PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona man convicted of killing a college student in 1978 has become the first person to be executed in the state after a nearly eight-year hiatus in its use of the death penalty.Clarence Dixon, 66, was put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Florence for his murder conviction in the killing of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin.
He is the sixth inmate to be put to death in the United States this year.The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute delay of Dixon’s execution less than an hour before his execution began.
His execution was set for 10 a.m. on May 11. His last meal consisted of Kentucky Fried Chicken, strawberry ice cream, and a bottle of water.He was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m., and according to Frank Strada, a deputy director with Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, his final statement was:The Arizona Supreme Court should follow the laws.
They denied my appeals and petitions to change the outcome of this trial. I do and will always proclaim innocence. Let's do this s***.Clarence Dixon, 66, was put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Florence for his murder conviction in the killing of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin.