An individual on death row, Anthony Boyd, who maintained his innocence for over three decades regarding a murder case, was executed in Alabama today. Despite Boyd’s final statements proclaiming his innocence, he was put to death using nitrogen gas at the state’s correctional facility. Boyd, aged 54, had made a plea to the governor to meet him before the execution but to no avail.
The conviction against Boyd stemmed from his involvement in the burning of Gregory Huguley over a drug debt in 1993. Following his conviction, Boyd spent the ensuing thirty years on death row at the William C Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.
Moments before the deployment of nitrogen gas, Boyd reiterated his innocence and criticized the justice system. Witnesses reported Boyd’s physical reactions after the gas was administered, with his movements ceasing shortly after.
Alabama’s adoption of nitrogen gas as an execution method, despite criticism, has been utilized seven times in the state and once in Louisiana. Reverend Jeff Hood, a witness to Boyd’s execution, condemned the method as the worst yet, questioning the competence in carrying out such executions.
Boyd had requested a firing squad execution, which was denied, and had hoped to speak with the Alabama state governor, Kay Ivey, prior to the execution, which did not materialize. The court heard that Boyd was involved in the heinous act of setting Mr. Huguley on fire, leading to his death, despite Boyd’s claims of being at a party that night.
Despite Boyd’s efforts to seek a reversal of his sentence, Alabama’s Attorney General reaffirmed the state’s commitment to upholding the law and providing justice for victims and their families, emphasizing the lack of evidence presented by Boyd over the years to challenge the jury’s decision.