Arizona executes Clarence Dixon for 1978 murder of ASU student Deana Bowdoin
CBSDec 27, 2021
Arizona Executes Prisoner, Ending 8 Year Hiatus
Image copyright:Â Arizona Department of Corrections [via CBS News]
The Facts
Convicted Arizona murderer, Clarence Dixon, was put to death on Wed., ending a nearly eight-year pause in the state's use of capital punishment.
Dixon was convicted for the 1978 murder of Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin. The case remained unsolved until 2008 when DNA technology linked him to the murder. He was already serving a life sentence for sexual assault.
The Spin
Left narrative
While Dixon was by no means innocent, he was a vulnerable schizophrenic who couldn't even grasp the reason for his execution. Capital punishment is purportedly about delivering justice and upholding the law, but, in reality, it's an unspoken scale where some lives matter more than others.
Right narrative
Although the judge found that Dixon suffered from schizophrenia, he also found him to have been rational and competent enough to understand the severity of his abhorrent crime. Capital punishment brings closure to families and friends of victims like Bowdoin and ensures real justice is achieved.