Alabama executes Carey Grayson using nitrogen gas in third such case this year

Carey Grayson was executed in Alabama using nitrogen gas, becoming the third person in the U.S. to face this method. He was convicted of the 1994 murder of hitchhiker Vickie Lynn Deblieux. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to halt the execution, despite concerns about nitrogen asphyxiation being cruel and unusual punishment. Alabama has executed three inmates by this method in 2024, the only state to do so. Critics, including UN experts, have called for a ban on nitrogen gas executions, arguing they violate international law. Grayson’s execution reportedly involved distressing movements, which officials described as “for show.”