Alabama Executes Man with Nitrogen Gas for 1997 Murder of Store Clerk
ATMORE, Ala. — Alabama carried out the execution of Geoffrey Todd West, 50, on Thursday evening using nitrogen gas, a method that has now been employed several times since its authorization in the state. West was sentenced to death for the 1997 killing of 33-year-old Margaret Parrish Berry, a store clerk and mother of two.
The Crime and Conviction
Berry was fatally shot in the back of the head during a robbery at Harold’s Chevron in Etowah County on March 28, 1997. Prosecutors said West killed her execution-style to eliminate witnesses before stealing $250 from a cookie tin used to hold store money.
A jury convicted West of capital murder during a robbery and voted 10–2 in favor of the death penalty, which the judge imposed.
West’s Final Hours
On Thursday at William C. Holman Correctional Facility, West was strapped to a gurney with a blue-rimmed gas mask. Witnesses reported that he appeared to gasp and struggle for breath in the opening minutes of the execution, which began at 5:56 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m.
In a written statement through his attorney, West expressed remorse: “I have apologized privately to the family of Margaret Parrish Berry, and am humbled by the forgiveness her son, Will, has extended.” He also noted that he was baptized earlier this year and said, “I look forward to seeing Mrs. Berry when I get there.”
Family Pleas and Forgiveness
In the days leading up to the execution, Will Berry, who was 11 years old when his mother was killed, pleaded with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to commute West’s sentence to life in prison. “I forgive him and so does my dad. We don’t want him to die,” he said.
Despite those requests, Ivey rejected clemency, writing that Alabama law required death for the most egregious murders. After the execution, she stated, “Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all.”
Will Berry later expressed sorrow for West’s family, acknowledging that while his crime was horrific, those who knew West said he had once been a good person who lost his way.
Nitrogen Gas as Execution Method
Alabama became the first state to use nitrogen gas in an execution in 2024. The process involves replacing oxygen with pure nitrogen through a mask, causing death by hypoxia.
West had chosen nitrogen gas in 2018 when inmates were given the option of nitrogen, lethal injection, or the electric chair. The method has since been used in six executions in Alabama and one in Louisiana, though lethal injection remains the state’s primary practice.
The execution highlights ongoing national debate over capital punishment, particularly regarding nitrogen hypoxia, which some argue is inhumane while others see as a practical alternative amid shortages of lethal injection drugs.
Do you believe Alabama was right to move forward with nitrogen gas despite the victim’s family requesting clemency? Share your thoughts in the comments on SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.
