Alabama is set to carry out the controversial execution of Geoffrey West, 50, on Thursday evening using nitrogen hypoxia, a method denounced internationally as cruel and inhumane.
West was convicted for the 1997 murder of Margaret Berry, a 33-year-old mother of two, during a robbery in Attalla. His execution is scheduled for 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) at an Alabama state prison.
At nearly the same time, Texas will execute Blaine Milam, 35, by lethal injection for the 2008 killing of 13-month-old Amora Carson, his girlfriend’s daughter. Court records describe the child’s death during a so-called “exorcism” as one of the most brutal cases ever seen, involving beatings, strangulation, sexual mutilation, and multiple bite marks.
Milam’s lawyers argued he is intellectually disabled, but appeals were denied. His case was previously featured in Werner Herzog’s 2013 documentary On Death Row.
A Record Year for Executions
So far in 2025, the United States has carried out 31 executions, the highest number since 2014, when 35 inmates were put to death. Florida leads with 12 executions, followed by South Carolina and Texas with four each.
Of the executions this year, 26 were by lethal injection, two by firing squad, and three by nitrogen hypoxia. The nitrogen method, which induces suffocation by pumping gas through a face mask, is drawing heavy criticism. United Nations experts have labeled it “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.”
Shifting National Debate
The death penalty remains a divisive issue in the U.S. It has been abolished in 23 states, while California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania maintain official moratoriums.
Despite growing calls for abolition, capital punishment continues in several states. Former President Donald Trump has been among its most vocal supporters, calling for its expanded use “for the vilest crimes” on his first day in office.
As Alabama prepares to use nitrogen gas again, the nation faces renewed debate on whether execution methods or the death penalty itself belong in modern justice.
