Alabama's Controversial Nitrogen Gas Execution: Anthony Boyd Put to Death for 1993 Murder Despite Constitutional Concerns

Anthony Boyd, 54, was executed by nitrogen gas at William C Holman Correctional Facility in Alabama for his role in a 1993 murder.

In Atmore, Alabama, authorities carried out the execution of Anthony Boyd, convicted of participating in burning a man alive over a $200 drug debt. Boyd was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. on Thursday at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility.

Boyd was sentenced to death for his involvement in Gregory Huguley's murder in Talladega County. According to prosecutors, Huguley was set on fire after failing to pay for cocaine worth $200.

In his final statement, Boyd maintained his innocence, declaring, "I didn't kill anybody. I didn't participate in killing anybody." He also criticized the criminal justice system, stating, "There can be no justice until we change this system." He expressed love to those continuing to fight before concluding with, "Let's get it."

The execution appeared to last longer than previous nitrogen gas procedures. At approximately 5:57 p.m., Boyd clenched his fist, raised his head slightly off the gurney, and began shaking. He then lifted his legs several inches. Around 6:01 p.m., he started a series of heaving breaths that continued for at least 15 minutes before he became still. The curtain to the execution chamber closed at 6:27 p.m.

Prison officials explained that the gas continues flowing for five minutes after monitoring indicates the inmate no longer has a heartbeat.

During Boyd's trial, a prosecution witness testified under a plea agreement that Boyd taped Huguley's feet together before another individual doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. Defense attorneys countered that Boyd was at a party when Huguley was killed and questioned the reliability of the plea deal testimony.

A jury convicted Boyd of capital murder during a kidnapping and voted 10-2 recommending the death sentence.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement affirming the state's "steadfast commitment to uphold the law and deliver justice for victims and their families." Marshall noted that "For more than 30 years, Boyd sought to delay justice through endless litigation, yet he never once presented evidence that the jury was wrong."

Boyd had been on death row since 1995 and served as chair of Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty, an anti-death penalty organization founded by death row inmates.

Alabama initiated the use of nitrogen gas for executions last year. The method employs a gas mask secured over the inmate's face to replace breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from oxygen deprivation. Nationwide, this method has now been used in eight executions: seven in Alabama and one in Louisiana.

The Rev. Jeff Hood, Boyd's spiritual adviser who stood with him during the execution, gave a contradictory account to state officials about what occurred in the chamber. Hood, who also witnessed the first nitrogen gas execution, stated, "This is the worst one yet. I think they are absolutely incompetent when it comes to carrying out these executions." He challenged Alabama's claim that nitrogen provides a "quick, painless, easy form of execution," saying the reality was "by far nothing anywhere close to that."

Hood believed Boyd maintained "some level of consciousness, in my opinion, for at least 16 minutes" and had planned to communicate through leg movements.

Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm countered that Boyd's shaking and movements appeared involuntary. While acknowledging this execution took longer than previous ones, Hamm characterized it as "just a few minutes past some of the others."

Prior to the execution, Boyd's attorneys had petitioned a federal judge to halt the procedure to allow more scrutiny of the method. The judge declined, ruling Boyd was unlikely to succeed on claims that the method constitutes cruel punishment.

The U.S. Supreme Court also denied Boyd's request to stay the execution or allow him to die by firing squad instead. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a strong dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, citing witness descriptions of past nitrogen gas executions as providing "mounting and unbroken evidence" that the method violates constitutional protections. She argued that "allowing the nitrogen hypoxia experiment to continue" fails to uphold national dignity.

Alabama officials maintain that inmate reactions during nitrogen gas executions, such as shaking or gasping, are primarily involuntary responses caused by oxygen deprivation.