Clemency bid denied for Arizona prisoner set for execution

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s clemency board has declined to recommend that the death sentence of a prisoner be delayed or reduced to life in prison in what would be the state’s first use of the death penalty in nearly eight years. The decision marks one of the last steps before Clarence Dixon’s execution in the 1978 killing of college student Deana Bowdoin. The execution is scheduled for May 11.  The board’s decision keeps the execution on track, at least for now.  A hearing is scheduled Tuesday in Pinal County to consider whether Dixon is mentally fit to be executed. Prosecutors have said the hearing will likely lead to a delay in the execution.