An Alabama man convicted of serving to to burn a person alive in 1993 over a $200 drug debt was executed by nitrogen fuel on Thursday.
Anthony Boyd, 54, was pronounced lifeless at 6:33 p.m. native time at William C. Holman Correctional Facility, authorities mentioned. The execution was carried out by nitrogen fuel, a controversial methodology Alabama started utilizing final yr. Alabama examined the tactic for the primary time on a condemned inmate in January 2024.
Boyd was sentenced to demise for his function in killing Gregory Huguley in Talladega County. Prosecutors mentioned Huguley was set on fireplace after he did not pay for $200 price of cocaine.
Alabama Division of Corrections through AP
Boyd used his ultimate phrases to proclaim his innocence and criticize the legal justice system.
“I did not kill anyone. I did not take part in killing anyone,” he mentioned. “There could be no justice till we alter this method,” he continued, earlier than closing with, “Let’s get it.”
The execution appeared to take longer than prior nitrogen fuel executions. The state doesn’t reveal the precise time the fuel started flowing.
At about 5:57 p.m., Boyd clenched his fist, raised his head off the gurney barely and commenced shaking. He then raised his legs off the gurney a number of inches. At about 6:01 p.m., these actions stopped, and he started a collection of heaving breaths that lasted not less than quarter-hour earlier than changing into nonetheless.
On Thursday, Boyd had 9 guests, two telephone calls, accepted his breakfast, refused his lunch and dinner, and declined a ultimate meal request, the Alabama Division of Corrections mentioned in a information launch.
Boyd requested to satisfy with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, throughout a information convention on Wednesday hosted by the Execution Intervention Mission and his religious adviser, the Rev. Jeff Hood. Boyd mentioned in a recorded message that the governor ought to “come sit down” with him and “have a dialog with the man you deemed one of many worst of the worst.”
A prosecution witness at Boyd’s trial testified as a part of a plea settlement and mentioned that Boyd taped Huguley’s ft collectively earlier than one other man doused him in gasoline and set him on fireplace. Protection legal professionals mentioned he was at a celebration on the night time Huguley was killed.
A jury convicted Boyd of capital homicide throughout a kidnapping and advisable by a vote of 10-2 that he obtain a demise sentence.
Boyd had been on Alabama’s demise row since 1995. He was the most recent chair of Mission Hope to Abolish the Dying Penalty, an anti-death penalty group based by males on demise row.
Alabama started utilizing nitrogen fuel final yr to hold out some executions. The tactic makes use of a fuel masks strapped over the inmate’s face to exchange breathable air with pure nitrogen fuel, inflicting the individual to die from lack of oxygen.
Nationally, the tactic has now been utilized in eight executions: seven occasions in Alabama and as soon as in Louisiana.
Boyd’s legal professionals had requested a federal choose to halt the execution to offer the tactic extra scrutiny. A federal choose declined the request. She dominated Boyd was unlikely to prevail on claims that the tactic, which has been used a number of occasions, is unconstitutionally merciless.
The U.S. Supreme Court docket on Thursday afternoon additionally denied Boyd’s request to remain the execution and as a substitute let him die by firing squad. Justice Sonia Sotomayor authored a scathing dissent joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Sotomayor, citing witness description of previous nitrogen fuel executions, wrote that there’s “mounting and unbroken proof” that the tactic is unconstitutional. She wrote that “permitting the nitrogen hypoxia experiment to proceed” fails to guard the dignity of the nation.
Earlier this yr, Boyd pushed for execution by firing squad, hanging or medical-aid-in-dying as a substitute, arguing nitrogen hypoxia is unconstitutionally merciless.
Alabama has maintained that any shaking or gasping exhibited by inmates throughout nitrogen fuel executions are largely involuntary actions brought on by oxygen deprivation.
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