Alabama carried out its third nitrogen gas execution on Thursday, marking a controversial milestone in the state’s death penalty history. Carey Dale Grayson, convicted of the 1994 brutal killing of a female hitchhiker, was executed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.
A New Chapter in Capital Punishment for Alabama
Grayson, 50, became the latest individual executed using nitrogen gas, a method introduced earlier this year. The process involves replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen, leading to death from oxygen deprivation. Despite ongoing debates about its ethics and effectiveness, Alabama remains the only state employing this execution method.
The execution followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of Grayson’s appeal for a stay. His attorneys argued the method lacked adequate scrutiny, pointing to concerns over the distressing physical effects observed during earlier executions. State officials, however, maintained that nitrogen suffocation is constitutional and pledged its eventual adoption by other states.
Grayson’s case stemmed from the heinous murder of 37-year-old Vickie Deblieux, who was hitchhiking through Alabama in 1994. Grayson and three other teens offered her a ride but instead attacked and brutally killed her, later mutilating her body. While the other three teens received life sentences due to their ages, Grayson, then 19, was sentenced to death.
The case sparked outrage, and Grayson’s execution reopens wounds for many who remember the crime’s gruesome details. Advocates for Deblieux’s family expressed relief at the sentence’s conclusion, though critics highlight growing unease about the state’s use of nitrogen gas.
Alabama’s embrace of nitrogen suffocation as an execution method has reignited debates over capital punishment in America. While proponents argue it offers a humane alternative, detractors fear its rushed adoption risks unnecessary suffering. Abraham Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action criticized the method, calling it “deeply troubling.”
For now, Alabama stands firm, paving the way for other states to reconsider their stance on nitrogen executions.
