A federal judge has rejected a request to postpone the planned execution of an Arizona prisoner on Wednesday in what would be the state’s first use of the death penalty in nearly eight years.
The decision keeps on track plans to execute Clarence Dixon Wednesday at the state prison in Florence, Arizona, for the 1978 killing of 21-year-old college student Deana Bowdoin.
Dixon appealed the ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where arguments are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Dixon’s remaining legal efforts center on his claim that he’s mentally unfit to be executed and that his psychological problems prevent him from understanding why the state wants to end his life.