Arizona Prisoner Objects To Proposed Change In Execution Briefings

A death row prisoner who could be among the first in Arizona to be executed in almost seven years is opposing a move that would reduce the amount of time he would have to respond to the state's request for his execution warrant.

Prosecutors asked the Arizona Supreme Court two weeks ago to modify the briefing schedule in their bid to get an execution warrant against Clarence Dixon after they revealed the shelf life of the state’s lethal injection drug was half as long than they previously thought. The changes are being sought to accommodate for the shorter shelf life and keep the projected Oct. 19 execution date on track. Dixon was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1978 killing of a 21-year-old Arizona State University student.