Overview
- Boyd, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 at Holman prison after the state used nitrogen hypoxia via a face mask to cut off oxygen.
- Lower courts rejected his bid to halt the procedure, and the Supreme Court denied a stay as Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson dissented and noted his request to die by firing squad.
- Boyd consistently said he was innocent and sought a meeting and clemency from Gov. Kay Ivey, who declined and later said the sentence brought justice for the victim’s family.
- A Talladega County jury convicted him of capital murder in the 1993 burning death of Gregory Huguley and recommended death by a 10–2 vote based largely on a co-defendant’s testimony.
- The execution marked Alabama’s seventh use of nitrogen hypoxia and the eighth nationwide, intensifying disputes over whether the method is constitutional and causes visible suffering.