death row prisoner previously declared legally insane can now be executed. Earlier this month an Arizona Superior Court judge in America ruled that Clarence Dixon, whose execution is due on May 11, is "competent" to be executed.
Dixon has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is visually impaired, and suffers from hallucinations and delusions. Shortly before the crime for which he is expected to be executed, he stood trial for assault and was found “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” at Maricopa County Superior Court.This was in 1977, when he was accused of hitting a stranger on the head with a metal pipe.
He was treated in a state hospital and civil commitment proceedings were scheduled to start within 10 days of his trial in 1978, but instead Dixon was released.
The murder for which he faces execution was committed two days after his release.At his 2002 trial, he presented an argument that the charges were fuelled by a government conspiracy.
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