Alabama Executes Man in Nation's Third Nitrogen Gas Execution for 1994 Hitchhiker Murder

Nov 21, 2024, 07:31 PM

Alabama executed Cary Dale Grayson, convicted of the 1994 murder of a female hitchhiker, using nitrogen gas on Thursday evening. This marked the state's third execution using this method, making Grayson the third person executed by nitrogen gas in the nation. The execution method, which involves hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, with nitrogen gas, has drawn criticism for potentially causing severe suffering to the prisoner. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing the execution to proceed as planned. This year, Alabama has carried out six executions, with three using nitrogen gas, making it the first state to use this method since the introduction of lethal injection in 1982.