Final arguments made as Nicklasson execution date nears

Convicted killer Allen Nickasson's execution is scheduled for Wednesday, and as you might expect, his lawyers are making last-ditch efforts to keep it from happening.

At issue, as it was before the Nov. 20 execution of racist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin, is the drug protocol being administered during the execution process:

"The use of anonymously compounded pentobarbital puts Mr. Nicklasson at risk of an excruciatingly painful execution," Nicklasson's lawyers write.

In 2012, a group of anti-death penalty lawyers filed a lawsuit that takes issue with Missouri's execution methods. Since the state has changed its method numerous times in the past few months, the merits of that case haven't been ruled on. Nicklasson's lawyers say that since he stands a fair chance of winning that case, his execution should be postponed.

Nicklasson was one of three men involved in the murder of an AT&T worker who helped them when their car broke down. One of the three, Dennis Skillicorn, has already been executed. Nicklasson was the one who pulled the trigger, according to court records.