Daughter of Murder Victim Condemns Execution, Citing Societal Failure

An Alabama man, convicted of the 1994 murder of a female hitchhiker, became the third individual in U.S. history to be executed by nitrogen gas. Carey Dale Grayson, 50, who was found guilty of capital murder in 1996, was put to death on Thursday for the killing of Vickie Deblieux, then 37 years old. Grayson’s legal representatives petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to examine the constitutionality of the new execution method, but the high court rejected a request that would have prevented the execution. No other state has utilized nitrogen hypoxia to carry out a death sentence. Grayson’s execution for the murder occurred at the William C. Holman Correction Facility in Alabama, an event that members of his victim’s family protested. Jodi Haley, Deblieux’s daughter, who was 12 at the time of the murder, informed reporters after the execution that Grayson had endured abuse in his youth. She stated, “society failed this man as a child, and my family suffered because of it.” Haley further declared, “Murdering inmates under the guise of justice needs to stop,” adding that “no one should have the right to take a person’s possibilities, days, and life.” Alabama commenced using nitrogen gas this year for death sentences. This method involves a respirator gas mask replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, leading to a lack of oxygen. Grayson’s attorneys argued that the new procedure causes “conscious suffocation” and does not result in immediate unconsciousness. However, state attorneys referenced two previous executions of prisoners who died by nitrogen hypoxia earlier this year, with the most recent taking place last month. U.S. media outlets reported that Grayson made obscene gestures before his execution on Thursday and convulsed, taking gasping breaths as the gas began flowing. He was one of four teenagers convicted in Deblieux’s killing and the only one who was over 18 years old at the time of the murder. He was also the sole individual to receive the death sentence. Deblieux was planning to hitchhike from Tennessee to Louisiana when the four teenagers picked her up in Alabama. The teenagers transported her to a wooded area where they beat her, stood on her throat, and threw her body off a cliff. They later returned to the mountain, where they mutilated her body by stabbing and cutting her 180 times and removing parts of her fingers. Deblieux’s body was subsequently discovered by three rock climbers. A medical examiner reported that every bone in her face had been fractured at least once. In a statement, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said, “My prayer for Vickie’s family is that they can find solace in the state of Alabama finally serving justice for their heart-breaking loss.” He also expressed, “And my hope is that one day it will not take three decades to provide justice for other victims of violent crimes.”