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5d ago

Alabama Executes Gregory Hunt by Nitrogen Gas for 1988 Murder

Critics, including human rights groups alongside the Vatican, argue that nitrogen hypoxia constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

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The Alabama Department of Corrections’ lethal injection chamber located at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is seen on Monday Oct. 7, 2002.
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Overview

  • Gregory Hunt was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. CT on June 10 after inhaling pure nitrogen gas in Alabama’s execution chamber.
  • He was convicted in 1990 of capital murder, sexual abuse and burglary for the rape and beating death of 32-year-old Karen Lane, who suffered about 60 external injuries.
  • Hunt’s death marked the sixth nitrogen hypoxia execution nationally and the fifth in Alabama since the state adopted the method in January 2024.
  • Several of Lane’s relatives witnessed the execution and released a statement calling it justice and the end of a 37-year nightmare for their family.
  • Hunt’s last-minute appeals, including a U.S. Supreme Court motion alleging juror misdirection, were denied and he made a final hand gesture before the gas was released.