Alabama Executes Anthony Boyd Using Nitrogen Gas — Controversy Surrounds Method

ALABAMA, USA — On October 23, 2025, the state of Alabama executed Anthony Boyd, 54, using the controversial nitrogen hypoxia method at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, marking one of the most debated executions in recent U.S. history.

Boyd was convicted for his role in the 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley, who was burned alive over a $200 drug debt. He spent over three decades on death row, maintaining his innocence until his final moments, claiming he was at a party at the time of the crime and challenging the reliability of eyewitness testimony that led to his conviction.

According to witnesses, Boyd’s execution lasted approximately 30 minutes. During the procedure, he reportedly exhibited shaking, labored breathing, and signs of distress, prompting renewed concern over the humaneness of nitrogen gas executions.

This execution is the eighth use of nitrogen hypoxia in the United States, seven of which have taken place in Alabama. Human rights advocates and several U.S. Supreme Court Justices — including Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — have argued that the method may constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Boyd was also known as a death row activist, serving as chairman of Project Hope, a nonprofit led by inmates advocating for the abolition of the death penalty. His execution has reignited debates over the ethics of capital punishment and the methods employed to carry it out.

For continued coverage and updates on this story, Mckoy’s News will monitor responses from legal, human rights, and international communities as discussions around the use of nitrogen hypoxia continue to unfold.