 people remain on Arizona\u2019s death row. McGill spent more than 20 years waiting for his fate to be sealed.<\/p>\n

Why death penalty cases take decades<\/h2>\n

When a death sentence is given, it triggers a long legal process. Once an execution goes forward, there is no way to undo a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big question people ask is, why does it take so long?\u201d said attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has handled multiple death penalty cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe death penalty is the ultimate punishment,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cOnce the death penalty is implemented, you can\u2019t reverse it. It\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once someone is sentenced to death, the decision is automatically appealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually the first appeal is to the Arizona Supreme Court, and after that is to the Ninth Circuit,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cAnd ultimately, each court will decide whether or not they believe that the case was done correctly at the trial court level or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Domestic violence suspect shot by police at Glendale pawn shop<\/a><\/p>\n

Taylor said the appeals process alone can take years as the courts reexamine how the trial was handled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can still get a new trial too, because they want to make sure ultimately the person gets a fair trial and that you\u2019re executing the right person, that they are found guilty,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s troubled execution history<\/h2>\n

Arizona\u2019s death row has faced scrutiny after executions were suspended 12 years ago. Executions were put on hold after a 2014 case when Joseph Wood was given repeated lethal injections that took nearly two hours before he was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though they are on death row, they still have rights,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cAnd you want to make sure that they\u2019re executed properly and fairly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arizona resumed executions in 2022. Last year, the state executed two people.<\/p>\n

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Read more 3 dead and more than a dozen first responders exposed to unknown substance, officials say<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arizona executed Leroy Dean McGill for a 2002 murder, as questions remain over why death penalty appeals can take decades. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy death row inmates spend decades awaiting execution in Arizona - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=634\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why death row inmates spend decades awaiting execution in Arizona - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Arizona executed Leroy Dean McGill for a 2002 murder, as questions remain over why death penalty appeals can take decades.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=634\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T05:04:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"Why death row inmates spend decades awaiting execution in Arizona\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T05:04:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634\"},\"wordCount\":415,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7dab7c6d23e94e98581d34755903e400.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=634\",\"name\":\"Why death row inmates spend decades awaiting execution in Arizona - 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