An Alabama death row inmate was executed by nitrogen gas, a method the state began using last year, in relation to his 1993 conviction for his alleged role in the killing of a man over a $200 drug debt on Thursday (October 23), the Associated Press reports.
Anthony Boyd, 54, was pronounced dead at William C. Holman Correctional Facility at 6:33 p.m. local time. Boyd was sentenced to death in relation to the murder of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County, with prosecutors claiming Huguley was set on fire after failing to pay for $200 worth of cocaine.
Boyd maintained his innocence, stating, “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t participate in killing anybody,” in his final words prior to his death.
“There can be no justice until we change this system,” he added, intending to express his love for those still fighting the system before concluding with, “Let’s get it.”
Boyd’s death was reported to take longer than previous nitrogen gas executions, though the state doesn’t reveal the exact time gas begins flowing. Boyd was reported to have initially shown signs of discomfort at around 5:57 p.m. local time before taking heavy breaths at around 6:01 p.m., which lasted about 15 minutes before becoming still.
The curtain to the execution chamber was closed at around 6:27 p.m. and gas continued to flow for five minutes after monitoring showed that Boyd no longer had a heartbeat. Lethal injection was the preferred way to execute death row prisoners in the U.S. for decades, but alternatives have been taken, with four executions by gas and two by firing squad in 2025, according to data shared by the Associated Press.
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