A person on death row in Alabama, Anthony Boyd, who has maintained his innocence for over thirty years in the case of Gregory Huguley’s death, is pleading with the state’s governor to meet with him before his scheduled execution. Boyd, 53, convicted of capital murder, is set to be executed by nitrogen gas. In a recorded message played at a news conference in Alabama, Boyd expressed his desire to have a conversation with the governor before being executed, emphasizing his innocence and the need for a fair investigation into his case.
Boyd was convicted of the 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley, who was burned alive over a $200 drug debt in Talladega County, Alabama. Despite his pleas, authorities remain convinced of his guilt. Mike Lewis, a spokesperson for Gov. Kay Ivey, stated that all cases are reviewed before execution dates are set and mentioned the absence of recent court filings disputing Boyd’s guilt.
Boyd’s case has been described as “especially unworkable” by Gov. Ivey’s team. The governor has only stopped one execution since taking office in 2017. Other individuals on death row in Alabama, like Geoffrey Todd West and Shawn Ingram, who was accused of setting Huguley on fire, are also facing capital murder charges.
Alabama initiated the use of nitrogen gas for executions last year, and Boyd’s attorneys have requested federal courts to pause the execution to assess this new method.