Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Discission being held over Alabama death penalty impact amid push for third nitrogen gas execution

FILE- Alabama's lethal injection chamber at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured, Oct. 7, 2002. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, that the state is ready to resume executions and “obtain justice” for victims' families after lethal injections were paused for three months for an internal review of the state's death penalty procedures. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
DAVE MARTIN/AP
/
AP
FILE- Alabama's lethal injection chamber at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured, Oct. 7, 2002. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, that the state is ready to resume executions and “obtain justice” for victims' families after lethal injections were paused for three months for an internal review of the state's death penalty procedures. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

Justice activist groups are leading a panel discussion about the impact of the death penalty in Alabama. This comes as a federal judge is deciding whether to allow the State to use nitrogen hypoxia again next month to put an inmate to death, following testimony on Tuesday about over happened during the nation’s first two nitrogen gas executions.

Attorneys for Carey Dale Grayson are asking a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction to block the prisoner's scheduled Nov. 21 execution with nitrogen gas. The attorneys say Alabama officials must make changes to the procedure, adding in a court filing that state officials “have chosen to ignore clear and obvious signs the current protocol contains major problems.”

Alabama is asking the judge to let the execution proceed as planned, writing in a court filing that it's time for “Grayson’s lawful sentence to be carried out.”
Alabama has carried out two executions with nitrogen gas. Kenneth Smith was put to death in January in the nation's first execution with nitrogen gas and Alan Miller was put to death last month.

Media witnesses, including The Associated Press, described how the inmates shook on the gurney for two minutes or longer, the movements followed by what appeared to be several minutes of periodic labored breaths with long pauses in between.

On Thursday, Oct. 10 the ACLU of Alabama and the Alabama Post-Conviction Relief Project (APCRP) will lead a panel discussion about the impact of the death penalty in Alabama. The event will take place at The Station at 5 Points at 400 Mobile Street in Montgomery at 6:00 p.m.

The nonprofit says next tonight's panel, “Beyond the Sentence: The Impact of the Death Penalty,” will also include family members of individuals on death row and others working with individuals who are directly affected by it.

Each will share their personal experiences and discuss the emotional and social consequences of the death penalty. Father Manuel Williams, the current Pastor of Resurrection Catholic Church and Director of Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, will provide a keynote message.

There are approximately 162 people on death row in Alabama, and since 1983, Alabama has executed 73 individuals, reports the ACLU of Alabama. All but one were men.

Alabama is the only government in the world ever to execute a person with nitrogen gas. Only Texas has executed more people in 2024. Alabama has two more executions scheduled before the end of the year.

Speakers of the panel discussion include:

  • Laurel Hattix (Moderator), Staff Attorney, The ACLU of Alabama
  • LeAndrew Hood, Organizer and eldest son of Rocky Myers
  • Eric Brown, Attorney working on death penalty cases 
  • Miriam Bankston, Social worker working with people on death row
  • Callie Greer, Advocate and Community Organizer
  • Father Manuel Williams, Pastor, Resurrection Catholic Church and Director, Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South
Baillee Majors is the Digital News Coordinator for Alabama Public Radio.
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.