KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Why the state Board of Clemency denied death row inmate Clarence Dixon's request for commutation

Next week, the state of Arizona will put Clarence Dixon to death. The inmate was convicted of the murder of Arizona State University student Deanna Bowdoin in 1978. And last week, the state Board of Executive Clemency unanimously denied his attorneys’ appeal for a reprieve.

The last time the state put someone to death in 2014, it was considered botched. It took Joseph Wood two hours to die and 15 doses of lethal drugs.

Jimmy Jenkins of the Arizona Republic was at the daylong hearing in front of the Clemency Board last week.

The Show spoke with him to learn about what happened and just what Dixon’s attorneys were asking for.

More Stories From KJZZ

Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.