In Alabama, Carey Dale Grayson, a death row inmate, is scheduled to be executed with nitrogen gas on Thursday for his involvement in the brutal murder of a hitchhiker in 1994. Vickie Lynn Deblieux was brutally tortured, bludgeoned, and mutilated by Grayson and three other teenagers, after they picked her up while she was hitchhiking. Grayson, who was 19 at the time, stood on Deblieux’s throat to kill her before her body was mutilated and thrown off a cliff.
Grayson’s execution would be the third in the nation using nitrogen gas this year. The method of execution has drawn controversy after the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in January, where he appeared to suffer for several minutes before dying. The nitrogen hypoxia method involves the condemned breathing pure nitrogen through a mask to displace oxygen in their system, causing a supposedly painless death.
Grayson’s appeals have been largely exhausted, with his lawyers arguing that the nitrogen execution method could amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Grayson, who has bipolar disorder, claimed to be in a manic state during the murder but still knew the difference between right and wrong.
Alabama has a roster of about 160 inmates on death row, with approximately 30 choosing the nitrogen hypoxia method. Despite the controversy surrounding the method, the state is prepared to continue with this form of execution. Grayson’s fate now rests with the U.S. Supreme Court and Governor Kay Ivey, who has questioned whether Grayson gave any thought to the 30 Thanksgivings he took from Deblieux and her family.
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