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Alabama has officially executed its third inmate using nitrogen gas, resulting in condemnation from the UN.

Let’s bring you up to speed: In 1994, Carey Dale Grayson, then 19 years old, participated in the brutal murder of 37-year-old Vickie Deblieux, a hitchhiker traveling through Alabama to visit her mother in Louisiana. Along with three other teenagers, Grayson offered Deblieux a ride, only to lure her to a secluded area where they tortured and beat her before throwing her off a cliff near Odenville, Alabama. The group later returned to mutilate her body, inflicting over 180 stab wounds, severing her fingers, and removing one of her lungs. Grayson’s actions led to his conviction and eventual death sentence, while the other teens, being under 18 at the time, were spared the death penalty.

Details surrounding the execution: During his final last words, Carey Dale Grayson directed profanity at Terry Raybon, the warden of the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, saying, “For you, you need to fuck off.” Witnesses reported that his remarks were cut off as prison officials turned off his microphone to prevent further profanity. Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm stated, “He has cursed out most of our employees tonight, so we were not going to give him the opportunity to spew that profanity.” Grayson raised both middle fingers at the witnesses as the execution process began.

The execution was carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, a method where the condemned inhales pure nitrogen, depriving their body of oxygen. Grayson was strapped to a gurney with a gas mask placed over his face. According to a reporter who was in the room to witness the execution, As nitrogen flowed into the mask, he visibly shook, gasped for air, and struggled against the restraints before appearing to stop breathing 10 minutes into the process. The electrocardiogram confirmed his heart stopped, and he was pronounced dead after 15 minutes.

Following the execution, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Alabama to stop the use of execution by nitrogen gas. In a statement, the office said, “We emphasize that the prohibition on torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is absolute, never acceptable and not dependent on alternatives.”