ALABAMA SET TO EXECUTE ITS THIRD PERSON USING NEW NITROGEN GAS METHOD

Montgomery, AL - In a move that has sparked controversy and international outcry, Alabama is set to execute its third prisoner, Carey Dale Grayson, by nitrogen gas on Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southern Alabama.

Grayson's scheduled execution marks the first time a new death penalty method - namely nitrogen hypoxia - will be used in the United States since lethal injection was introduced in 1982. The method involves placing a respirator gas mask over the person's face, replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas to cause death by lack of oxygen.

Critics of the new method cite the unexplained deaths of two people who underwent the process - Kenny Smith and Alan Eugene Miller - which lasted for several minutes after they were placed under the masked gas mixture. The victims' bodies showed signs of "conscious suffocation," leading many to question the safety and constitutionality of this new method.

Alabama officials maintain that the nitrogen hypoxia protocol poses no health risks and has been successful in resulting in deaths within a matter of minutes. However, Grayson's attorneys have argued that the Supreme Court should review the new procedure to ensure it is constitutional and safe for the use of such an unusual death penalty.

Grayson, 50, was convicted of murdering a female hitchhiker, Vickie Deblieux, in 1994. He is one of four teenagers who were involved in Deblieux's brutal killing, with the other three initially facing sentences due to their age at the time of the crime. However, two teens were exonerated due to the new U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding juvenile offenders and sentencings.

Thursday's execution comes on the heels of international outcry following the deaths of Kenny Smith and Alan Eugene Miller, both of whom expired from the nitrogen hypoxia method in their final minutes. As concerns surrounding this untested method continue to rise, Grayson's fellow justice advocates hope that a nationwide review will occur prior to the implementation of similar protocols elsewhere.

The upcoming execution marks Alabama's second use of nitrogen gas since February 2023 when Kenny Smith became its first victim under this new lethal injection procedure. Alan Eugene Miller became the second in late March following Smith's death.