A man who was sentenced to death for the murder of a woman during a robbery at a gas station in 1997 was executed this week in Alabama. Geoffrey Todd West, aged 50, underwent the execution process using nitrogen gas at William C Holman Correctional Facility. Prior to the execution, West, when asked for any final words by the prison warden, simply replied, “no sir.” He was then secured to a gurney and equipped with a blue-trimmed gas mask, signaling approval to his lawyer before the execution commenced around 5.56pm.
During the execution, West seemed to struggle for air with his eyes open for about two minutes, as reported by the Express. Some foaming at the mouth was observed while his head moved from side to side. Eventually, he became motionless at approximately 6.07pm and was officially pronounced deceased at 6.22pm.
West had been found guilty of the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry, a mother of two, who was fatally shot in the head while laying on the floor behind the gas station counter on March 28th, 1997. Prosecutors claimed that Berry was killed to eliminate witnesses to the robbery, and court records indicated that $250 was stolen from the station’s cash container.
Expressing remorse, West told the Associated Press over the phone, “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret it and wish that I could take that back.” In a final statement conveyed by his attorney, West disclosed that he had privately apologized to Margaret’s family and acknowledged feeling “humbled by the forgiveness” from her son, Will.
Will Berry, who was 11 at the time of his mother’s murder, had urged Alabama’s governor to commute West’s sentence to life imprisonment, forgiving him along with his father. Despite this, Governor Ivey informed Berry of her decision to proceed with the execution earlier this month.
West’s legal team reflected on the execution, calling for societal contemplation on the handling of capital punishment, age considerations, and the balance between justice, mercy, and redemption. Will Berry expressed his hope for West to find peace upon facing his maker, stating that accounts from West’s acquaintances depicted him as a good person who made a regrettable choice that night.
The execution by nitrogen hypoxia, employed for the first time in the US last year in Alabama, has since been used in seven executions. However, the method has faced significant criticism, with UN experts cautioning that it could constitute “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or even torture.” Advocates of human rights have called for an immediate prohibition on execution by nitrogen asphyxiation, highlighting its clear violation of international law.