Alabama to Execute Carey Grayson by Nitrogen Gas

Carey Dale Grayson, convicted for the 1994 murder of hitchhiker Vickie Deblieux, is set to be executed using nitrogen gas in Alabama, marking the state's third execution by this method this year. Grayson, who was 19 at the time of the crime, and his co-defendants brutally killed Deblieux, with Grayson being sentenced to death while the others received life sentences after a Supreme Court ruling banned juvenile executions. The nitrogen gas method, which replaces breathable air with pure nitrogen, has faced scrutiny over concerns regarding potential prolonged suffering and unconstitutional pain during execution. Despite legal challenges and protests, including petitions directed at Governor Kay Ivey, the state courts have allowed the execution to proceed. Critics argue that this method may lead to conscious suffocation, constituting cruel and unusual punishment, while the state maintains that it is humane and causes rapid unconsciousness. The case has drawn attention from UN experts calling for a halt to such executions, emphasizing a global movement towards the abolition of the death penalty.