Appeals court denies Arizona inmate’s bid to avoid execution

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal appeals court 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 by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals 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’s remaining legal efforts center on his claims that he is mentally unfit to be executed and that his psychological problems prevent him from understanding why the state wants to end his life.