Vickie Deblieux, 37, was hitchhiking through Alabama on her way to her mother’s house in Louisiana when she was killed. Four teens, including 50-year-old Carey Dale Grayson, were found guilty. His execution is set for Thursday night at the south Alabama-based William C. Holman Correctional Facility.
This year, Alabama started executing some death sentences with nitrogen gas, the first time a new form of execution has been used in the US since lethal injection was first used in 1982. The technique entails covering the person’s face with a respirator gas mask, which substitutes pure nitrogen gas for breathable air, resulting in oxygen deprivation death.
Alabama argues that the approach is constitutional. However, detractors point out that the first two executions trembled for a few minutes.
