Arizona death-row inmate Eric John King lost the race with death as the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to stay the verdict hours before the scheduled time of execution.

King will die of lethal injection today for the twin murder he committed in 1989. The 47-year-old was convicted of killing a security guard and a convenience store clerk as he tried to make off with a paltry sum. He had only been just released after a seven-year prison term for rape and kidnapping when he committed the twin murder.

He will be one of the last persons to be executed with the three-drug method before Arizona switches to a single-drug injection.

King lost a clemency petition last week as the state clemency board turned down his request to commute the sentence to life in prison. The board had also refused to stay the execution.

His lawyer then moved the Supreme Court, arguing that the state should hold the execution until the new law regarding lethal injection comes into force.

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