Carey Dale Grayson, a death row inmate in Alabama, is set to be executed with nitrogen gas for his role in the brutal 1994 murder of a hitchhiker. Grayson was one of four teenagers convicted of torturing, bludgeoning, and mutilating Vickie Lynn Deblieux. Deblieux was brutally killed after being picked up by the teens while hitchhiking from Tennessee to Louisiana. Grayson and another teen stood on her throat to kill her, and her body was later mutilated and thrown off a cliff.
This execution would be the third in the nation using nitrogen gas, a method that has been controversial due to concerns about pain and suffering. Grayson, who suffers from bipolar disorder, has filed multiple appeals but has exhausted most of them. His last hope for a reprieve lies with the U.S. Supreme Court and Governor Kay Ivey.
Grayson’s background includes a traumatic childhood, with his mother dying when he was young after battling mental illness. A forensic psychologist testified that Grayson was in a manic state during the murder but understood the difference between right and wrong. Grayson has shown little remorse for his actions, telling police that the killing was not his problem.
The nitrogen gas method of execution has only been used twice in Alabama, with the first execution drawing national and international criticism for being botched. Despite concerns about the method, Grayson and around 30 other inmates on death row have chosen nitrogen hypoxia as their preferred execution method.
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