A death row inmate scheduled for execution this week is pleading with the state’s governor for a meeting before the planned execution of an allegedly innocent man. Anthony Boyd, who has maintained his innocence for over thirty years in the capital murder case of Gregory Huguley, is appealing to authorities to reconsider his execution by nitrogen gas in Alabama. Boyd, aged 53, has expressed his desire for a discussion with Governor Kay Ivey before his scheduled execution, stating his case needs a fair investigation.
In a recorded message played at a news conference in Alabama, Boyd requested Governor Ivey to engage in a conversation with him to understand his perspective before proceeding with the execution. Boyd emphasized his willingness to face the consequences if found deceptive but urged authorities to halt the execution for a thorough review of his case.
Boyd was convicted of the murder of Gregory Huguley in 1993, accused of being involved in the abduction and burning alive of Huguley over a drug debt in Talladega County, Alabama. Despite Boyd’s continued proclamations of innocence, officials stand by his conviction in the brutal crime. Governor Ivey’s spokesperson, Mike Lewis, mentioned that while cases are reviewed before scheduling executions, there have been no recent challenges to Boyd’s guilt in the murder of Huguley.
The case of Boyd has been labeled as particularly complex by the Governor’s team, with Governor Ivey having only intervened in one execution since taking office. Amidst appeals from other inmates on death row in Alabama, including Geoffrey Todd West, who committed a murder during a robbery in 1997, the situation remains tense. Additionally, Shawn Ingram, accused of setting Huguley on fire, is also on death row in Alabama.
Alabama has recently adopted the use of nitrogen gas for executions, prompting Boyd’s legal team to seek intervention from federal courts to review this new method.