Alabama Executes Inmate by Nitrogen Gas Amid Criticism

Two executions are scheduled to take place simultaneously in the U.S. on Thursday evening, one in Alabama and the other in Texas. In Alabama, Geoffrey Todd West will be executed by nitrogen gas hypoxia for the 1997 murder of gas station clerk Margaret Parrish Berry during a robbery; West has expressed remorse and Berry's son has appealed to Governor Kay Ivey to commute his sentence. Nitrogen hypoxia is a relatively new and controversial execution method that involves the inmate breathing pure nitrogen gas, leading to suffocation, and Alabama has used it since January 2024 despite reports of inmates convulsing during the process. In Texas, Blaine Milam will be executed by lethal injection for the 2008 torture-murder of a toddler during an alleged exorcism, with the child's mother serving life without parole. Both executions highlight differing methods and ongoing debates about the humanity and ethics of capital punishment. The simultaneous executions underscore the continuing use and controversies surrounding the death penalty in the United States.