Alabama is set to carry out its first execution of 2025, following a deadly 2024 in which the state led the nation in the number of executions. The scheduled execution of Demetrius Terrence Frazier will take place in February, continuing the state’s controversial use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment.
Execution Scheduled for Early February
On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey made public a letter sent to John Hamm, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, confirming the state’s plans for Frazier’s execution on February 6, 2025. Frazier, convicted of capital murder, will be the fourth person in the state to face execution by nitrogen gas since its approval in 2018.
Frazier’s conviction dates back to 1996 when he was sentenced to death for the brutal rape and murder of a woman in Birmingham. He had broken into her apartment five years earlier, committing the heinous crime before fleeing the state. He was arrested months later in Detroit, Michigan.
Alabama’s Grim Record in 2024
Alabama’s execution rate reached a tragic milestone in 2024. With six people executed, the state surpassed every other in the country in carrying out the death penalty. This grim statistic has once again brought national attention to the state’s approach to capital punishment, particularly its growing use of nitrogen gas, a method that remains highly controversial.
The state’s decision to employ nitrogen gas as an execution method has been a subject of debate. It was first approved in Alabama in 2018, but the state had never actually used it until 2023, when it executed three people, including Frazier’s upcoming execution. Nitrogen gas, considered by some to be less painful than lethal injection, is still largely untested in execution settings, raising concerns about its potential risks and ethical implications.
Alabama’s Path Forward with Capital Punishment
The use of nitrogen gas marks a significant shift in Alabama’s history of executions. Before 2018, lethal injection was the primary method for carrying out the death penalty in the state. However, with ongoing challenges related to obtaining drugs for lethal injection protocols and growing opposition to such methods, the state has turned to nitrogen as a potentially more reliable alternative.
In addition to Frazier, three other individuals were executed by nitrogen gas in 2024. Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed in January of that year, followed by Alan Miller in September, and Cary Dale Grayson in November. With these executions, Alabama continues to be at the forefront of controversial death penalty practices, with many asking whether the state is leading the charge in human rights violations.
Legal and Ethical Concerns Over Execution Methods
The rise of nitrogen gas as a primary execution method has sparked heated discussions across the country, particularly as the state faces increasing criticism for its use. While some defend the method as more humane, others argue it remains unproven and may cause unnecessary suffering. The case of Frazier, set to be the fourth person to face nitrogen execution in Alabama, raises further ethical questions about the practice.
Despite these concerns, Governor Ivey’s office has maintained that the state’s actions are in line with the law. Legal challenges from death row inmates continue, as lawyers fight to stop executions and ensure that inmates receive fair and humane treatment under the law.
The Ongoing Debate on Capital Punishment in Alabama
As the state’s execution plans move forward into 2025, the broader debate over capital punishment in Alabama intensifies. Many question the fairness of the system, the disproportionate number of minority individuals on death row, and the ethics of state-sponsored killings. Alabama’s record number of executions in 2024 has only amplified these discussions, leading to calls for reform from national human rights groups and activists within the state.
With the scheduled execution of Demetrius Frazier looming, the question remains: Will Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas become the new normal for executions, or will legal and public scrutiny prompt further changes in the state’s approach to capital punishment?
Comments