Eva Dugan was born in 1878 in Salisbury, Missouri. After her husband abandoned her and their two children, she moved to Juneau, Alaska, during the Klondike Gold Rush. There, she worked as a cabaret singer and prostitute, adopting the alias "Claw-Finger Kitty." Later, she relocated to Pima County, Arizona, seeking employment opportunities. ​

In 1927, Eva Dugan was employed as a housekeeper by Andrew J. Mathis, an elderly chicken rancher in Pima County. Their working relationship was contentious, leading to Dugan's dismissal after a few weeks. Shortly thereafter, Mathis disappeared, along with his Dodge coupe and cash box. Neighbors reported that Dugan attempted to sell some of his possessions before vanishing.

Authorities traced Dugan to White Plains, New York, where she was arrested and extradited to Arizona on auto theft charges. She was convicted and imprisoned. Nine months later, a camper discovered Mathis's decomposed body buried on his ranch. Dugan was then tried for murder, with the prosecution arguing that she killed Mathis with an axe. Despite her claims that a teenage boy named "Jack" was responsible, the jury found her guilty.

On February 21, 1930, Dugan was executed by hanging at the Arizona State Prison in Florence. The execution was botched, resulting in her decapitation when the noose severed her head. This gruesome event led Arizona to replace hanging with the gas chamber as its method of execution in 1934. ​