An inmate from Alabama delivered a powerful message against the state’s justice system in his final words before facing execution.
Anthony Boyd, a death row inmate in Alabama for nearly three decades, consistently maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison.
The 54-year-old was executed on Thursday, October 23, using the contentious nitrogen gas method for the 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley.
This procedure involves the convicted individual wearing a gas mask and inhaling pure nitrogen, serving as an alternative to lethal injection.
Critics of this method argue that it inflicts “undue suffering,” although Alabama state officials have refuted these claims. Witnesses stated that Boyd’s execution was prolonged, marking it as the state’s longest nitrogen gas execution.
Boyd was sentenced to death in 1995 after a jury voted 10-2 in favor of the death penalty. Throughout the years, Boyd continuously denied any involvement in the crime, testifying during his trial that he attended a birthday party on the night Huguley was murdered and later went to a hotel with his girlfriend.
The prosecution alleged that Boyd taped Huguley’s feet and that another person then poured gasoline on him and set him on fire over a $200 cocaine debt.
In his final moments at the Alabama prison, 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.”
Boyd declined a last meal before his execution but delivered a comprehensive and critical statement regarding Alabama’s actions.
As reported by Montgomery Advertiser, Boyd declared in his final remarks: “I just want to say again, I didn’t kill anybody, I didn’t participate in killing anybody. Just want everyone to know, there is no justice in this state.”
He further emphasized that all of his previous appeals, though unsuccessful, were justified and accused the judicial system of conspiring to ensure his execution proceeded.
Boyd stated that true justice arises from change and argued that an execution “is not about closure because closure comes from within, not from an execution.”
He concluded with the words: “It’s all political, it’s all revenge-motivated. There is no justice in the state, there can be no justice in the state.
“I want all my people to keep fighting, you all matter. Let’s get it.”