Carey Dale Grayson, a 50-year-old Alabama death row inmate, was executed on Thursday, November 21, becoming the third person in the U.S. to be put to death by nitrogen gas. Grayson was convicted of the brutal torture, bludgeoning, and mutilation of 37-year-old Vickie Lynn DeBlieux in February 1994.
DeBlieux, who had been hitchhiking from Tennessee to visit her mother in Louisiana, was picked up by Grayson and three other teens, who later killed her in what court records described as a gruesome crime. Grayson, then 19, was sentenced to death for his role in the murder.
The Alabama Department of Corrections pronounced Grayson dead at 6:33 p.m. The execution marked the 22nd in the U.S. this year and the sixth in Alabama. Notably, Alabama has now executed three inmates using nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method that has drawn criticism, with some witnesses describing it as akin to torture.
Witnesses reported Grayson showing noticeable physical reactions during the execution process. According to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm, Grayson initially made deliberate movements “for show.” As the nitrogen gas began to flow, Grayson clenched his hands, gasped deeply, shook his head, and strained against his restraints. He appeared to lose consciousness approximately six minutes after the gas began, at 6:18 p.m.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, defended the execution method, stating, “An execution by nitrogen hypoxia bears no comparison to the death and dismemberment Ms. DeBlieux experienced.” She expressed prayers for DeBlieux’s family, hoping they continue to find closure and healing.
At a news conference following the execution, Jodi DeBlieux Haley, who was 12 when her mother was murdered, spoke of the devastating loss. “She was unique. She was spontaneous. She was wild. She was funny,” Haley said of her mother. “I don’t know what it is like to have a mother while going through life—graduation, marriage, children, hurts, and joys. I’ve had to experience life without her presence because all those opportunities were stolen from her.”
Grayson’s execution remains a point of controversy, as the nitrogen hypoxia method, relatively new to capital punishment, continues to spark debates over its humaneness and potential risks.