Third Person to be Executed in US Using Nitrogen Gas Scheduled for Alabama Prisons
In a bleak reminder of the United States' commitment to capital punishment, Carey Dale Grayson is set to become the third person executed by nitrogen gas in the country's history. The 50-year-old prisoner will face execution on Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in south Alabama.
Grayson was one of four teenagers convicted of murderously killing Vickie Deblieux, a 37-year-old woman who was hitchhiking through Alabama on her way to visit her mother in Louisiana. The crime took place in February 1994, and Grayson's trial focused on his role as the ringleader of the group responsible for Deblieux's brutal murder.
In October this year, Alabama became the first state in the US to adopt nitrogen gas as an execution method since lethal injection was introduced in 1982. This new protocol involves placing a specialized respirator mask over the prisoner's face, allowing pure nitrogen gas to displace breathable air and ultimately cause death by lack of oxygen.
Critics have raised concerns about the efficacy and constitutionality of this new method, citing the reported effects of shock and convulsion experienced by Kenny Smith, who was executed earlier this year using nitrogen hypoxia. Additionally, Alan Eugene Miller followed in that footsteps just last month, drawing widespread international attention to the issue.
During his appeals, Grayson's lawyers argued for more scrutiny of the nitrogen hypoxia protocol, citing concerns about the "conscious suffocation" it allegedly caused. The US Supreme Court weighed these claims, but ultimately allowed the execution to proceed, with state lawyers stating that the two previous executions resulted in immediate death and therefore demonstrated the protocol's safety.
Deblieux's case remains a haunting reminder of the consequences of Alabama's choice to adopt this new method of execution. Just 14 years after her tragic passing, Deblieux will be taken from life once again at the hands of the state that convicted the masterminds behind her murder.