Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Alabama Executes Anthony Boyd With Nitrogen Gas as Witnesses Report Prolonged Death

Witnesses described convulsions with prolonged gasping that renewed questions about potential Eighth Amendment violations.

Overview

  • Gas was reported to start flowing at 5:57 p.m. CT, witnesses observed heavy breathing for roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and Boyd was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. at Holman prison.
  • The Supreme Court declined to halt the execution, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting and characterizing nitrogen hypoxia as torturous.
  • Spiritual adviser Rev. Jeff Hood said Boyd appeared conscious and fighting for up to 19 minutes, while Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said the movements were involuntary.
  • Boyd used his final words to assert innocence in the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley; he was convicted in 1995 after a 10–2 jury recommendation for death.
  • Alabama has employed nitrogen hypoxia multiple times since 2024 after lethal-injection problems, and officials do not disclose exact gas-flow timing during executions.