Alabama Man Scheduled for Execution by Nitrogen Gas for 1997 Murder

Geoffrey Todd West, aged 49, is facing execution in Alabama for the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry that occurred during a robbery in 1997. Governor Kay Ivey has set the date for West's execution on September 25. West's conviction came after he shot Berry, who was only 33 at the time, in the back of the head while she was lying on the floor behind the store counter at Harold’s Chevron in Attalla, where he had previously worked. The incident resulted in the theft of $250 from a cookie can that held the store's earnings.

West was found guilty of capital murder following a jury's 10-2 vote recommending the death penalty, which was later upheld by a judge. During the sentencing in 1999, Etowah County Circuit Judge William Cardwell acknowledged the difficulty in deciding to execute a young man, but he emphasized that the murder was executed “clearly deliberate and intentional.” West's girlfriend was also charged in connection with the crime; she pleaded guilty and received a 35-year prison sentence.

In 2024, Alabama became the first state to carry out an execution using nitrogen gas, which works by administering nitrogen through a face mask and reducing the inmate's oxygen supply. This controversial method has been responsible for six executions so far—five in Alabama and one in Louisiana. While some supporters argue that nitrogen executions provide a quick and painless death, critics contend that the method is still experimental and could amount to torture. The decision to use nitrogen as an execution method has drawn significant backlash from international communities, including protests from the Vatican earlier this year. West had previously chosen nitrogen as his execution method before the state formalized its procedures.