An Alabama death row inmate has made a heartfelt appeal as his execution by nitrogen approaches.
Anthony Boyd has spent roughly 30 years on death row after being found guilty of the capital murder and kidnapping of George Huguley back in 1995.
The jury at the time recommended the death penalty for Boyd with a 10-2 vote, leading to his prolonged stay on death row.
The court case revealed that Boyd was part of a group of four men involved in the crime, where Mr. Huguley was drenched in gasoline and set on fire for failing to pay $200 for cocaine.
Boyd has maintained his innocence for the decades since his conviction, with trial witnesses testifying that he was attending a birthday party on the night Huguley was murdered, followed by a night spent at a hotel with his girlfriend.
Boyd asserts his non-involvement in the 1993 murder, stating: “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t participate in any killing.”
A campaign has been launched to prevent his execution, and at a recent rally organized by the campaign, Boyd urged for his sentence to be reduced.
Speaking via speakerphone from the Alabama prison where he is incarcerated, Boyd expressed: “This is not just about me.
“This is about the injustice that’s going on in this state. I’m a prime example of these crooked courts and the way they fight.”
The 53-year-old is slated to face execution through a new and controversial method known as nitrogen hypoxia.
This method involves the condemned wearing a gas mask that delivers only pure nitrogen.
It is considered an alternative to lethal injection but has been criticized for potentially causing ‘undue suffering’.
The state of Alabama has dismissed these criticisms, having previously employed the method on another death row inmate earlier this year.
Among those advocating for Boyd’s sentence to be overturned is Rev Jeff Hood, co-founder of the non-profit Execution Intervention Project, which supports death row inmates and organized the rally where Boyd spoke.
Rev Hood stated: “We’re here because we want the people of Alabama to know that the death penalty is more complicated than just this game of calling people monsters, this game of just tossing people away and acting like people don’t matter.”
Boyd is not the only person on death row linked to Huguley’s murder, as another individual convicted in the case is also awaiting execution.
Alabama holds the highest historical rate of death sentences per capita in the U.S.
It also ranks among the states with the highest execution rates in the nation.