Alabama Prepares to Execute Geoffrey Todd West for 1997 Murder Using Nitrogen Gas

Alabama is scheduled to execute Geoffrey Todd West, 50, on Thursday night at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. West was convicted of capital murder for the 1997 shooting death of 33-year-old Margaret Parrish Berry during a gas station robbery in Etowah County. This execution will be carried out using nitrogen gas, a method authorized by Alabama lawmakers in 2018 and first implemented in 2024.

Berry's son, Will Berry, has publicly forgiven West and urged Governor Kay Ivey to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. He stated, "I don't want this man to die. Vengeance isn't for the state. It's for the Lord."

Governor Ivey responded in a letter dated September 11, affirming her duty to uphold Alabama law, which prescribes death as punishment for the most egregious forms of murder. She noted that she has commuted a death sentence only once during her tenure, due to questions about the individual's guilt.

West has expressed remorse for his actions, stating, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it and wish that I could take that back." He also conveyed his desire to apologize to Berry's family, saying, "I'm so very sorry for the hurt that I've caused you all. I'm so very sorry for what I've taken away from you, and I hope and pray you forgive me."

The execution will be one of two scheduled in the United States on Thursday, with Texas planning to carry out a lethal injection on the same evening.

Nitrogen gas execution involves placing a mask over the inmate's face and administering pure nitrogen, leading to oxygen deprivation and death. Nitrogen comprises 78% of Earth's atmosphere and is harmless when mixed with adequate oxygen.

Alabama's adoption of nitrogen gas as an execution method reflects ongoing debates over capital punishment methods in the United States.