What’s Happening?
Alabama plans to execute Carey Dale Grayson, 50, on Thursday using nitrogen gas. Grayson, convicted of a brutal 1994 murder, will become the third person in the United States executed using this method.
The Case
Grayson was one of four teenagers convicted in the killing of Vickie Deblieux, a 37-year-old hitchhiker.
Deblieux was hitchhiking from Tennessee to Louisiana when the teens offered her a ride. They drove her to a wooded area, beat her, threw her off a cliff, and later returned to mutilate her body.
Her body was found on February 26, 1994, in Odenville, Alabama.
Grayson, 19 at the time, is the only one of the four facing execution. The others, under 18 at the time, received different sentences after the Supreme Court banned the execution of minors.
Execution Method
Alabama is the first U.S. state to use nitrogen gas as an execution method, introduced in 2023.
The process involves replacing oxygen with pure nitrogen via a respirator mask, leading to death by asphyxiation.
This is the first new execution method introduced in the U.S. since lethal injection in 1982.
Controversy
Critics argue that nitrogen gas causes "conscious suffocation" and question its reliability.
Witnesses reported that individuals executed using this method shook for several minutes, contrary to the state's claims of swift unconsciousness.
Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, called the method's growing use “deeply troubling.”
Legal Developments
Grayson’s lawyers sought a stay of execution, citing concerns over the gas method's safety and constitutionality.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request on Thursday morning, allowing the execution to proceed.
His attorneys also filed, then withdrew, a request for Grayson to take a sedative due to his fear of the method.
State Response
Alabama officials defend the method, stating it has been used successfully twice, with death occurring within minutes.
The state maintains that the nitrogen hypoxia protocol is constitutional and effective.
The Bigger Picture
Grayson’s execution highlights the ongoing debate over execution methods in the U.S.
If nitrogen gas gains acceptance, it could become an alternative to lethal injection, which has faced supply shortages and legal challenges.
Critics urge more scrutiny before widespread adoption.
Grayson’s execution is set to take place Thursday evening at William C. Holman Correctional Facility.
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