© CBS 5PHOENIX (AP) -
A federal appeals court is refusing to block an upcoming Arizona execution, and said it's the inmate's own doing that he didn't present evidence for sentencing leniency.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision Friday denied Daniel Wayne Cook's request for a stay of his scheduled Aug. 8 execution.
Cook was convicted of murdering two co-workers, a man and a 16-year-old boy, in separate killings within hours of each other in Lake Havasu City.
The appeals court rejected Cook's claim that he had ineffective legal representation. The ruling notes that Cook decided to represent himself during the trial and earlier withheld information from his pretrial lawyer.
Another man who participated in the killings was released from prison after serving 20 years for second-degree murder.
John Eugene Matzke testified against Cook.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
