Attorneys for death row prisoner Clarence Dixon are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to deny the state’s request to shorten an upcoming briefing schedule. The motion comes after the state admitted the drugs it is planning to use in Dixon’s execution have a shorter shelf life than previously thought.
The Department of Corrections told the state that the compounded pentobarbital it has acquired has to be used within 45 days instead of 90. This would not give the state enough time to request a death warrant for Dixon, have the drugs tested as mandated, and then complete the execution.
So the state requested the Supreme Court truncate the briefing schedule to allow it to proceed with the current timeline, which could lead to Dixon’s execution in October.