An Arizona prison has revealed details of the final meal of inmate Clarence Dixon, who was executed by lethal injection on 11 May.
Dixon, 66, was sentenced to death for the 1978 murder of university student Deana Bowdoin, who was just 21 at the time.
Dixon, who was blind, was serving life behind bars at the time of his death and was the first execution in the state of Arizona since 2014.
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It wasn’t until 2008 that Dixon was linked to Bowdoin’s murder when new DNA evidence emerged, however, he was already serving a life sentence for a sexual assault he was convicted of in 1985.
Following Dixon’s execution yesterday, Bowdoin’s sister Leslie James said in a statement: "Deana was a beautiful person, inside and out. She was only 21 and in her last semester at ASU when she was violently taken from my family."
She continued: "As victims, the Arizona Constitution guarantees a prompt and final conclusion of this matter. Our parents wanted nothing more than to ultimately see justice for Deana. Unfortunately, they both passed away before punishment could be imposed."
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As is the case with any death row inmate, Dixon was entitled to choosing his final meal on the evening before his execution, and The Mirror has reported that details of Dixon’s meal of choice were released to the media prior to his death.
It has been reported he chose a KFC, half a pint of strawberry ice cream and a bottle of water for his final meal.
Dixon - who was given a choice between lethal injection and gas chamber - was denied a last minute stay of execution by the US Supreme Court.
The inmate’s defence argued that their client, who suffered from schizophrenia, couldn’t comprehend why he was being put to death.
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However, an Arizona judge determined Dixon was still rational enough to understand why he was being killed.
The Mirror also notes that there are 112 people on death row in Arizona, however the state has had difficulty obtaining the drugs required for execution in recent years as companies increasingly block their products from being used in such a manner.
Dixon was the sixth person to be executed in the US this year and according to Troy Hayden, a Fox news anchor, his execution went smoothly.
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Hayden witnessed the execution for the Fox10 TV news program and said: “Once the drugs started flowing, he went to sleep almost immediately.”
Frank Strada, a deputy director with Arizona department of corrections, rehabilitation and re-entry, revealed Dixon’s last statement.
According to The Guardian, Dixon said: “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. Now, let’s do this [expletive].”
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Aisha Nozari