Criminal Law
An Arizona Death-Row Prisoner’s Clemency Bid Is Rejected
Arizona’s clemency board has declined to recommend to Gov. Doug Ducey that the death sentence of a man convicted in the 1984 kidnapping and killing of an 8-year-old girl be reduced to a lesser punishment, rejecting his claims that he is innocent of the crimes.
The decision by the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency on Tuesday at the state prison in Florence marks one of the last steps before Frank Atwood’s execution in the 1984 killing of Vicki Hoskinson. Atwood is scheduled to be executed on June 8 with an injection of pentobarbital.
“Mr. Atwood is not innocent — not by any stretch on the imagination — based on my review of this case,” said board chair Mina Mendez, echoing the views of other board members.
