Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was executed by poisonous gas this week in Alabama for murdering a woman in 1997 – despite the victim’s family pleading for his life to be saved
A man on death row for murdering a woman during a petrol station robbery in 1997 was executed this week – but it went horribly wrong..
Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was put to death using nitrogen gas at William C Holman Correctional Facility in Alabama. West, when asked if he had any final words by the prison warden, said “no sir”. He was strapped to a gurney and wore a blue-rimmed gas mark, before giving a thumbs up to his lawyer as the execution began at about 5.56pm
For two minutes, the 50-year-old kept his eyes open as he appeared to fight for air, the Express reported. There was slight foaming at the mouth as his head shifted from side to side. He became motionless at about 6.07pm and was declared dead at 6.22pm.
West was convicted of the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry, a mother of two, who was shot in the back of the head while lying on the floor behind the counter at a gas station on March 28th, 1997.
Prosecutors had claimed that Berry was killed to ensure there were no witnesses to the robbery, and court documents revealed that $250 was stolen from a tin containing the station’s takings.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret it and wish that I could take that back,” West told AP over the phone.
In a final statement given by his lawyer, West revealed that he had apologised privately to Margaret’s family. He added that he had been “humbled by the forgiveness” of her son, Will.
Will Berry, who was 11 at the time of his mother’s murder, had pleaded with Alabama’s governor to commute West’s sentence to life imprisonment, saying: “I forgive him and so does my dad. We don’t want him to die.” However, earlier this month, Governor Ivey wrote to Berry to state her intention to go ahead with the execution.
She said: “Almost 30 years ago, Margaret Parrish Berry went to work at the convenience store, but she would never get to return home. Geoffrey West went in with the intent to rob and kill, and he cowardly shot Ms. Berry in the back of the head. Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all.”
West’s lawyers, meanwhile, said: “The execution of Mr. West demands that we reflect as a society: on how we handle capital punishment, on how age and life circumstances are considered, on how we balance justice, mercy, and the possibility of redemption.”
Will Berry said he hopes that West “gains peace when he meets his maker”, in a statement on Thursday. He wrote: “From what we understand, he acted out of character that night. People he grew up with said he was a good person who got off track.”
Execution by nitrogen hypoxia was first used in the US last year, in Alabama. Since then, the method has been used in seven executions. The method has bene widely criticised, with UN experts warning that it may amount to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or even torture.”
They added, in a statement last November: “We reiterate our call for an urgent ban on execution by nitrogen asphyxiation, which is clearly prohibited under international law.”