reports Clarence Dixon was sentenced to death in the 1977 killing of ASU student Deana Bowdoin in 2002 after that case went cold.
A Tempe detective reopened the case using DNA profiling. Detectives said they were able to pinpoint Dixon as the suspect, who was already serving a life sentence for a 1986 sexual assault conviction. According to officials, Dixon has 20 days to decide on being injected with a lethal drug or executed in a gas chamber. If he doesn’t choose, the lethal injection will serve as the default method of execution.
“I promised Arizona voters that people who commit the ultimate crime get the ultimate punishment,” wrote Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in a statement. “I will continue to fight every day for justice for victims, their families, and our communities.”