Alabama death row inmate's final words: 'I didn't kill anybody' before nitrogen gas execution

Alabama executed Anthony Todd Boyd by nitrogen gas Thursday evening, October 23, at William C. Holman Correctional Facility, making him the seventh death row prisoner to die by nitrogen hypoxia in the state.

The 54-year-old Boyd had been convicted and sentenced to death for his role in the 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County. Huguley was tied up and burned alive over a $200 cocaine debt. Officials declared Boyd dead at 6:33 p.m. on Oct. 23.

In his final words, Boyd maintained his innocence, stating: "I didn't kill anybody. I didn't participate in killing anybody."


He continued: "There can be no justice until we change this system," before speaking his last three words before execution: "Let's get it."

Also read: Tyler Robinson: What to know about Charlie Kirk’s accused killer and the push for death penalty

Nitrogen gas execution takes approximately 20 minutes

Officials declined to disclose when they began administering nitrogen gas to Boyd. Witnesses from the facility reported he clenched his fist and started convulsing while raising his head from the gurney at approximately 5:57 p.m.

This activity concluded after four minutes, but labored breathing continued for 15 minutes before he became motionless. The Associated Press reported this appeared to take longer than previous nitrogen executions.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey stated: "After 30 years on death row, Anthony Boyd's death sentence has been carried out, and his victim's family has finally received justice."

Boyd's role in 1993 murder case

Boyd consistently maintained his innocence regarding the 1993 murder, claiming he was at a party the night Huguley was burned alive. Authorities do not believe he set the fire but that he was an accomplice.

During his trial, one co-defendant testified after accepting a plea bargain, claiming Boyd had bound the victim's feet with tape before another person doused him with gasoline and ignited him. The two observed Huguley burning for up to 15 minutes until the flames died down.

Boyd was found guilty of capital murder, with the jury reaching a 10-2 decision for the death penalty. The individual believed to have poured the gasoline and started the fire, Shawn Ingram, was also found guilty of capital murder and remains on Alabama's death row awaiting execution.

Death row prisoner sought firing squad over nitrogen gas

Having exhausted his appeals with his execution date approaching, Boyd petitioned to be executed by firing squad instead of nitrogen gas.

A lawsuit filed by Boyd's legal team argued: "The administration of pure nitrogen gas causes the prisoner to experience the extreme pain and terror of suffocation while still conscious, inflicting gratuitous suffering beyond what is constitutionally permitted."

This contention was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this month, who determined that "the Eighth Amendment (of the US Constitution) does not guarantee Boyd a painless death" but instead a death without unnecessary suffering.

Also read: Trump says will seek death penalty for murders in US capital

Supreme Court denies stay, Justice Sotomayor dissents

The state and federal rejection of his plea for a firing squad was upheld by the Supreme Court, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing a dissenting opinion backed by two other judges.

Sotomayor highlighted the "mounting and unbroken evidence" that executions by nitrogen gas could breach constitutional protections, violating the prohibition on "cruel and unusual" forms of punishment.

"Boyd asks for the barest form of mercy: to die by firing squad, which would kill him in seconds, rather than by a tortuous suffocation lasting up to four minutes," she wrote. "The Constitution would grant him that grace, my colleagues do not."